In his campaign to represent the 5th Legislative District in the state House of Representatives, Democratic challenger David Spring has repeatedly said that the state is not doing enough to help districts build new schools.

He points to the Snoqualmie Valley School District’s March 2008 capital bond proposal, which estimated that the state would offer only $3 million in matching funds toward the construction of a $100 million high school.

Essentially, Spring says, the state was only willing to pay 3 percent of the cost of building a much-needed facility.

Republican incumbent Glenn Anderson calls that claim “categorically false,” adding, “the SVSD would receive a 44 percent match for eligible construction costs.”

Indeed, the minimum construction grant match is 20 percent, and the district would receive a 44 percent match for eligible expenses, confirmed Jeanne Rynne, who works in the school facilities department of Washington’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

However, “eligible construction costs” exclude a lot of the actual costs of building a new school, Rynne explained.

To determine funding, OSPI assigns districts a “match ratio” based on property values.

“It’s kind of a wealth factor: Wealthier districts get less,” Rynne said.

The Snoqualmie Valley School District’s match ratio was set at 44 percent, which falls just about in the middle of the wealth spectrum, she said.

To determine the amount of funding for a given construction project, that match ratio is multiplied by the square footage of the building, then multiplied by a “cost allowance” per square foot.

The state Legislature has set the cost allowance at $168.79 per square foot, while the actual cost of building a high school is closer to $261 per square foot, Rynne said.

“That number is determined by the Legislature each biennium, and it is not keeping pace with construction costs,” she said.

The formula also excludes the purchase of the property to site the school.

Rynne said the Legislature has assigned the OSPI to re-work the formula with the help of hired consultants and school districts.

However, “the primary charge will be to make the formula more transparent, not necessarily to add more money,” she said.

The Snoqualmie Valley School District planned construction without counting on state matching funds, which aren’t officially assigned until voters approve a plan, and aren’t disbursed until much later, said Ron Ellis, the district’s business manager.

“Waiting for matching funds is a formula for disaster,” Ellis said. “We’ve planned our programs with that out of the mix.”

Ellis takes exception to the state’s method of determining matching funds.

“The formulas for funding new schools are out of step with today’s reality,” he said. “The mechanism is a problem for our school district and others.”

While grappling with a projected state budget shortfall surpassing $3 billion, the Legislature will have to decide whether and how to change the formula.

Anderson said that this December, the Legislature will consider “a series of broad bipartisan reforms” related to education, including capital construction funding.