Dive Brief:
- In Washington state, legislators have again delayed an already slow and high-pressure process of determining a new public funding formula for public schools.
- The delay comes as a result of the state's Senate and House needing to pass a new bill dealing with local levy dollars before or in tandem with making a solid compromise on education funding, complicating the already-complex issue.
- Time is of the essence, since the state's Supreme Court has been holding the state in contempt since last year, fining lawmakers $100,000 a day since its ruling in August.
Dive Insight:
The state's legislators don't seem to be taking the issue of school funding very seriously, as the prolonged delays and detours regarding new and much-needed legislation continues to thwart the best interests of students.
Meanwhile, the bills are racking up. Since August, when the state was ruled to be in contempt of court, millions of dollars have been incurred. As of October, penalty fees already total $5.2 million. Still, it's unclear if that money will ever be collected, since disbursement is supposed to be based on legislative action determining where, exactly, the funds will come from. No easy answers exist.