Cheney Schools tasks state to fully fund education

The Cheney School board approved, 4-0, a resolution that requests state legislators fully comply with the Supreme Court’s orders in the McCleary case. Director James Whiteley was absent.

The resolution requests the state to comply with the Supreme Court’s orders, which include amply funding the cost of K-12 education by no later than the 2017-18 school year. Last year the Supreme Court found the Legislature in contempt of court for its repeated failure to produce an ample funding plan and imposed a $100,000 a day sanction on the state until they produce the plan.

During public participation, Bill Johns questioned the resolution. He asked where the extra money for education would be coming from if the Legislature created a new plan.

“The Legislature already passed a budget, where’s this money coming from?” Johns asked. “Will there be a new state tax?”

Director Rick Mount said the district wouldn’t know what extra money they would get. He explained the letter mainly tasks the Legislature to fully fund education.

“They haven’t done it by their own numbers,” Mount said. “The dilemma is the Legislature defining basic education. The fight is going to be “what is the definition of basic education? They’ve had two years to do it.”

Johns asked if the district received more money from Legislature would they reduce the local levies?

Director Henry Browne explained the resolution doesn’t speak to levies. It calls upon the Legislature to do something “they’ve been called to do.”

In action items, the board approved second readings of policies relating to “Classroom Management, Discipline and Corrective Action,” “Child Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation Prevention,” “Public Access to District Records” and “Evaluation of Staff.”

The board approved the renewal of the Carl Perkins Vocational Staff and Technical Education Funding Application for $28,456 to fund a career specialist at Cheney High School. The career specialist would talk to students about college applications, bring in guest speakers and organize career fairs.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].