[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6375821,"mediaKeyId","2140789-96f1b9a1eca5040f05005618b8845c97","parentId",2140789,"title","Committee weighs overhaul of student transportation funding; bill would task OSPI to rewrite STARS and add $400 for homeless students","audioSeconds",1555,"startMs",3580000,"endMs",5135000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2140789-96f1b9a1eca5040f05005618b8845c97&start=3580&end=5135","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2140789-96f1b9a1eca5040f05005618b8845c97/thumbnail_3580000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6375821/Washington/Committee-weighs-overhaul-of-student-transportation-funding-bill-would-task-OSPI-to-rewrite-STARS-and-add-400-for-homeless-students","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6375821-e0cda8216f0c845ea67f51c13df32123/orig.mp4?Expires=1775468565&Signature=JPnXuZKP~Bjekl0TYi6eRUDxjjKIOu5gBAUCA~3teE3~lc2XW4KXC9Dp17OXVS2zM8UhfoOf800U3UfvwriqSUo1ODF4ZPOA~-pIFVA5-grgT-5pLfndfpy3Qkas27v2xnMnxJo-RzuCuu0SSoqAhmr5UT~Zk-XjJlLd7hgWzWlHuacuoz6mGDOmS8oAEWPj7lHxhXccxYq6FTI1-VDmJVuRPg~zuTqLCUY9maAfQe3FZkIktVlX5xj-beXZXLWaLdx3eiASufZDesxbPUaL5siTX8qEPurLT74Mey59rHk3Uy1-0kWQKR3Bh9El1Wh8yw6DDYBs6h~bi587bGDaTA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education","date","2025-01-22T00:00:00Z","article","The Senate Early Learning & K‑12 Education Committee on (hearing date) considered Senate Bill 5187, which directs the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to analyze district transportation costs and develop a transparent, predictable student‑transportation funding model to replace the current STARS regression approach.

Alex Fairfortun, committee staff, explained that the STARS formula currently compares a regression‑model estimate to a district’s prior‑year allowable transportation expenditures and pays the lesser of the two. SB 5187 would require OSPI to deliver an analysis by June 1, 2028, disaggregated by mileage, ridership and costs for several groups (students requiring special transportation for special education, students who meet the federal definition of homeless, foster‑care students who require transport outside normal district boundaries, and skill‑center attendees). The bill would also add $400 per student in transportation funding for students who require special transportation due to homelessness; the additional funds may be used only for those transportation costs.

Several witnesses urged more rapid action and broader coverage. Tricia Lubach of the Washington State School Directors Association said STARS is “severely outdated” and urged a comprehensive update. Joel Ahn of the Washington Association of School Administrators backed the bill, saying a transparent, student‑centered model would let districts plan and ensure students arrive safely and ready to learn. Melissa Stone of Washington State PTA asked that the OSPI report come sooner than 2028 and requested that foster‑care students be included among priority mobile populations.

Tyler Bunch of OSPI told the committee the agency has been analyzing STARS with the Legislature for years and said OSPI is ready to move forward on a new formula if funding is available. Several superintendents and regional representatives described local shortfalls: Jeff Chamberlain of University Place said his district faces an annual transportation shortfall of about $225,000 and estimated the bill’s per‑homeless‑student funding would generate material aid for his costs; Lance Goodpaster (Franklin Pierce) and other Pierce County superintendents reported transporting hundreds of students in care or experiencing homelessness and noted districts sometimes use Title I or local levies to cover those costs.

A staff fiscal note for a similar provision from last year estimated roughly $13 million in additional costs, including approximately $12.8 million recurring and $200,000 one‑time to support OSPI’s analysis. Witnesses representing rural districts and skill centers asked the committee to explicitly include skill‑center transportation in the revised formula; a skills‑center director said students who travel from distant districts often lack reliable transportation to access career‑training programs.

