March 7, 2017
Dear Washington State Senators:
We write today on behalf of more than 420,000 students with an urgent message: the levy cliff must be addressed now.
Our students, families and staff stand to lose more than $228 million, and can wait no longer.
As 35 superintendents of the Puget Sound Educational Service District, we appreciate the progress you have made to come
up with an overall education funding solution. However, our time frame for passing budgets is much sooner than the
Legislature’s time frame for passing legislation. While we are waiting for the Legislature to determine whether we will fall
off the levy cliff, we are developing two budgets (one with the cliff and one without). We need to act on one of these
budgets in the coming weeks, absolutely no later than March 31, 2017.
If the Legislature does not act on the levy cliff before March 31, we will need to put our levy cliff budget into action – which
for many of us means fewer teachers, bigger classrooms, and a lower-quality educational experience for the students we
serve. This will happen right in the middle of the teacher-hiring season – while we are hosting job fairs and recruiting for
hard-to-fill positions such as special education and English learner teachers. We stand to lose these teachers while the
Legislature finalizes the McCleary solution. When a solution is eventually reached, it will be too late to fill these positions
with qualified candidates. Moreover, imagine the message that will be sent when many of us issue reduction in force
notices to our staff, while faced with a statewide teacher shortage at the same time.
We know that when cuts are made, they can disproportionately hurt students of color and low-income students – the very
students who are in the opportunity gap we are all striving to close. This runs counter to our overall goal to amply fund
education for all students. We should be accelerating learning, not disrupting it.
Some of us will choose to dip into our reserves, if available, to delay seeing the impact in our classrooms. This simply delays
the inevitable and sets us up for even larger cuts the following year. Instead, we could be using levy funds, which taxpayers
have already approved.
Make no mistake: our request to extend the levy cliff in no way diminishes the importance of reaching an overall education
funding solution this session. This also must be done. However, regular session ends April 23 – long after the damage will
be done to our budgets, and to our classrooms. In the meantime, extending the levy cliff will avoid unnecessary harm, and
assure our families and staff that their schools have stable funding. We are asking you to both extend the levy cliff and
reach a McCleary solution – this is not an “either/or” question.
We appreciate your swift attention to the levy cliff. Please do not hesitate to contact any of us if we can be of assistance
with more information.
Respectfully,
Mr. John Welch, Superintendent
Puget Sound ESD
Dr. Justin “Tim” Mills, Superintendent
Bellevue School District
Ms. Debbie LeBeau, Superintendent
Clover Park School District
Mr. Michael Nelson, Superintendent
Enumclaw School District
Dr. Alan Spicciati, Superintendent
Auburn School District
Dr. Peter Bang-Knudsen, Superintendent
Bainbridge Island School District
Mr. Tom Seigel, Superintendent
Bethel School District
Mr. Scott Hubbard, Superintendent
Carbonado Historical School District
Dr. Judy Neumeier-Martinson, Superintendent
Dieringer School District
Dr. Tammy Campbell, Superintendent
Federal Way Public Schools
Ms. Krestin Bahr, Superintendent
Eatonville School District
Mr. Kevin Alfano, Superintendent
Fife School District
Dr. Frank Hewins, Superintendent
Franklin Pierce School District
Dr. Susan Enfield, Superintendent
Highline Public Schools
Dr. Calvin Watts, Superintendent
Kent School District
Dr. Traci Pierce, Superintendent
Lake Washington School District
Dr. Gary Plano, Superintendent
Mercer Island School District
Dr. Marci Shepard, Superintendent
Orting School District
Dr. Rob Manahan, Superintendent
Peninsula School District
Dr. Timothy Yeomans, Superintendent
Puyallup School District
Dr. Arthur Jarvis, Superintendent
Renton School District
Dr. Anthony L. Smith, Superintendent
Riverview School District
Dr. Larry Nyland, Superintendent
Seattle Public Schools
Ms. Rebecca Miner, Superintendent
Shoreline School District
Mr. Thomas Jay, Superintendent
Skykomish School District
Mr. Joel Aune, Superintendent
Snoqualmie Valley School District
Ms. Kathi Weight, Superintendent
Steilacoom School District
Ms. Laurie Dent, Superintendent
Sumner School District
Ms. Carla Santorno, Superintendent
Tacoma Public Schools
Mr. Rob Morrow, Superintendent
Tahoma School District
Ms. Nancy Coogan, Superintendent
Tukwila School District
Mr. Jeff Chamberlin, Superintendent
University Place School District
Mr. Michael Soltman, Superintendent
Vashon Island School District
Ms. Janel Keating, Superintendent
White River School District
Dr. Michelle Reid, Superintendent
Northshore School District
Mr. Ron Thiele, Superintendent
Issaquah School District