On Jan. 2, The Columbian Editorial Board asserted that the McCleary lawsuit stemmed from inequities in local levies. Not exactly. The McCleary lawsuit was entirely about whether the state Legislature was providing enough for basic education. The court did not demand that local levies be reduced — that was a political choice made in Olympia. While the Legislature has made enormous strides in funding basic education (a minimal foundation), local levies allow school districts to go beyond basic education in order to meet the unique needs of their students.