A repost of Rep. Ross Hunter’s McCleary response & 19 senators’ detour
August 23, 2015
My friend and education funding champion Rep. Ross Hunter posted a thoughtful response to 19 senators’ assault on the state Supreme Court for their recent implementation of a $100,000 per day fine for the Legislature’s ongoing failure to meet the paramount duty of education funding.
It’s a worthwhile read.
The missing link in this journey is the public.
Here you go: Constitutional Crisis? Not so much..
Your partner in service,
Reuven.
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Official Reuven Carlyle Blog 
Ross Hunter (D-Bellevue) questions the 19 Senators because he fears his levy swap idea, which depends upon legislators’ respect for the overreaching McCleary decision, may now fail. The levy swap is a bad idea for Seattle because it means we will pay more and get less for our schools. It would take away some of our levy authority and give it to Olympia, to spend elsewhere. We would no longer be able to support our local levies for programs that directly help our students, teachers and schools. Democratic Frank Chopp, Speaker of the House, opposes Ross’s levy swap idea.
If Liv Finne is against the idea (and consequently against the constitution’s requirement of a general and uniform system that amply funds our kids needs) it must have something going for it.
I’m indifferent as to HOW the legislature solves the problem, but it seems to me that the Policy Center would be more supportive of ideas that were reasonably revenue-neutral as opposed to a all new-revenue approach, but I’d be happy to go for that if they’ve got the votes.