Sen. Rodney Tom Is Dead Wrong on McCleary

Peter Callaghan’s take on the Supreme Court’s McCleary decision is smack on target.  In his Tacoma News Tribune column he writes,  “The remedy called for by the court is strictly financial, and additional non financial reforms are not demanded in the majority opinion.”  The entire McCleary decision is about funding public schools and the failure of the Legislature to follow through with funding to support its earlier legislation.

“Justice Stephens makes it clear that the already adopted non financial reforms  -- research-based and performance-based reforms - - are central to what the Legislature has done to address deficiencies in public education over the last two decades.”  Now the court is telling the legislature to finish the task it began in 1993 and fund what it created.

Sen. Rodney Tom and many who follow him are dead wrong.  It’s as if they’re decided to hold previously passed legislation hostage by refusing to fund it unless they get the additional reform they alone want.  Claiming that McCleary requires these additional reforms willfully misrepresents the decision. 

The Legislature must fund HB1209 and ESHB2261 and complete the revisions begun during the term of Gov. Booth Gardner.  Ask your local legislator what he or she will do to see to it that these funding issues are resolved to the satisfaction of the Supreme Court.