Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Early Learning & K 12 Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate bill would expand Learning Assistance Program funding for high‑poverty schools
Summary
Senate Bill 5120 increases LAP high‑poverty allocations and creates a tiered model so schools with higher concentrations of poverty receive more instructional hours; fiscal notes estimate large state costs and the number of eligible schools would rise substantially.
Senate Bill 5120 would expand Washington’s Learning Assistance Program (LAP) by increasing the additional instructional hours allocated to qualifying high‑poverty schools and by establishing a tiered model so higher‑poverty schools get larger allocations, witnesses told the Senate Education Committee.
Under current law, qualifying high‑poverty school buildings receive an additional 1.1 instructional hours per week; SB 5120 would raise that to 1.6 hours beginning in the 2026–27 school year and, thereafter, move to a three‑tier model based on a school’s free or reduced‑price meal percentage. Staff described the tiers this way: Tier 1 (70% or higher FRPM) would receive 2.2 hours per week; Tier 2 (50–69.9%) would receive 1.6 hours; and Tier 3 (30–49.9%) would receive 0.4 hours.
Committee staff presented a fiscal note estimating roughly $163 million in the 2025–26 school year when LAP funding increases from 1.1 to 1.6, and an additional $135 million in 2026–27 when the tiered model takes effect. Staff said the number of schools eligible for high‑poverty LAP would increase by an estimated 598 schools to a total of 1,793 schools.
Sponsor Senator Tawana Nobles said the bill “broadens eligibility” from a 50% FRPM threshold to 30%, bringing about 659 additional schools and 319,000 more students into the program, and increases funding for schools with the highest concentrations of poverty. Testimony in strong support came from classroom teachers, school directors, statewide associations and advocacy groups. Oliver Miska (Seattle Public Schools teacher, People’s Big 5) and Jacob Vella (League of Education Voters) cited research showing Washington’s education finance system is regressive and said LAP is a tool that targets high‑poverty schools.
School leaders and OSPI representatives described the bill as a targeted way to direct resources to buildings with concentrated need; OSPI staff provided district‑level examples of schools that would become eligible under the proposed threshold changes. Supporters described evidence‑based uses such as co‑teaching and high‑dosage tutoring.
Opposition or concerns were not recorded in the hearing portion of the transcript; the committee received multiple supportive statements from education associations and local districts. No committee action on the bill was recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.
