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Reykdal seeks $3 billion for public schools in 2025

WA is not living up to its constitutional obligations

Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal wants a big ramp-up in spending on Washington public schools in the next state budget.

How big? Try $2.9 billion.

A third of those new dollars would go toĀ fully fund special education. Another $695 million toĀ add and retain classified staffĀ with higher pay. And $350 million is sought to cover inflationary costs of materials and supplies.

An ask for the 2025 Legislature

Those are the largest sums inĀ the 2025-27 budget requestĀ Reykdal sent to Gov. Jay Inslee, who will consider it as he pens the spending plan heā€™ll put out in December. That document will be a template for the next governor and budget writers in the state Legislature in the 2025 session.

ā€œNo matter how you look at the numbers, Washington currently underfunds Kā€“12 education byĀ around $4 billion per year,ā€Ā Reykdal wrote Inslee on Monday. ā€œI know that you and lawmakers will have some very difficult decisions to make, but our students and families need the state to step up and affirm the importance of public education.ā€

In the current two-year operating budget, Washington is spending roughly $30.6 billion of the general fund ā€“ the cache of state tax dollars used to fund day-to-day operations ā€“ on public schools, according to figures supplied by Reykdalā€™s office. That works out to 43%, down from the high-water mark of over 50% in 2019, he wrote.


The funding of public schools has been a central issue in cities like Seattle, where Seattle Public Schools is currently considering shuttering as many as 21 schools to deal with a $94 million budget deficit in 2025-26. Don’t miss our ongoing coverage “Seattle Public Schools Announces Two School Closure Proposals.

WA is not living up to its obligations

Right now, he notes, the state is not living up to its constitutional obligations to cover the full costs of basic education, which, he said, starts with fully funding special education.

On special education, he is seekingĀ $1 billionĀ ā€“ $300 million next fiscal year and $700 million the following year. This would enableĀ the lifting ofĀ a cap on state funding for special education programs and the provision ofĀ these services for those up to age 22. Reykdal also wants to track increases in enrollment of students in need of special services.

Student transportation is another area in which the state is not providing adequate funding. Reykdal asks for $152.5 million in the next budget ā€œto provide reliable transportation to and from school for special passengers, including special education students, homeless students, and students in foster care.ā€

Request aimed at a big surge in costs

Funding for materials, supplies, and operating costs, or MSOC, is not keeping pace with inflation. Reykdal is seeking $350.7 million in the next two-year cycle to deal with a nearly 9.5% surge in costs.

ā€œSchool districtsā€™ purchasing power has decreased because of inflation,ā€Ā he explains in the budget request. ā€œWhen districts arenā€™t sufficiently resourced to cover the costs of the basics, they have to make cuts elsewhereā€”to programs, staffing, and other areas.ā€

Who would get the most from the request?

He is pushing for $695 million to solidify the ranks of classified staff, whom he describes in the request as ā€œthe foundation of a functioning Kā€“12 education system.ā€ This group of employees includes paraeducators, health services workers, clerical professionals, and IT technicians.

The bulk of the new dollars would go into those four areas. But Reykdal is seeking funds for several other services and programs because, he told Inslee, ā€œschools today are expected to do everything from feeding and educating students to supporting, protecting, and nurturing their developmental, physical, and mental health.ā€

And that is on top of additional dollars to maintain existing programs in which costs are rising.

For example, 70% of students are getting free meals this school year. It will take another $17.4 million to maintain the program, according to the budget request.

Reykdal will discuss the request at a news conference on Monday, Sept. 23, at 10 a.m. It will be streamed live on TVW.

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About the Author

Jerry Cornfield / Washington State Standard

Jerry Cornfield joined the Standard after 20 years covering Olympia statehouse news for The Everett Herald. Earlier in his career, he worked for daily and weekly papers in Santa Barbara, California. Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, the nationā€™s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.