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Senate Bill 5263 would raise special‑education multipliers and remove cap; districts, advocates urge full funding
Summary
Engrossed second substitute Senate Bill 5263 proposes increasing excess‑cost multipliers for special education to 1.32, removing the 16 percent enrollment cap, lowering safety‑net thresholds and funding statewide supports; superintendents, OSPI and parent advocates testified that the changes are needed to close large funding gaps.
The Senate Appropriations Committee received a staff briefing and extensive public testimony on engrossed second substitute Senate Bill 5263, which would raise the special education excess‑cost multiplier to 1.32 for all ages, remove the 16 percent cap on funded special education enrollment, adjust the basic education amount (BEA) calculation for special education to use the greater of district BEA or the statewide average, and authorize a small OSPI set‑aside for statewide technical assistance and an online IEP system.
Why it matters: OSPI staff told the committee roughly 154,000 students in kindergarten and above receive special education services in the state. OSPI’s fiscal note estimates a state‑funding impact of about $915 million in the 2025–27…
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