Gov. Inslee Signs School Levy Bill Sought by Districts

OLYMPIA  (AP) — Gov. Jay Inslee has signed into law a measure that delays a planned cut in local school levy rates for one year, something school districts have said they need in order to plan their budgets as lawmakers continue to work toward fully funding education in the state.

Surrounded by Democratic lawmakers as he signed the bill Wednesday, Inslee said that now that this temporary measure is off his desk, lawmakers can focus on the task ahead: complying with a 2012 state Supreme Court ruling that they must fully fund the state's basic education system. Lawmakers have already put more than $2 billion toward the issue since the ruling, but the biggest piece remaining of the court order is figuring out how much the state must provide for teacher salaries.

School districts currently pay a big chunk of those salaries with local property-tax levies.