State Superintendent Randy Dorn on the Supreme Court’s McCleary Order

— from the Office of Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction —

[On] September 11, the Supreme Court released its most recent order pertaining to McCleary v. Washington, the 2012 decision which held that the state isn’t adequately funding basic education. Below is a statement from State Superintendent Randy Dorn on the order.

I’m pleased that the Supreme Court held the state in contempt. It should come as no surprise: Very simply, contempt means that the state has refused to comply with a direct order of the Court. In January 2014, the Court told the state to produce a plan to achieve full funding.

The state failed to do that.

I think it’s clear, however, that contempt means something more. The state is continuing to violate our constitution. Article IX, Section 1 states clearly that an ample provision for the education of all students is the state’s “paramount duty.” Thirty years ago, the Court ruled that the state wasn’t meeting that requirement. And the Court reaffirmed that two years ago in the McCleary decision.

In January 2014, the Court told the state to produce a plan to achieve full funding.

The state failed to do that.

The oath that all elected officials – which includes legislators, the Governor and me – say when we take office is also clear: We must “support … the Constitution and laws of the state of Washington.”

Legislators have failed to do that.

The Court should have been specific about the ramifications of not making adequate progress on full funding.

I would have been more firm.

But I agree with the Court that the state needs to see what happens in 2015. Both the state’s attorney and the Legislature acknowledge that the coming legislative session is a crucial year, a Super Bowl for full funding.

Now the state needs to get to work. It needs to make significant gains in funding to meet the 2018 deadline. I hope that happens.