With the Washington Legislature into the second week of its even-year 60 day session, one of the main topics is the test that must be passed to graduate, the WASL or Washington Assessment of Student Learning.

We have said before that one of the major problems with this test is that the schools have abandoned just about every subject that does not provide students with the knowledge they need to pass this test. Even then, thousands of high school students are doomed to fail this test. They can retake the parts the test they fail, but it will be incumbent upon the Seattle School District to pay for help for these students. As several observers have said, the public will not stand for thousands of their children to fail and be left by the wayside.

All this is fine and good, but it does nothing to solve the basic problems of educating our children. The Seattle district has been beset with financial and leadership problems for years, at least partly brought on by a failure of the citizens of the state to demand that schools be adequately financed. Note we said adequately, not richly or lavishly financed.

There are some who cling to the idea that the district is awash in money and if they only cut "out the waste," there would be plenty of money to educated students. Such ignorant comments show the kind of public we will soon have in abundance if we keep failing to give even a basic education to our children.

Step up to your job, legislators, and fulfill your constitutional mandate to finance our common schools. Or maybe we should ask Tim Eyman for help.