Superintendent Dr. Courtney Maxwell gave the board a legislative update summarizing several 2025 state bills and how they could affect Pullman School District finances.

Maxwell said Senate Bill 5263 and House proposals include adjustments to special education multipliers: an increase in one multiplier from 1.12 to 1.16 for certain age groups, while the safety-net multiplier was described as reduced from 2.2 to 2.0 but with complex eligibility conditions. She said those safety-net changes would likely affect only a very small number of students in Pullman.

On material supplies and operating costs (MSOCs), Maxwell said proposed increases in the bills would raise the per-student base modestly (examples read from materials: $1,532 turning into figures near $1,614; discussion indicated the net dollar increase was under $100 per pupil, short of the roughly $400 per pupil the district had hoped for to match rising costs). She described that utilities and insurance costs have consumed much of the increase in recent years.

Maxwell highlighted other bills potentially relevant to districts: reimbursement for using non-CDL vehicles to transport small groups of students (Senate Bill 5009) and proposals on levy reform/regionalization that could lift levy lids but may create inequities. She said timelines were fluid; the superintendent noted the legislative calendar and the possibility of conciliation or a special session.

Board members asked clarifying questions about timelines and potential district impacts; Maxwell emphasized that while some increases appeared in proposals, they fell short of district needs and that the district would continue advocacy and planning for multi-year budget challenges.