On Tuesday, May 19, the Mercer Island Education Association will hold a one-day walkout to protest the underfunding of basic education by the Washington State Legislature.

The vote to walkout was taken on May 11. The missed school day will be made up on June 19, which was a previously scheduled make-up day for school closures.

“Missing a scheduled day of school is never ideal, particularly in May,” said Mercer Island School District Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano. “All after-school district activities will go on as scheduled and schools will be open for after-school programs provided by community-based organizations. The district is working with Kids Co. and the Mercer Island Boys & Girls Club for parents who might need daycare during the hours of a normal school day. More information about daycare programs will be provided when it is available.”

The Mercer Island School Board recently reauthorized continued financial support of the Network for Excellence in Washington Schools, an organization of Washington school districts and parent teacher associations that is working to enforce the Washington Supreme Court’s McCleary decision by 2018.

Pursuant to the McCleary decision, the court asked the legislature to submit “a complete plan for fully implementing its program of basic education for each school year between now and the 2017-18 school year” no later than April 30, 2014. Legislators, currently called back for a special session by Governor Jay Inslee, have not yet agreed on a biennial state budget that would accomplish this.

[Mercer Island School District Press Release]