Student witnesses and parents urged quicker action on safety and equity. Several students described long walks to bus stops and safety concerns; advocates said predictable funding would reduce route cuts and long rides for young children. Members asked staff and OSPI technical questions but took no formal vote. Some speakers urged moving the OSPI analysis earlier than the bill’s June 1, 2028 date.

Ending note: Committee testimony showed broad agreement that STARS needs modernization; no committee vote was recorded during the hearing and supporters asked for an expedited OSPI analysis and attention to homeless and foster‑care transportation needs.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education - 1/22/2025 1:30 PM","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 5187 would require OSPI to analyze transportation costs and create a new, transparent funding model to replace the STARS formula while providing an additional $400 per student for transportation tied to homelessness.","taxTitle","Early Learning & K-12 Education, Senate, Legislative Sessions, Washington","taxId",20501,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6375823,"Lawmakers hear rival bills to boost special‑education funding; advocates urge ending 16% cap",3391,122000,3513000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2140789-96f1b9a1eca5040f05005618b8845c97&start=122&end=3513","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2140789-96f1b9a1eca5040f05005618b8845c97/thumbnail_122000.jpg","/articles/6375823/Washington/Lawmakers-hear-rival-bills-to-boost-specialeducation-funding-advocates-urge-ending-16-cap","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6375823-03e57e3b7a6e730543d4272f93968a5b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775468565&Signature=dgWIF26bXSHEQYQQZOsggX1gNBkXGeODskTdeWZZ5lcYdONdlMX0rtg-WzJnyJt9Waf~~MeKqvhIhbpFoNNxLmYax4YVQH8zUwJKRxO81HabQ8ZrG7UCQU6Jf32qV5he4Xskg4BP4WCw0qwQW0QItzUcolCRoEK3cO~7S~6Vai9OUZfh-SCDG7GjWqtwjav3IjA4e4EGDaW7B1OI-rW25ybugvD7MX5fA08KMLYzrlAF90n5yQNIkdulOXtxslbEY2E6wbdOkWglWvc-zGdLaTm5Fg83i3r7getyZbL-ykZO-ui1y4I~Gwlp2vJuDgVzLKgbRriGKfvJj2VTm~~uIw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a hearing of the Senate Early Learning & K‑12 Education Committee, staff and education advocates presented two competing bills to change how Washington funds special education: Senate Bill 5263, sponsored by Sen. Jamie Peterson, and Senate Bill 5307, sponsored by Sen. Wellman. The bills were presented side‑by‑side and drew testimony from superintendents, school board leaders, parent advocates and disability‑rights organizations.

The bills share three principal goals: raise excess‑cost multipliers used to calculate special‑education allocations, remove the statute’s 16% funded‑enrollment cap, and lower the threshold for safety‑net eligibility. They diverge on multiplier design and several policy details. Alex Fairfortun, staff to the committee, summarized the bills and the key differences, including whether to retain a tiered multiplier based on time spent in general education.

Peterson framed his bill, SB 5263, around a single multiplier and removal of the 16% cap. \"These are kids in our public schools who have disabilities of one sort or another, and state and federal law require our school districts to provide them services,\" Sen. Jamie Peterson said, arguing the state must treat those costs as part of basic education. Peterson also urged the Legislature and the Ways and Means Committee to address affordability and said eliminating the cap and lowering the safety‑net threshold are priorities.

Sen. Wellman, prime sponsor of SB 5307, described reasons she had previously supported a cap and a tiered multiplier, including concerns about disproportionality in identification. She said she is now persuaded to remove the cap but favors keeping a tiered structure in SB 5307 with a lower multiplier for students who spend less than 80% of the school day in general education. Wellman also highlighted two policy additions in SB 5307: permitting the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to reserve 0.5 of excess cost allocations for statewide special‑education services and authorizing OSPI to adopt a uniform percentage of general apportionment funding for proration to special education.

