Greetings from Olympia!

As we end week 3 of legislative session, I wanted to send you a quick update on a topic that a lot of you have been emailing and calling about – school funding.

The House of Representatives voted on its first bill of the 2017 Legislative session Monday –House Bill 1059. You may have heard this referred to as the “Levy Cliff” bill. In short, public schools will lose roughly $358 million in funding for the 2017-18 school year unless lawmakers act soon.

In our community, the Seattle School District stands to lose over $46 million, Shoreline and Northshore School Districts would each lose over $500,000.

Click here for a more detailed explanation of the levy cliff bill. It’s time for the Legislature to step up and fully fund education!

This bill passed the House with bipartisan support. Senate leaders have indicated they will not bring the bill up for a vote. Passing this bill makes sure that school districts don’t lose funding while the Legislature finds long-term solutions to the school funding problem.

I will urge my Senate colleagues to bring the Levy Cliff bill up for a vote. I encourage you to make your voice heard if you believe lawmakers should honor their promises to fully fund education. Washington’s 1.1 million school kids shouldn’t have their education disrupted because of partisan politics.

We are working hard every day to fix this, while also realizing the need for a more comprehensive fix to meet the moral and legal obligations of the McCleary ruling. I am totally committed to both.

I’ll be in touch again soon with more information on the bills I am working on. As always, it is an honor to represent you her in Olympia. I love hearing from you. Feel free to email me at jessyn.farrell@leg.wa.gov with your thoughts and concerns.

All the best,

-Jessyn