Background:

Prototypical Schools.

Legislation enacted in 2009 and 2010 redefined basic education and restructured the K-12 funding formulas. The first of these bills was Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2261 (Chapter 548, Laws of 2009), which expanded the definition of basic education and established the framework for a new K-12 funding allocation formula based on prototypical schools. The second bill, Substitute House Bill (SHB) 2776 (Chapter 236, Laws of 2010) enacted in statute the new prototypical school allocation formulas at funding levels that represented the 2009-10 school year state spending on basic education. Additionally SHB 2776 called for phased-in implementation of specified enhancements to the basic education program and the funding to support it. Three of these four enhancements have been partially implemented, as of the 2014-15 school year: (1) specified increases in funding for materials, supplies, and operating costs (MSOC) by the 2015-16 school year; (2) full funding of class size reductions for grades kindergarten through 3 (K-3) by the 2017-18 school year; and (3) statewide implementation of all-day kindergarten, also by the 2017-18 school year.

The prototypical school funding formula for basic education took effect September 1, 2011. The formula allocates funds to school districts based on assumed levels of staff and other resources necessary to support a "prototypical" school that serves an assumed number of students at defined elementary, middle, and high school levels. The structure of the formula, which appears in statute, provides allocations for classroom teachers at an assumed class size, plus other building-level staff such as principals, teacher-librarians, counselors, and office support. The allocations to a school district are adjusted to reflect the full-time equivalent enrolled students, in proportion to the prototypical school ratios. The funding provided to school districts through the prototypical school formulas is for allocation purposes only. Districts have discretion over how the money is spent, subject to some limits.

Initiative 1351.

Washington State voters approved Initiative 1351 (I-1351) November 4, 2014. Initiative 1351 amended the prototypical school funding formula to lower class sizes in all grades; provide additional class size reductions in high poverty schools beyond those specified for the general education class sizes; and increase the allocation of school-based and district-wide staff units in all categories. The initiative specified a phase-in schedule for the funding of the new prototypical schools funding formula. For the 2015-17 biennium, funding allocations are required to be no less than 50 percent of the difference between the funding necessary to support the prototypical model as of September 1, 2013, and the funding necessary to support the numerical values to support the prototypical model as revised by the initiative. Full implementation of I-1351 is required to be completed by the end of the 2017-19 biennium.

During the two-year period after a ballot measure is approved by the voters, there are special limitations on repeal or amendment of the measure. First, the measure may not be repealed by legislative vote, but it may be repealed by "direct vote" of the people. Second, the measure may be amended by legislative vote with a two-thirds approval of both houses, or by "direct vote" of the people. "Direct vote" of the people includes voter enactment of a referendum bill approved by a constitutional majority of both houses of the Legislature.