OPINION
Wednesday, MAY 7, 2014 | PAGE 5
Mercer Island rEporter | www.mi-reporter.com
An incomplete or an ‘F’ ? I magine the domed state Capitol as a classroom, with 147 state lawmakers as students, and you may get a better picture of the challenge facing Washington’s Supreme Court this summer. Justices in January gave the “students” a two-part assignment, which was due April 30. They told them they needed to put more money into education, reminding them the state must be paying the full cost of basic education in public schools by 2018. Another part of their homework required legislators to draw up a timeline showing what will be spent year-to-year, to ensure the state meets the court-imposed deadline in the McCleary case. Well, those “students” didn’t get either done. Last Wednesday, a bipartisan committee of lawmakers representing the Legislature turned in a required progress report which described how they tried, and how political and philosophical divisions prevented them from completing their assignment. They also explained that supplemental budgets, like the one adopted in 2014, are not the ideal vehicle for making a billion-dollar investment, as the court might have desired. A decision like that will be best made in 2015 when the next two-year budget is adopted. And in the 58-page report, lawmakers expressed appreciation of the justices’ prodding to get them to live up to their constitutional obligations for education. But they also not-sosubtly said “Don’t mess with us” in a section arguing why they didn’t think the justices could force them to do the homework as assigned.
‘The state Legislature is late on handing in its assignment on fixing school funding to the state Supreme Court’
ISLAND
TALK
“I’m writing my Mom a poem and getting her M&Ms with her name on them.” Varun Viswanathan 7th grader Mercer Island
How will the court deal with such recalcitrance? It’s a bit of a crapshoot because, well, there’s never been a showdown quite like this between these two branches of Washington government. The Supreme Court could deliver another scolding — there have been two so far — then wait to see if lawmakers next year come up with “the grand agreement” they deem necessary for doing as they’ve been told. Or it could exact punishment, as has happened in other states. In March, the Kansas Supreme Court directed the Legislature to provide more funds for education by July 1, or else part of the state budget will be voided. In Washington, justices in January warned of a potentially bumpy road ahead should lawmakers not turn in a completed assignment. “Our decision in this case remains fully subject to judicial enforcement,” Chief Justice Barbara Madsen wrote. “We have no wish to be forced into entering specific funding directives to the State, or, as some state high courts have done, holding the Legislature in contempt of court.” Those families and school districts whose lawsuits led to the McCleary decision hope the court’s patience is running out. Lawmakers candidly admit in the report they did not do what the court asked them to do, said Thomas Ahearne, who is the attorney for the plaintiffs. “Frankly, the Supreme Court is going to have to make a decision,” he said. “They are going to have to decide whether they meant what they said.” If they do, those “students” could face a lot more than detention. Political reporter Jerry Cornfield can be reached at jcornfield@heraldnet.com. The Everett Herald is a sister publication to the Mercer Island Reporter. Both are owned by Sound Publishing, Inc.
To the editor All bus routes affected Over the past several weeks, articles have appeared in the Mercer Island Reporter regarding proposed cuts in Mercer Island bus service. The April 16 (print e dit ion) and the Send your letters to: April 30 editor@mi-reporter.com. articles Keep it brief, courteous, did not and sign your name. list the 202 route as a route that will be deleted pursuant to the current Metro plans. This is a longstanding route from the South-end to downtown Seattle taken by many Island residents—in increasing numbers, and some of us for many years. Whether the 202 is more or less important than the other routes listed isn’t the point; all of them are
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important to Mercer Island citizens and to the city’s sustainability objectives. The 202 route deserves to be identified as one of the routes that Metro will eliminate, along with the other Mercer Island routes. Maybe our elected and appointed officials can come up with a meaningful way to deal with this unfortunate situation. Don Cohen
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What are you doing for Mother’s Day?
“Making breakfast in bed and surprising her with gifts.” Jacob Berman 5th grader Point Roberts
“I’m giving my Mom an origami card and a mug.” Andrew Lustig 6th grader Mercer Island
“Making my Mom breakfast in bed and cleaning up the kitchen after.” Alexa Glasser 6th grader Mercer Island
“My Mom likes lilies, so I’ll try to get her lilies and chocolate.” Dyani Aguila 6th grader Mercer Island