A King County Superior Court judge ruled last Thursday the state is failing to meet its “paramount duty” of fully funding education.

“We have for years joined with others to say that the state is not fully funding education,” said Randy Matheson, Renton School District spokesperson. “We’re happy that the courts agreed with that; but of course what it means next for us is unclear.”

King County Superior Court Judge John P. Erlick ruled the state’s funding mechanism for public education fails to meet the duties laid out in the state Constitution, which states that providing “ample funding” for education is the “paramount duty” of the state.

“In short (Washington) is not amply providing for the actual cost of operating the state’s public schools,” Erlick wrote in his decision, adding that it’s not providing enough money to equip all public-school students with the “basic knowledge and skills” mandated by the state’s minimum education standards.

This year the district is facing a roughly $6.1 million budget cut, as a result of $2.6 billion in state budget cuts.

Erlick ruled that while state experts found educational facilities and opportunities “adequate,” the language in the Constitution calls for “ample” funding, meaning more than adequate.

He also found the “significant disparity” between facilities within districts and between districts shows it is not meeting the “all-students” requirement laid out in the Constitution.

The disparity between districts is often caused by a heavy reliance on local levies to support schools, Matheson said.

Erlick ruled the reliance on levies, which make up about $25 million of Renton’s annual budget, doesn’t adequately make up the difference because they’re neither dependable nor regular.

“There are some school districts that don’t pass these levies,” Matheson said. “We’ve been telling legislators for years that this isn’t the right way to fund education in the state.”

The Kent School District joined the lawsuit, although Renton did not.

Education leaders throughout the state are hailing the decision as a victory.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn praised the decision in a press release, calling Thursday a “landmark day for the students of Washington.”

“Now that Judge Erlick’s decision has been returned, we, as a state, need to fully fund basic education,” Dorn wrote. “Only when the Legislature acts affirmatively and addresses this issue can our students obtain the education we are morally and legally obligated to provide.”

The Legislature now must decide what the word “ample” means and how to define basic education.

“I think legislators will reach out,” Matheson said. “Our superintendent, because she worked in the state’s education office before she came to Renton, will likely be asked to do some work.”

The ruling also requires the Legislature to determine the actual cost of basic education and ample levels of funding.

It’s also an opportunity to revisit unfunded mandates from the state and the federal governments, which cost Renton about $7 million this year, Matheson said.

“The ruling is actually meant to have the state legislators figure out a better way to fund education so that everything that is required of us comes with some type of funding,” he said.

The decision, however, does not include a timeline, deferring to the Legislature.

Two families and Network for Excellence in Washington Schools brought the lawsuit against the state.

The state has 30 days to appeal the decision.

“My legal team will review the specifics of this complex decision with our state clients to determine appropriate next steps,” Attorney General Rob McKenna said in a press release.

Brian Beckley, a reporter with the Kent Reporter, contributed to this report.