S-1276               _______________________________________________

                                         SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 117

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State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By Senators Kiskaddon, Benitz, McCaslin and Metcalf

Read first time 2/6/85 and referred to Committee on Education.

BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, IN LEGISLATIVE SESSION ASSEMBLED:

          THAT, At the next general election to be held in this state there shall be submitted to the qualified voters of the state for their approval and ratification, or rejection, an amendment to Article IX, sections 1 and 2, of the Constitution of the state of Washington to read as follows:

Article IX, section 1.           It is the paramount duty of the state to ((make ample provision)) appropriate sufficient funds to provide for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex.

Article IX, section 2.           The legislature shall provide ((for a general and uniform system of public schools)) guidelines for a general and equivalent system of education within public schools.  Public schools shall utilize these guidelines in designing and implementing programs suitable to their individual needs.  The public school system shall include common schools, and such high schools, normal schools, and technical schools as may hereafter be established.  But the entire revenue derived from the common school fund and the state tax for common schools shall be exclusively applied to the support of the common schools.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That the foregoing amendment shall be construed as a single amendment within the meaning of Article XXIII, section 1 of this Constitution.

          The legislature finds that the changes contained in the foregoing amendment constitute a single integrated plan for increased local control of schools.  If the foregoing amendment is held to be separate amendments, this joint resolution shall be void in its entirety and shall be of no further force and effect.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the secretary of state shall cause notice of the foregoing constitutional amendment to be published at least four times during the four weeks next preceding the election in every legal newspaper in the state.