The committee reported Senate Bill 5,516 — the State School Fund budget — out with the subcommittee’s dash-2 amendment. The subcommittee recommended $11.4 billion for the 2025–27 biennium for the State School Fund, an 11.4% increase over the prior approved budget; when combined with local revenues the biennial total was described as topping $16.7 billion.

Members broadly acknowledged the size of the appropriation but debated whether additional funding alone will improve outcomes. “Continuing to throw money at it has not worked,” Representative Ben Draisen said while voting to support the budget. Multiple legislators called for formula fixes so funds reach high-need schools. Representative Kate urged changes to special-education (SPED) funding caps, saying high-SPED districts lose resources from other students: “When you have schools like mine where we have astronomical levels of SPED students… those are just dollars that are getting taken from the rest of your student body.”

Separately, the committee reported Senate Bill 141 — a framework for statewide accountability and coaching — out with the dash-A7 amendment. SB 141 would require the State Board of Education to set statewide growth targets and create an escalating set of interventions for districts that fail to meet targets over multiple years, including mandatory coaching and, after persistent underperformance, authority for the Department of Education to reallocate up to 25% of a district’s State School Fund and Student Investment Account money.

Supporters said SB 141 provides a coordinated approach to literacy, attendance and targeted coaching. Senator Lynn Wagner noted the subcommittee added funding and positions to implement the bill’s requirements and highlighted the bill’s focus on aligning grants and supports. Critics said the bill risks heavy-handed, top‑down control and could punish districts that face structural challenges; Representative Mark Draisen called the measure “accountability dressed up as additional bureaucracy,” and said he would oppose the bill.

Both measures passed out of the committee with recorded objections from multiple members. Legislators urged continued work on aligning grants, improving the funding formula to better target high-need students, and sustaining multi-year commitments to any accountability system.