Legislative Priorities

Outdated Funding Formulas Force Cuts and Strain Schools

Our public education system is operating without the staff or resources needed to serve students and many districts are being forced to cut staff further as the funding crisis gets more dire. With fewer staff to respond to students’ changing needs and without the resources needed to implement the mounting list of state laws, more and more of our districts will join the list of those under enormous financial strain. Full, ample, sustainable, and equitable funding is paramount to fulfill all aspects of Washington’s program of basic education and close opportunity gaps. To support equitable learning and to implement the laws that have already been enacted, districts must receive funding that is full, ample, sustainable, and equitable in the following priority areas:

Underfunded and Underserved: SPED Shortfall Impacts All Students

Solution: Increase the tiered multipliers, advance inclusionary practices, and remove the enrollment funding cap.

Inflation Crunch: Materials Priced Out of Reach

Solution: Increase the Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs (MSOC) allocations to reflect rising and uncontrollable costs to include a one-time stabilization to eliminate underfunding and adjust the future allocations by inflation; rebase the MSOC formula at least every four years to ensure allocations keep up with cost increases that are beyond a district’s control.

Loss of Vital Staff: Outdated Prototypical Model Forces Deep Cuts

Solution: Update and fund the prototypical school funding model to ensure that districts have the staff needed to serve each and every student within their care.

Students Stranded: Transportation Formula is Out of Date

Solution: Update the Student Transportation Allocation formula to reflect and cover actual costs.

More Context about each Topic

Special Education

Providing the legally required and ethically necessary supports and services for students with disabilities requires resources. However, the cost to respond to students’ needs exceeds current funding. As a result, some students are not receiving all the support they need to be successful. Additionally, the lack of needed resources forces comprises that impact overall district functions, such as staff and program cuts. This funding inequity has a ripple effect on students throughout the system. By supporting students with disabilities, each and every student benefits from an inclusive and adequately resourced learning environment.

Materials, Supplies and Operating Costs (MSOC)

Districts must buy materials and equipment to support learning, as well as pay the bills, but don’t receive sufficient resources to do either through the outdated MSOC allocations. Recent and significant inflation has impacted all operating costs including, but not limited to, utilities and insurance. The rising costs of all MSOC categories have forced districts to choose between providing vital programs for students and covering standard expenses.

Staffing

In both rural and urban and large and small districts, more staff with diverse backgrounds and skills are needed to provide relevant instruction and timely instructional supports. Even before the pandemic, the state allocation to cover salaries, benefits, and pension programs for necessary staffing levels was out-of-date and insufficient; students’ changing instructional demands over recent years has widened the already concerning gap between staff support and student need.

Transportation

School buses provide transportation for students so that they can access instruction. Yet, the allocation to fund school transportation is woefully out-of-step with actual costs. Student transportation includes both the familiar yellow school buses, as well as less traditional, cost-effective resources for students experiencing homelessness.