They came to listen and got an earful.

The state Senate’s Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee was in Bremerton on Oct. 8 to hear from teachers, school officials, parents and students, all who wanted to make sure legislators understand how important it is to fix the way public schools are funded in Washington.

The problem, acknowledged by the Legislature and given added emphasis by the state Supreme Court’s recent finding of contempt, is that local school levies have been used unconstitutionally to bridge the gap between what teachers are paid and what the state provides for pay and benefits. Children in Washington’s public schools not only are among the bottom two-thirds in the U.S. in terms of money spent per pupil, the disparities among districts, particularly between urban and rural areas, widen the inequality further.

As the Supreme Court has reminded the Legislature, the state constitution mandates that funding basic education is its “paramount duty.”

Committee members are visiting several communities in Washington to poll constituents on education funding. They’ve discussed Senate Bill 6130, legislation that addressed local school districts’ reliance on levy dollars for school employee pay. A short presentation has been followed by public comments.

In one community on the tour, a retired teacher — angry that the Legislature had set aside Initiative 1351, which would have required the state to lower class sizes — asked lawmakers to invite 35 children to a birthday party, buy the supplies for a craft activity and keep the children occupied.

“I know you can do better,” the retired educator said. “Follow the law. I-1351 was not a suggestion.”

Other educators have expressed frustration with a system in which urban districts can offer higher pay to teachers than outlying districts can, because of differences in local levy support. Losing teachers to districts that can offer better pay “comes at the expense of students,” one principal said.

A school board member noted that the state mandated new tests for students, but didn’t provide funding for the computers necessary to take the tests.

Public comment on the tour provided committee members with grassroots perspectives and insights, and reminded legislators of the needs, inequalities and complexities in fully funding public education. The committee will need these comments as guidance as lawmakers move ahead with legislation to meet their obligation to amply fund basic education.

The most concise, yet moving, testimony we know of came from a sixth-grader in Seattle who attends a school where 85 percent of the students meet the family income requirements for free and reduced lunches.

“We need extra help so I don’t fall behind,” she said. “I am your paramount duty.”