The Unintended Consequences of well-intended Legislation by Dr. Jack McKay, Professor Emeritus, University of Nebraska and member of the Chimacum School Board.
This is a story about what is happening to a number of small school districts in the state as their school board’s try and cope with the outcomes of the legislation intended to improve public education. Ironically, the Chimacum School District, where the McCleary suit originated, is now faced with the aftermath of good intentions. It almost seems like the old axiom, “no good deed goes unpunished.”
The Washington State Legislature, under the State Supreme Court (McCleary), passed a number of mandates that were intended to do the following:
1. Increased the full funding of basic education
2. Reduce the disparities on the reliance on local tax levies for basic education.
3. Increase teacher salaries and reduce disparities between school districts.
4. Limit the increase in administrative salaries.
Now, the unintended consequences, at least for the Chimacum Schools.
1. State funding of basic education
The unintended consequence is that tradeoff of reducing the already approved local levy amount is now dependent on student enrollment ($2500 per student), not the dollar amount. Because of a declining enrollment, this is a major revenue loss in both state and local revenues.
2. Reduce inequities between school districts.
Unintended Consequence: However noble, the results are that our district is less able to provide an educational opportunity similar to districts in and around Seattle. Because of the new “regionalization,” factor, those already “wealthy” school districts receive more state funding that the rural and smaller districts, thereby increasing the disparities in course offerings and available support staff.
3. Reduce the local school levy tax burden.
Unintended Consequence: However well intended, the results for Chimacum Schools is magnified by a declining enrollment (partially due to a perception of a limited curriculum), the loss of already approved local levy funds, due to the greater reliance of state fund based on student enrollment rather than teacher salaries. For Chimacum, the results in a significant loss of revenues, thereby compounding the ability to offer a more comprehensive curriculum than before. This is further compounded by underfunded but mandated individualized special education services.
4. Increase teacher salaries.
Unintended Consequence: Yes, well deserved, but so far, is resulting in protracted collective bargaining due to the dismantling of the state-wide weighted salary distribution formula that recognizes experience and advanced degrees. Another unintended consequence is the reality that for districts to reduce costs is to hire teachers with little or no experience or advanced degrees, particularly in smaller and rural districts. Further, this will result in teachers with experience and advanced degrees to be less attractive to other districts, thereby reducing mobility and career opportunities.
5. Limit administrative salary increases.
Unintended Consequences: yes, a very attractive and political decision, but limiting administrative salary increases, particularly in smaller school districts like Chimacum where we have outstanding school leaders, the school board is unable to adjust salaries to retain and reward them. Other words, for school leaders to be fairly compensated, now must consider moving in order to get a market-driven compensation package, thereby disrupting the leadership stability of our school district over the long-term.
Yes, our school board has challenges, like all school boards, but with the recent efforts of the Legislature to help provide a better education for children across the state, it seems to me that they have further exacerbated the disparities between districts by increasing the funding for the wealthy districts, thereby increasing the inequities of teacher salaries by the regionalization factor, reducing the mobility and advancement of teacher, providing incentives for school administrators to move, while compounding the problems facing the rural school districts of our state.
Yes, it seems all well-intended legislation does have consequences.
Jack McKay, School Board Member of the Chimacum School District