On October 29, the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) board adopted the association’s 2025 legislative priorities—and the “Big 3” feature prominently.
The Big 3 are:
- Special Education Funding
- Materials Supplies and Operating Costs (MSOC) Funding
- Transportation for Students
A fourth priority adopted by WSSDA board is updating the state’s prototypical school model1, which is a major determiner of how much funding the state provides a school district.
Impact of the Big 3
The Big 3, as advocates of public education have dubbed them, are big because of the impact they would have if the Legislature could act on them.
“All school districts, regardless of size or geography, would benefit from an improved approach to funding special education, transportation, and MSOC,” said Luckisha Phillips, chair of the WSSDA Legislative Committee and school director at Federal Way Public Schools. “If the Legislature addressed only those three priorities, the impact would be felt far and wide.”
MSOC’s Dramatic Rise in the Rankings
Comparing WSSDA’s top five legislative positions as ranked by school boards, one change stands out: the dramatic rise of Materials, Supplies and Operating Costs funding from the 28th position to the third place. In general, the rankings reflect the sting of rising costs in every from school and construction supplies to insurance premiums.
“Current conditions have all of us feeling a serious sense of urgency for the coming legislative session,” said Phillips, referring to school boards statewide. “But, I am optimistic that our collective advocacy can improve our education system’s unusually strained financial landscape.”
| WSSDA Legislative Position | 2025 Ranking | 2024 Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Full Funding of Basic Education | 1 | 4 |
| Support for Special Education Programs | 2 | 3 |
| MSOC Funding | 3 | 28 |
| Amply Funded Staffing Levels | 4 | 1 |
| Transportation Funding | 5 | 6 |
How WSSDA Priorities are Set
The WSSDA Board adopted the priorities on October 29, but that was the last step in the process. The first step is updating WSSDA’s advocacy platform at its annual General Assembly. All public school district boards are invited to propose and vote on updates to WSSDA’s platform.
The second step is ranking the positions. All school school boards in the state are invited to rank their top 10 WSSDA legislative positions. Then, that data is tabulated to show WSSDA’s collective top priorities.
The third step is review by the WSSDA Legislative Committee, who analyze the prioritization results and create a one-page summary that explains why the priorities are so important.
And finally, the WSSDA Board adopts the priories and encourages school boards statewide to focus on them when connecting with their local legislators.
“I hope school boards across the state reach out to their legislators and share these priorities,” said WSSDA Director of Strategic Advocacy Marissa Rathbone. “And it’s critical to include examples with data from your district that reveal the critical gaps in state funding and how they’re impacting students.”
1 See Understanding the Prototypical School Funding Model on page 10 of WSSDA’s frequently asked questions about Washington’s public schools funding. Also related: Issues at the Core of Washington State’s School Funding Dilemma.