For more information, contact
Tanya Kerstiens Rowe
Telephone: 360.676-6520
NEWS
Aug. 10, 2004
Bellingham School District Considers Joining Special Education Lawsuit
Contact(s): Superintendent Dale E. Kinsley, (360) 676-6501; dkinsley@bham.wednet.edu
Christopher L. Hirst , Preston Gates & Ellis LLP , (206) 370-8336 ; chirst@prestongates.com
BELLINGHAM – At its regularly scheduled Aug. 10 meeting, the Bellingham School Board will entertain the first reading of Resolution No. 4-04, authorizing participation with seven other school districts in a civil lawsuit designed to force the State of Washington to fund special education to the levels prescribed by state law.
“Education in Washington is not adequately funded by the state Legislature and as educational leaders, we must persuade our legislators to recognize and address specific areas of under funding, such as special education,” said Superintendent Dale E. Kinsley. “This is a high area of need demonstrated by growing numbers of special education students across the state. They deserve full state funding for their services and programs rather than having school districts close the gap with local funding resources that are badly needed elsewhere.”
During the 2002-03 school year, special education throughout Washington was under funded by an estimated $101 million, according to state reporting figures. In 2002-03, the Bellingham School District spent $1.2 million of local levy funds to support the special education program. For the 2004-05 school year, Bellingham has budgeted more than $1.35 million to cover the escalating disparity between what state and federal governments provide compared to what is required.
The Seattle law firm Preston Gates & Ellis is representing a proposed coalition of Bellingham, Burlington-Edison, Everett, Federal Way, Issaquah, Lake Washington, Northshore and Spokane School Districts.
“We will continue our efforts in the 2005 legislative session to communicate the urgency to resolve this state funding crisis. Because the legal requirements for special education programs are more precisely defined by state and federal law, this is a manageable first step in addressing how the state Legislature supports the learning needs of all of our K-12 students with rising academic expectations and accountability,” Kinsley said.