Thu Apr 28 2022, 6:15pm
WHS Room 2203 and Zoom
Regular Meeting

DISCUSSION ITEMS

Woodland Public Schools Participation in the Wahkiakum Lawsuit

Wahkiakum School District has filed suit against the state of Washington, alleging that the state is failing to meet its paramount duty to make ample provision for the education of all children... identified in Section IX of the state Constitution, specifically in regard to the construction of school facilities.  This is the same constitutional requirement that was the basis of the McCleary decision.

There are vast differences across our state when it comes to the capacity of a school district to pay for capital facilities.  To raise $1mm in Seattle costs about 4/10 of a cent per $1000 of TAV of a cent.  In Woodland, that same $1mm would cost taxpayers $43.4 cents per $1000 in TAV.  To "level the playing field,"  an enrollment-based adjustment shows that in Seattle the per-pupil cost of $1mm is 20.7 cents, compared to $0.996 in Wahkiakum and  $1.067 in Woodland.  Statewide the range is 3.6 cents per student (Shaw) to $11 per student (Nespelem).

In McCleary, where a small district, Chimacum, sued the state over insufficient Basic Ed funding, many districts, including Woodland, joined in the lawsuit by contributing funding to a 501.C.3, N.E.W.S.  Wahkiakum is using a different model than a 501.C.3, as they have set up a mechanism through their county treasurer.  They ask interested districts to consider an initial investment of $3000 for small districts and $5000 for larger districts.

Attached are two documents:  A sample board resolution, and a One Page Summary Document about the lawsuit.

I have also attached a printout from a spreadsheet I created to calculate per-pupil tax rates per $1mm statewide.

Attached Files:
3.24 assisting district reso DRAFT EXAMPLE.docx application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document 43.1K
Per Pupil Levy Rates (From 1061 Report).pdf application/pdf 76.1K
Wahkiakum v. State one page summary 3.2022mtg ... .pdf application/pdf 194.6K