Friends of Renton Schools was founded in 2009 because now, more than ever, it is critical that we mobilize EVERYONE to invest in our schools and students. The 14,500 students in the Renton School District are our most valuable resource. But, education does not just impact students and teachers - the quality of our schools is directly related to the vitality of our community as a whole. Support for our students and schools, right now, is not only a wise investment, but imperative to the future of our neighborhoods and businesses, and for the quality of life in Renton. Having great schools increases pride in our community; increases home and commercial real estate values; provides a trainable and educated workforce; produces more affluent consumers; and reduces crime. Students today become the voters of tomorrow in a world with issues that are increasingly more complex and their votes will impact you.
According to National Center for Education Statistics, in 2007, Washington ranked 33rd out of the 50 states and District of Columbia, in median dollars spent per student and was 94% of the national average. So, before we even get to the district level funding, average per student funding in Washington State is already inadequate!
While historic per student funding in the state has increased, the demands on our districts, which translate into additional expenses, have outpaced any increases in revenues. According to the Washington Adequacy Funding Study (WAFS) done by the Education Policy Improvement Center in 2006, average per student funding of $11,678 in 2005 dollars, was necessary to provide an adequate education for all students - That was in 2005. 2007/2008 per student funding in Washington State from federal, state, and local sources was $9,286. In the study, a retrospective of 20+ years looks at several conditions impacting the need for increased funding and found that the reverse was true and as a percentage of the state budget, K-12 public school education budget had declined from 1987 through 2005. No Child Left Behind and other state and federal education improvement and accountability mandates came with increased costs to districts, but without any additional funding resources.
Now comes the conundrum that has the unfortunate consequence of pitting community against community - complicated apportioning of state and federal funds coupled with local operating levy lids. Here in the Renton School District, we have a community that is rich in its cultural diversity and varied in its economic make-up. Students who are learning English require specialized language training and the employment of staff with specialized skills. Low-income students require additional educational services such as greater outreach to parents, summer school, tutoring and additional teaching support. With more than 15% of our students qualifying for EEL services and over 85 different languages; and more than half of all Renton school students qualifying for free or reduced meals; the need for increased average per student funding to offset additional costs is critical. Unfortunately, our combined federal, state, and local average per student funding ($8,919) doesn't even reach the state average ($9,286), much less the average of some of our surrounding districts.
Because the state and federal government attempt to provide supplemental funding to districts with higher costs associated with higher need students, with the exception of Seattle, Renton's combined state and federal per student funding figures are higher than in surrounding districts. More than 50% of the Renton School District's 14,500 students are eligible for free or reduced meals. Kent follows at 42% and Seattle at 41%. Bellevue, Issaquah and Mercer Island follow at 19%, 8%, and 2%, respectively. Similar patterns apply to English Language Learner statistics.
Source: OSPI Washington State Report Card as of 1/15/2010
However, the average per student funding that the "wealthier" districts appear to lose in state and federal dollars, is, in most instances, more than offset by the dollars they are able to raise because of higher "grandfathered" levy lids. These higher lids allow these districts to campaign for higher local taxes. In those districts that have not only higher value residential real estate, but also high value commercial real estate, these higher levy rates are applied to substantially higher assessed property values, and the result is seen in the per student funding disparities.
As if the foregoing was not difficult enough, now the Renton School district is facing in excess of $4 million in potential additional cuts because of the State's projected $2.6 billion dollar budget shortfall. This will result in additional teacher cuts, higher class sizes, and program cuts that will eliminate ALL funding for the Discovery Program for gifted students, all day kindergarten, and middle school vocational programs and the funding provided to maintain lower K-4 class sizes will be eliminated as well.
These state funding reductions are compounded by impending losses of federal grant money that has funded tremendously successful and crucial programs geared toward supporting academic achievement for some of the neediest struggling students in our district. Grants present the ultimate dilemma - they are funded short term to implement programs that may work, and then they disappear when the programs that they fund are successful! One case in point is the Struggling Readers Program, formerly known as Reading First. At the beginning of the 2008/2009 school year, only 24 percent of children K-3 at our two lowest performing our elementary schools were reading at grade level. By the end of the school year, that number skyrocketed to 86 percent! This grant goes away at the end of the 2009/2010 school year and so does the help for some 350 students. Among other programs at risk is Reaching Mathematics Expectations, which helps more than 50 percent of all students taking Algebra 1 - the gateway math that opens or closes doors to success.
So, why does Renton need a schools fund? The need is obvious, it is immediate, and the solution isn't coming any time soon from other sources. While we know that we cannot make up the extreme shortfall in education funding for the Renton School District (that has to be done through electoral and legislative processes) we believe strongly that we can have an impact. But only if EVERYONE in our community understands the need and is committed to investing in education. Every little bit helps, so no matter your personal financial resources, we hope to inspire everyone to invest, whether it's $1 or $5,000. You really can help make a difference!
The Renton community has always generously stepped up to the plate and been overwhelming in its support of the district's levy and bond efforts. Thanks to those efforts, the Renton School District has beautiful schools that include exceptional "learning spaces." Retired Superintendent Gary Kohlwes put it well when he said "thanks to the voters, we now have an incredible house in which to educate. Now we need the funds to teach."