The McCleary plan

1. July 30, 2017
   Deadline triggered

   After Gov. Jay Inslee signed the 2017-19 state budget, attorneys for the state have 30 days to tell the state Supreme Court why they think the new budget satisfies the court's ruling in the McCleary case. Inslee signed on June 30, so the deadline is July 30.
2. August 2017
   Briefs due to Supreme Court

   Depending on when the state files its brief to the Supreme Court, the plaintiffs in the McCleary case have 30 days to respond, which likely means sometime on or before Aug. 29. The Supreme Court may hold oral hearings to gather more information or make a decision without that. It has no set schedule for when it will act.
3. 2017-18 school year
   Initial pay increases

   Districts will receive the first boost from the state for school salaries -- a 2.3 percent cost-of-living adjustment. In addition, state spending will increase for schools that enroll a high concentration of students living in poverty and for bilingual, highly capable, special education, vocational and other targeted programs.
4. Beginning Sept. 1, 2017
   New oversight on local levies

   Districts must outline what they will pay teachers for supplemental duties above and beyond their basic duties, which are covered by the state. Such reports will be required annually.
5. Dec. 1, 2017
   New salary schedule

   State education officials must develop a new salary schedule for teachers and other certificated staff such as librarians and reading specialists. Districts may choose to use the state's grid or create their own, with some restrictions on minimum and maximum pay. The existing salary schedule, based on a teacher's education and experience, will be eliminated in the 2018-19 school year.
6. Jan. 1, 2018
   Property tax hike

   The state property tax for public schools will increase by about 80 cents, to $2.70 per $1,000 in assessed valuation.
7. Beginning with the 2018-19 school year
   Base salaries to increase

   The state starts increasing the amount it gives school districts for base salaries. By 2019-20, the state must provide an average salary of $64,000/teacher, $95,000/administrator, and $45,912/support staffer.
8. 2018-19 school year
   Many reforms kick in

   In 2018-19, the state will require school districts to use new money to lower class sizes in kindergarten through third grade. The state also will start providing districts with more money per school employee depending on regional housing values. The Legislature also will start paying for one day of teacher training. That must increase to three days by 2020-21.
9. Jan. 1, 2019
   Local levies capped

   Local property-tax levies for schools, now called “enrichment” levies, will drop to a rate of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value or $2,500 per student, whichever is lower.
10. Beginning with the 2019-20 school year
    Local levy restrictions kick in

    Districts will face new restrictions on how they can spend money they raise locally. Local school levies can still be used to pay for extracurricular activities, a longer school day, a longer school year, extended school days or years, early learning programs and more. But they can't be used to cover costs of the state's basic education program. The state auditor’s office will start to review how districts spend their local money, to be sure they're abiding by the new restrictions. And for calendar year 2020, districts must get approval from state education officials on their enrichment plans before asking for voter approval.
11. 2019-20 school year
    New floor and ceiling for teacher pay

    Districts may not pay teachers less than $40,000 or more than $90,000 in base pay. Teachers can earn more than $90,000 if they live in areas with higher housing costs, or if they teach science, technology, engineering or math, or in bilingual and special education programs. Teachers also can earn additional pay from their local districts, but only for duties that aren’t considered part of the “basic education” program that the state must fund.
12. Beginning in 2020
    State takes over school health plans

    All school employees will move into a new state-run health benefits plan managed by the School Employees’ Benefits Board.