In Washington state, schools are getting shortchanged at the ballot box. Here’s how:

To elect a governor, a senator, or even a county commissioner or mayor, only a simple majority vote is required.

But to pass a school levy or bond, a “super majority” of 60 percent of the vote is needed.

It’s become almost an annual ritual in Olympia that educators muster support to get that archaic super majority requirement wiped out, and the Legislature fails to kill it. Once again, a bill is coming before our lawmakers to make that change that would benefit schools and kids.

Legislators will be bombarded with mail (remember, this is an election year) from “anti-tax” constituents. They will argue that the 60 percent super majority requires school districts to “cut the fat.”

Schools districts did cut the fat, and often the muscle years ago. They operate so close to the bone, that programs critical to student’s success are in jeopardy every time a levy fails.

Multi-billion dollar highway projects and, yes, even our beloved Safeco field only needed a simple majority vote for approval. Why must school districts watch badly needed levy and bond requests go down to defeat when voters approved them by 59 percent?

In a year when there’s a billion plus or so in shortfall, another appeal of this measure is that it allows legislators to improve education (which they all have promised to do), but doesn’t cost them a dime. In fact, eliminating the super majority could actually save schools districts money they now spend on multiple elections.

Schools levies usually pass in North Kitsap, but our neighbor districts are not always so fortunate. The number of levies that failed on the first try statewide has doubled in recent years. That means that district officials must invest enormous amounts of time and money on second and third levy attempts.

Frustrated taxpayers who feel that keeping the super majority is an effective way to regulate school spending are out of touch with the reality of today’s school budgets. They shouldn’t take their frustrations over taxes out on little kids or schools.

The Legislature needs to overturn the archaic super majority requirement and stop shortchanging our schools. Educators, parents and kids will thank them for generations to come.