Both bills would reduce the safety‑net threshold that a district must meet to receive payments for unusually high special‑education costs. The existing thresholds are 2.2 times the average per‑pupil expenditure for most districts and 2.0 times for districts with fewer than 1,000 students. Both bills lower the threshold to 1.5 times the average per‑pupil expenditure; SB 5307 also eliminates eligibility based solely on community characteristics and would require quarterly safety‑net payments in certain cases, which proponents said would help small districts with cash flow.

Fiscal notes presented to the committee estimate large biennial costs. Staff cited estimated biennial expenditures of roughly $1.64 billion for SB 5263 and roughly $1.55 billion for SB 5307.

Education groups and districts testified in support of both measures. Tricia Lubach, executive director of the Washington State School Directors Association, said the bills represent the education community’s top priorities and noted that K‑12 funding as a share of the state budget has declined from 52.4% in 2019 to 43.1% in 2024. Joel Ahn, executive director of the Washington Association of School Administrators, called the current system inadequate and said removing the cap and increasing multipliers would ensure students receive needed supports while relieving districts of the financial burden. Melissa Stone of Washington State PTA urged that any funding increase be paired with investment in training for inclusionary practices so general‑education staff can serve students with disabilities effectively.

Several district leaders gave concrete examples of local strain. Larry Delaney, president of the Washington Education Association, cited the Mount Baker School District, which he said was in binding conditions with a roughly $1.4 million special‑education deficit. Dr. Brent Jones, superintendent of Seattle Public Schools, said the statewide special‑education funding deficit has been on the order of $74 million per year and is growing as student needs increase. Smaller districts told the committee long‑standing cash‑flow problems make quarterly safety‑net payments important: Sen. Wellman and others noted that some rural districts must pay out‑of‑state providers on a pay‑as‑you‑go basis.

Advocacy organizations and family members also testified. Ramona Hattendorf of The Arc of King County urged ending the cap and increasing multipliers while funding technical supports for inclusive practices, arguing that more intensive supports do not require segregated settings. Mike Stewart of Boyer Children’s Clinic asked the committee to amend the bills to align multipliers for early‑intervention services (ages 0–3 and 3–5) so that infants and toddlers receive supports that can reduce later special‑education need.

Committee members asked technical questions about definitions and mechanics. Committee staff clarified that “pre‑K” in the bills covers children ages 3, 4 and 5 who are not yet enrolled in kindergarten, and that pre‑K multipliers differ from K‑12 multipliers. Members also pressed sponsors and witnesses about the relative fiscal impact of the single‑multiplier versus tiered approaches; Sen. Peterson and several superintendents said they favored the single multiplier in SB 5263 for simplicity and because they believe the current tiered structure has produced perverse incentives.

No formal committee vote was taken at the hearing. Witnesses on both sides asked the committee to refine language and emphasized the tradeoffs committees will face when reconciling policy goals with budget constraints. Committee staff and multiple speakers said additional work will be required in budget deliberations if either bill moves forward.

