The Seattle School District No. 1 received an update on the 2026 legislative session and the district’s priorities after a progress-monitoring presentation.

Ms. Swarth, the district’s director of board relations, summarized the board-adopted legislative agenda (adopted November 2025) with three primary priorities: closing funding gaps in basic education (special education, transportation, materials/supplies/operating costs), supporting student learning and well-being while resisting unfunded mandates, and improving operations (capital investments and addressing sales tax on retail services affecting district costs).

District contract lobbyist Clifford (first referenced in the transcript as "Cliff Tradesman") described the statewide fiscal landscape as difficult: "The state is faced with at least 1000000000 dollar deficit," he said, and reminded the board the legislature must pass a balanced budget. He urged that K–12 funding be held harmless from cuts and said the district will push for additional revenue for special education, student transportation safety nets and MSOC increases.

Board members asked detailed questions about potential revenue levers — levy lift outcomes, levy equalization (LEA) and the possibility of progressive revenue such as a "millionaire's tax." Staff noted last year’s levy-cap lift yielded roughly $12 million in local revenue for Seattle and said LEA remains a priority so that property-wealthy districts do not benefit at the expense of others. Lobbyist Clifford said a millionaire's tax could help K–12 over the long term but is unlikely to produce revenue for immediate needs before 2029.

Policy and process reminders: Staff reviewed Board Policy 12.25 and state disclosure rules governing board advocacy during session. Ms. Swarth reiterated that district officials may communicate on board-adopted priorities and use district resources for agenda-aligned advocacy but cannot solicit families or community members from the dais to advocate on the district’s behalf or provide district-created talking points for private advocacy. The board’s legislative liaison will coordinate testimony and staff/lobbyist interactions during the short 60-day session.

Next steps: Staff and the lobbyist will continue to monitor bills and advise the legislative liaison and full board on actions; the board discussed participation in statewide advocacy events and student engagement in legislative conferences. No board votes were taken on legislative positions at the meeting. The board adjourned at 06:50 PM.