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Washington state fined $100K per day until education fund gap closed

"A $100,000 a day penalty shows that the Court has made this a priority and that the Legislature can’t keep 'kicking the can' on education funding," Washington schools superintendent Randy Dorn said.

By Doug G. Ware

SEATTLE, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court of Washington state has apparently run out of patience with the local government. On Thursday the high court imposed a daily fine of $100,000 until lawmakers come up with a solution to the state's education funding gap.

The court has urged the state for years to shore up the difference in education spending between rich areas and poor areas. Thursday, justices turned that into a fiscal challenge.

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The unanimous decision from the nine-member high court mandated the steep fine to be imposed every day until the state submits a solution. The court also encouraged Gov. Jay Inslee to call the legislature into a special session to tackle the problem.

"The State still has offered no plan," the high court justices said. "Accordingly, this court must take immediate action to enforce its orders."

The fine will go into an escrow account to be given to state education coffers, the court said.

However, a portion of the fines paid could be returned to the state as long as lawmakers are "fully compliant" with the court's order -- which can also mean merely working toward a solution.

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"I am very pleased by the State Supreme Court's order," Washington schools superintendent Randy Dorn said Thursday. "A $100,000 a day penalty shows that the Court has made this a priority and that the Legislature can't keep 'kicking the can' on education funding."

In a press release, Dorn also noted his planned solution to the funding gap that he unveiled in April.

While imposing financial sanctions by courts is nothing new, some observers have stated this situation is unique.

"I'm not aware, ever, of a state supreme court doing this," University of Kentucky associate law professor Scott R. Bauries said in a New York Times report. "I can't see any other way of describing it — the court is appropriating funds for the education system."

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