In an effort to show state representatives headed for Olympia the funding issues that have impacted school districts across the state, parent advocacy group Fund Schools Now will host a public town hall meeting on Tuesday, January 7 with leaders and educators from Blaine, Mt. Baker and Ferndale school districts, and multiple local state representatives.
42nd district state representatives Joe Timmons (D-Bellingham) and Alicia Rule (D-Blaine) and senator Sharon Shewmake (D-Bellingham) are expected to attend the meeting, which will address how a lack of state funding in education is leading to bad outcomes for students, staff and the community.
The Washington State Legislature passed a landmark bill in 2017 that brought billions of new funding to public schools across the state, but also introduced new limits on the amount school districts could collect through local levies. Those restrictions, in part, have created situations like Blaine’s where the district has been forced to cut 80 staff positions in two years to make up for multi-million-dollar budget deficits that would normally be made up with property tax funding.
Organizers for the town hall hope the timing – just days before the Washington State Legislature convenes for the 2025 session – will have an added impact for Whatcom County’s elected leaders to champion for more public education funding.
The town hall will start at 6 p.m. and be held at the Performing Arts Center in the Blaine Middle School. For more information about the town hall, to coordinate childcare or to RSVP, email Fundblaineschoolsnow@gmail.com, or visit fundblaineschoolsnow.com.
