Washington state’s Supreme Court imposed a $100,000 per day penalty on the state for each day it violates the court’s Jan. 9, 2014 order extending from the McCleary decision of 2012, according to court documents stamped Aug. 13.

In the 2014 order, court documents note that the state “was not demonstrating sufficient progress to be on target to fully fund education reforms by the 2017-18 school year.” The order focuses on K-12 education, specifically student transportation; essential materials, supplies and operating costs; adequate capital funds to ensure reduced class sizes for all-day kindergarten and elementary schools; and adequate salaries for teachers and administrators, “the heart of Washington’s education system.”

Documents state that the penalty “shall be payable daily to be held in a segregated account for the benefit of basic education.”

Dr. Traci Pierce, Lake Washington School District superintendent, said district officials are pleased that the Legislature is making progress toward full funding of basic education.

“We are confident that the Supreme Court will hold the state accountable for meeting its constitutional paramount duty to fully fund education for every student in Washington state,” she said.

Gov. Jay Inslee met with lawmakers on Monday in Seattle to discuss the court’s order, which stresses that bolder and more aggressive action is needed to meet the state’s obligation to adequately fund basic education.

Inslee noted in a press conference on Monday following the one-hour meeting that the state has made significant improvements in the last several months: better early childhood education, smaller class sizes, all-day kindergarten and reduced tuition.

“(We’ve) got another step to take in the state of Washington, which will require significant work to make our financing of the educational system much more equitable across the state of Washington, so that every child — no matter where you live and no matter what your economic circumstances are — has a better shot at a great education,” he said.

Inslee said he planned to meet with legislators again later this week after they return to their caucuses to discuss the matter. The governor said they need to be urgent in finding a solution — which is the right thing to do for the education system and the state — and he doesn’t want them to wait for a special session to get it done.

“So I urged legislative leaders today to work with me and their colleagues to fashion a process to take those next steps that will bring more equity to our education, and that will also comply with the Supreme Court order.”

When news broke of the court’s order on Aug. 13, state education officials were quick to release statements.

Washington State Parent Teacher Association (WSPTA) President Barbara Martin said: “Fully funding McCleary is the WSPTA’s number one legislative priority and we are extremely pleased with the Supreme Court decision to ensure that fully funding education and holding the legislature responsible to comply with the constitution, is in the best interest of Washington’s children and will provide them with the best education possible.”

Rep. Ross Hunter (D-Medina), House Appropriations Committee Chair, added: “It’s important to know that the phase-in plan in the budget we passed this year completely pays for the class size reductions called for in the McCleary order. The court recognized the work done by the Legislature in funding class size reductions, but seems to be concerned about the phase-in of lower class sizes. There is some confusion in how the cost of this investment is described in various documents, and we will work with the court to clarify this.”