2027 Legislative Priorities

Relieve Districts to Keep Student Needs in Focus

Download the Priorities as a PDF

Washington’s school districts face accelerating operating costs, rising student needs, and years of underfunding — even as the Legislature confronts a significant revenue shortfall. WSSDA’s member‑driven priorities recognize both realities by offering a practical roadmap that protects students and respects fiscal limits. These recommendations support the state’s legal obligations and advance the most impactful, student‑centered solutions.

We urge the Legislature to:

student backpack

Support Every Student with Effective Programs for Learning

  • Restore access to Transition to Kindergarten (TTK), and strengthen highly capable services, and school-based mental and behavioral health to ensure early intervention.
  • Modernize learning systems that establish clear, student-centered AI and data privacy safeguards to ensure schools can innovate safely.
  • Fully fund any new graduation requirements.
108 unfunded mandates

Relieve Unfunded Mandates So Resources Reach Students

  • Prevent any new reductions to PK-12 funding and update public records rules, liability laws, and green-building requirements so districts can redirect time and resources to students.
  • Protect and maintain Local Effort Assistance (LEA) by codifying funding into permanent law, ensuring students have equitable opportunities regardless of where they live.
  • Match state-imposed costs for school employee benefits.
  • Reduce the 60% supermajority requirement for school bonds to ensure communities can build and maintain healthy, safe, and contemporary facilities.
  • Rebase the regionalization funding formula to reflect the needs of every unique community.
graph showing rising costs and decreasing funding

Address Basic Ed’s True Costs Amply, Equitably and Sustainably

  • Fulfill the state’s responsibility to fund the true cost of basic education and core operating costs that districts cannot control, including insurance, utilities, transportation, special education, and substitute teachers.
  • Modernize, stabilize, and tier Washington’s school-funding framework to equitably update funding formulas and distributions to match the real needs of all students – and expand the Learning Assistance Program (LAP).
School board compensation unchanged since 1987

Strengthen Local Governance with Investment and Flexibility

  • Strengthen locally-driven governance by preserving school board decision-making authority.
  • Fund all required training and expand access to high-quality professional development.
  • Provide state-funded compensation for school directors that reduce barriers to service.
  • Enhance district funding flexibility to meet local student needs.