Ending note: The committee held extensive oral testimony from district leaders, advocacy groups and parents; it did not take a vote during the hearing and left several technical and fiscal questions for follow‑up in staff analyses and subsequent committee work.","At a hearing of the Senate Early Learning & K‑12 Education Committee, staff and advocates presented Senate Bill 5263 (Sen. Jamie Peterson) and Senate Bill 5307 (Sen. Wellman), two competing proposals to raise special‑education funding, remove the statutory 16% funded‑enrollment cap and lower safety‑net thresholds.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6375817,"Senate bill would raise MSOC per‑student allocations 10% and use three‑year enrollment average; districts cite rising insurance and utility costs",1702,5149000,6851000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2140789-96f1b9a1eca5040f05005618b8845c97&start=5149&end=6851","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2140789-96f1b9a1eca5040f05005618b8845c97/thumbnail_5149000.jpg","/articles/6375817/Washington/Senate-bill-would-raise-MSOC-perstudent-allocations-10-and-use-threeyear-enrollment-average-districts-cite-rising-insurance-and-utility-costs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6375817-b564fdb6edd882ab658391a94a1f9167/orig.mp4?Expires=1775468565&Signature=Rq8Qh3dvYD261EsaCZApYn~Ej8Af63Dy7HFvDqP6ba40PIopcxvRS-tDAKi7M5MkncgwU4rBcNUEpgFdshOWCvKbe~m8apg4KDXz3-5BP29Q1ztP55OIZtINoDieshrsKmskXRCnhXmg~pQ3GLEdKkybwMf1RjMAJwoeaGDwC2foa2~vm0mR6Vc73hJz65wuKrVW24iubARQK5jd3VK7UWv6bOz0s7ObxYOPZyDSukkXCujlmreL9Q97JbyR~jFscSZ9LEgHEG1IFseZnhProdvh2VdJQUaztMoOqvU7Jjgfo-LyAPCTw61FlIf4oYrZ0dK~NFIQI0NvJRqj~AVEww__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 5192, presented to the Senate Early Learning & K‑12 Education Committee, would change how school districts receive state funding for materials, supplies and operating costs (MSOC). The bill removes distinct MSOC categories from the prototypical funding model and consolidates them into a single per‑student allocation, increases the per‑student MSOC amounts by 10%, and sets district enrollment for MSOC calculations on a three‑year rolling average.

Committee staff summarized the proposal and the bill’s projected cost. A staff fiscal note attached to the bill estimates roughly $298 million in additional expenditures in the 2025–27 biennium for the proposed MSOC changes.

District administrators and statewide associations testified in strong support. Kelly Aramaki, superintendent of Bellevue School District, said Bellevue faces an MSOC funding gap of about $9 million this year and has cut MSOC spending by roughly 30% in school budgets, affecting arts and music. Rob Bryant, chief financial officer for Federal Way Public Schools, cited a 168% increase in property and liability insurance premiums over four years and said Federal Way’s MSOC gap has forced the district to divert levy funds.

Other superintendents offered similar examples: Lake Stevens reported $16 million spent from general funds on MSOC in the last five years; Kennewick and Highline described insurance and utility increases that outpace MSOC adjustments. Witnesses asked the committee to add inflation indexing for categories such as insurance and utilities and to consider options—like insurance pools—that might constrain premium growth.

Sen. T’wina Nobles, sponsor of SB 5192, said the bill aims to stabilize district budgets, reduce reliance on local levies for core operations and provide a predictable funding base. She described the proposal as a step toward full funding of basic education by recognizing that costs of running buildings and providing materials have outpaced current allocations.

Education stakeholders, including the Washington Education Association and regional ESD representatives, supported the bill as a high‑value investment that would benefit every student. Several witnesses recommended tying future adjustments to clear inflation measures for specific MSOC categories to avoid recurring shortfalls.

No committee vote was taken at the hearing. Supporters asked the Legislature to consider additional inflationary adjustments and to prioritize MSOC changes alongside special‑education and transportation funding in the broader budget conversation.

Ending note: The committee heard widespread testimony from districts about large, ongoing MSOC deficits driven by insurance, utilities and technology costs; sponsors and witnesses urged action to reduce levy reliance and stabilize district operating budgets.","Senate Bill 5192 would collapse MSOC categories into a single per‑student allocation, increase MSOC amounts by 10% and calculate enrollment with a three‑year rolling average. District leaders told the committee that MSOC shortfalls force levies to pay for core operations and cited large increases in insurance and utilities.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee weighs overhaul of student transportation funding; bill would task OSPI to rewrite STARS and add $400 for homeless students

Lawmakers hear rival bills to boost special‑education funding; advocates urge ending 16% cap

Senate bill would raise MSOC per‑student allocations 10% and use three‑year enrollment average; districts cite rising insurance and utility costs