Lawmakers hear rival bills to boost special‑education funding; advocates urge ending 16% cap

At a hearing of the Senate Early Learning & K‑12 Education Committee, staff and education advocates presented two competing bills to change how Washington funds special education: Senate Bill 5263, sponsored by Sen. Jamie Peterson, and Senate Bill 5307, sponsored by Sen. Wellman. The bills were presented side‑by‑side and drew testimony from superintendents, school board leaders, parent advocates and disability‑rights organizations.

The bills share three principal goals: raise excess‑cost multipliers used to calculate special‑education allocations, remove the statute’s 16% funded‑enrollment cap, and lower the threshold for safety‑net eligibility. They diverge on multiplier design and several policy details. Alex Fairfortun, staff to the committee, summarized the bills and the key differences, including whether to retain a tiered multiplier based on time spent in general education.

Peterson framed his bill, SB 5263, around a single multiplier and removal of the 16% cap. "These are kids in our public schools who have disabilities of one sort or another, and state and federal law require our school districts to provide them services," Sen. Jamie Peterson said, arguing the state must treat those costs as part of basic education. Peterson also urged the Legislature and the Ways and Means Committee to address affordability and said eliminating the cap and lowering the safety‑net threshold are priorities.

Sen. Wellman, prime sponsor of SB 5307, described reasons she had previously supported a cap and a tiered…