Legislature needs to finish its school work next year

The Legislature earned a passing grade for approving a substantial increase in state funding for public schools — the first since 2017.

Think of it as a small gold star for effort, but they still will need to retake the class next year.

Rather than permanently raise the per-student funding formula in state statute, lawmakers voted for a one-time boost in funding for the 2023-2024 school year.

Helpful, but it does not solve the perennial problem of inadequate funding for public schools.

The 15% increase is good for only one year and does not cover the 25% cost of inflation since 2017.

It does n...