Congress Starts 2015 Tackling Education on Monday

The state education budget isn't the only topic up for debate in Olympia this legislative season, but money for schools will likely dominate the conversation.

The Washington Legislature is under a Supreme Court order to figure out how to finish paying for the education reforms they approved in previous years before they end the legislative session that begins Monday.

If they fail to meet this deadline, the Supreme Court has promised sanctions.

Lawmakers have almost reached consensus on what they must pay for to satisfy the court's 2012 decision on the McCleary education lawsuit.

Items still up for debate include how to pay for those improvements, what to do about the state's overreliance on local levy dollars and how to deal with the voter initiative on smaller class sizes.