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District sees increased special education and Title I funding; some federal Title funds temporarily frozen
Summary
District staff told the board they expect higher special education and Title I revenues for 2025-26, referencing state legislative changes that removed an enrollment cap for special education and an increase in Title I, while noting that Title II, III and IV federal funds were temporarily frozen pending federal decisions.
Finance staff reported that Pullman Public Schools expects higher revenues in 2025-26 for special education and Title I but that some federal Title programs (II, III and IV) are currently frozen at the federal level.
Diane and other staff explained that the district's special education allocation increased substantially because of a state legislative change that removed an enrollment cap (staff referred to the change as Senate Bill 5263). Diane said the result is roughly $695,000 more in state special education revenue for the district.
Staff also reported an increase in Title I funding of approximately $140,000. However, at the time of the meeting staff said Title II, Title III and Title IV funds were temporarily frozen by the federal government; OSPI recommended reallocating Title I funds temporarily to cover priorities if the other Title funds do not arrive. Staff said that, with the Title I increase, they could tentatively cover the paused Title II/III/IV amounts with about $1,900 remaining in the Title I increase after reallocations.
Why it matters: Increases in special education and Title I revenues reduce pressure on local levy funds for mandated services; frozen federal Title funds create short-term uncertainty about specific program budgets.
Next steps: Staff will update the board when federal Title funding decisions are finalized and will present exact Carl Perkins amounts for CTE when available.
