The Seattle School Board approved a resolution on Oct. 21 opposing passage of Initiative Measure No. 1033 (I-1033), which will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot.

The board opposes I-1033 because they said it would limit the growth of state, county and city revenue to annual inflation and population growth, not including voter-approved revenue increases.

“If passed, this initiative will have a devastating impact on public schools throughout the state, including Seattle Public Schools,” said School Board President Michael DeBell. “By limiting the growth of the Washington state general fund revenues, it effectively limits the funds available to support K-12 education.”

Approximately 42 percent of state general fund revenues currently support K-12 education. The state’s Office of Financial Management estimates that I-1033 will reduce state revenue by approximately $5.9 billion by 2015.

State funding for Seattle Public Schools was reduced significantly for the 2009-2010 school year, contributing to an historic budget shortfall that the district had to manage.Cost reductions included: staff and teacher reductions in force, changes in schedules and transportation, and difficult capacity management decisions.

“This initiative is on the ballot in a year when the Washington Legislature reduced funding for K-12 public schools in the state by $1.5 billion,” said DeBell. “I-1033 will further erode K-12 funding and prevent the State from making new investments in education — despite passage of education reform earlier this year.”

HB 2261, the basic education reform legislation, was signed into law in 2009. It outlines a nine-year plan for revamping the state’s K-12 education finance system and revises the way the state defines and pays for basic education.