Statewide Core Issues with School Funding Explained on New Website

Published On: September 20th, 2024|Categories: News|
Statewide Core Issues with School Funding Explained on New Website

School districts across the region continue to innovate to meet the growing needs of their students while balancing the increasing costs associated with these needs.

North Central Washington schools are not alone in this dilemma, as many school districts around the state find themselves in a similar, difficult financial position – with costs and needs exceeding funding from the state.

Major factors impacting school budgets are:

  • the cost of providing special education services exceeds the funding districts get from the state and federal governments
  • student needs have grown and changed, yet the money to support these needs is going away, even though support is still needed
  • costs for the things school districts need to operate has skyrocketed, yet the funding the state provides for these necessities has not kept up.

In the 2022-23 school year alone, special education expenses that were unfunded across the state amounted to $529.8 million.

The Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) has launched www.waschoolfunding.org, a new website to better explain the issues creating financial pressure on K-12 school districts, and the need for state funding to reflect these increasing costs. In addition to sharing the factors contributing to widespread Washington K-12 budget challenges, the website also offers solutions that would help school budgets in the short and long term.

Frequently Asked Questions About School Funding (provided by WASA)

Yes, many school districts across the state are making significant cuts to their staff, programs, and services because funding provided by the state is not enough to cover their basic education expenses. A handful of other school districts are in what is called binding conditions, meaning they cannot balance their budgets. This list of news articles (which is not all-inclusive) shows the vast number of school districts in challenging financial situations.

The funding formula used to provide state money to schools in Washington is inadequate and does not reflect the actual needs and costs associated with running a school district. State leaders use a funding distribution “formula” that’s based on the needs of an “average school.” This one-size-fits-some solution for allocating state money to schools isn’t working because it doesn’t recognize the unique needs and costs of individual school districts with varying circumstances in all corners of the state.

Yes, as Washington State’s operating budget has increased, the percentage dedicated to funding K-12 education has not kept up. Five years ago (immediately following changes to the way schools are funded by the state), about 52.4% of the state’s general fund budget was dedicated to K-12 education. Now, it’s down to about 43.1%, even though it is the state’s constitutional responsibility to provide adequate funding to support basic education services. Further, Washington ranks well below the national average for investment in K-12 education as a percentage of Gross State Product (the state’s output) at 3.11%. SOURCE: OSPI

Both short-term help and long-term solutions are needed to fix school funding challenges in Washington State.

In the short term, schools need:

  • Full funding for student support programs and staff
  • Full funding for the actual costs of special education
  • Increase funding allocations for transportation, supplies, insurance, and other school operating expenses to match actual and rising costs.

In the long-term: 

The McCleary “Solution” must be reexamined to fix some of the structural issues and develop a school funding mechanism that recognizes the unique needs and differences of Washington’s 295 school districts. One size does not fit all.

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Statewide Core Issues with School Funding Explained on New Website

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