Washington County School Board reviews state bills that could shift school funding and alter staffing pay

Washington County School District board members spent a large portion of their Jan. 27 working session on an overview of early 2025 state legislation that administrators said could change how districts raise and receive money and how employees are paid.

District staff warned that SB 37, described in the meeting as a bill that would send the basic property-tax rate (the “basic rate” used in the Minimum School Program) to a state account instead of directly to local districts, raises two immediate concerns: timing of revenue receipt and lack of an explicit requirement that the revenue be spent for K–12 education. “If it goes to state and they give it to us later, then we're going to lose out on interest,” a staff speaker said. The staff speaker added that, because the bill’s language does not specify that the funds would go to the Uniform School Fund, “the belief is that this is their way around dealing with Amendment A,” meaning the money could be spent on non-education items.

Why this matters: district officials said the basic-rate receipts arrive in December and that districts currently earn interest on those balances during the school year. Administrators argued diverting the receipts to a state account could reduce local districts’ cash flow and, depending on legislative language, shift long-standing local revenue into the state’s budget control.

Board members and administrators also reviewed other priority bills and JLC (legislative committee) positions. Highlights the board heard…