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University Place board hears legislative wrap-up: special education multiplier raised, transportation formula unchanged
Summary
Board members heard a legislative update noting passage of Senate Bill 5263, which raised the special education multiplier to 1.16 and removed a 16% cap, and that transportation formula changes did not pass this session.
Board members received a legislative update summarizing the 2025 session's effects on K-12 funding and related proposals.
A board member said Senate Bill 5263 "increased the special education multiplier to 1.16 and removed the 16% cap" that affected some districts. The update noted an increase to material, supplies and operating costs (MSOC) but described that increase as insufficient to keep pace with inflation.
Transportation-specific bills did not pass the Legislature this session. The board heard that the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is developing a new plan to replace the current transportation formula, which the presenter described as the STARS formula.
The OSPI presentation also discussed a proposed policy, described as the adjusting school director districts bill (House Bill 1683), that would require districts with more than 3,000 students to have a minimum of three geographically represented director positions to ensure proportional representation. The presenter said the legislative committee he serves on decided not to advance a position supporting that proposal because it could limit local control and appear as an unfunded mandate.
Board discussion touched on the broader challenge of recruiting diverse school board candidates. "If we truly want to have a diverse collection of school directors that represent the very students that we lead, then we need to do something, to allow those directors, to serve. And that means, maybe paying them," the presenter said.
A board member also noted the district stands to receive some short-term local effort assistance under the changes to levy funding, but the presenter said sustained concerns about equity in the state funding system remain.
No formal board positions or votes were taken on legislation at the meeting; the update summarized outcomes and next steps for state advocacy and association-led discussions.
