Sine Die (meeting adjourned!)
And just like that, the Legislature has adjourned! This short session was a whirlwind of policy discussions and budget negotiations. In the end, legislators voted on final supplemental and capital budgets that show tremendous support for students, educators, and schools. There was a last-minute push yesterday to get HB 1699across the finish line, which was amazing. This bill will allow retired educators, including administrators in districts with less than 2,000 students, to work more hours each year in schools.
Budget Highlights
Supplemental Budget
Here are some of the highlights of the final supplemental budget (SB 5693) for K–12 education:
Enrollment Stabilization — $346.5 million
This funding will support 230 districts that continue to experience enrollment declines, backfilling 50% of a district’s revenue loss.
Staffing Allocations — $90.6 million ($548.3 million for 2023–25)
Funding is provided to increase staffing ratios and allocations for support staff such as nurses, social workers, psychologists, counselors, classified staff providing student and staff safety, and parent involvement coordinators and other school district employees and contractors who provide physical, social, and emotional support to students, as defined by OSPI.
Increases in Inflation for K–12 Salaries and MSOC — $236 million
A new 5.5% inflationary factor is used to adjust the 2022 supplemental operating budget, providing the following minimum salary allocations for the 2022–23 school year: $72,728 for instructional staff; $107,955 for administrators; and $52,173 for classified staff. By way of contrast, most state employees will receive a 3.25% increase in salary with a one-time payment of $3,400.
LAP Hold Harmless — $27.0 million
Funding is provided to hold school districts harmless by allowing them to use 2019–20 school year free and reduced-price lunch percentages for calculating Learning Assistance Program (LAP) funding.
Federal Food Assistance and Community Eligibility Provision — $43.6 million
Funding is provided for state reimbursements to school districts for schools and groups of schools required to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) under 2SHB 1878 but who are not eligible for the full federal reimbursement rate. Federal assistance is also provided from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Supply Chain Assistance and Local Food for Schools funds.
Transportation — $13 million
Funding is provided for transportation safety net funding to school districts with a demonstrated need for additional transportation funding for special passengers.
Residential Outdoor School — $10.0 million
Funding is appropriated to OSPI to implement and administer an Outdoor Learning Grant Program with funds for school districts to develop or support outdoor educational experiences, funds for outdoor education providers to support or increase capacity at their sites, and funds that will prioritize outdoor experiences for 5th and 6th-grade students.
After-Exit Running Start — $3.0 million
Funding is provided for after-exit Running Start grants to school districts that identify Running Start students that have exceeded maximum enrollment under Running Start formulas and high school graduates who have 15 or fewer college credits to earn before meeting associate degree requirements. High school graduates who meet these requirements are eligible to receive funds from these grants for fees to the Community and Technical College to earn up to 15 college credits during the summer academic term following their high school graduation.
Financial Literacy Education — $3.0 million
Funding is provided to establish a new Financial Literacy Education Professional Development Grant Program. Grants are to be provided to school districts for integrating financial literacy education into professional development for certificated staff.
Capital Budget
Here are a few of the main components of the capital budget for schools.
- School Seismic Safety Grant Program — $100.0 million
- Distressed Schools— $21.7 million (including $13 million to rebuild Almira Elementary School)
- West Sound Technical Skills Center Modernization — $10.9 million
- Small District and Tribal Compact Schools Modernization — $7.6 million
There are many other pieces to these final budgets. For a comprehensive review, check out Dan Steele’s Special Edition TWIO (This Week in Olympia) on the final supplemental budget. Thank you, Dan!
Final Bill Tracking
Budget
- SB 5693 | Operating Budget
- HB 1590| Enrollment Stability
- HB 1664| Prototypical Support
- SB 5651 | Capital Budget
- SB 5933 | School Seismic Safety
Students
- HB 1723 | Telecommunication Access
- HB 1833 | Electronic Option for School Meal Needs
- HB 1878 | Increasing Participation in Community Eligibility Provision
- HB 2068 | Creating the Imagination Library Program
- HB 2078 | Outdoor School for All
- SB 5497 | Student Board of Education Members
- SB 5657 | Computer Science in Juvenile Institutions
- SB 5720 | Financial Literacy
- SB 5878 | Arts Instruction
High School/Dual Credit
- HB 1736 | State Student Loan Program
- HB 1805 | Opportunity Scholarship Program
- HB 1835 | Postsecondary Enrollment (FAFSA completion support)
- HB 1867 | Dual Credit Data
- SB 5498 | Awarding Diplomas Posthumously
- SB 5789 | Career and College Pathways Innovation Challenge Program
