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Committee hears contentious SB 6260: bus depreciation, MSOC holdback and Running Start funding cut draw broad opposition
Summary
SB 6260 would extend school bus depreciation to 15 years, allow up to a 1.9% MSOC withholding for a statewide High School & Beyond platform, and reduce Running Start funded FTE from 1.4 to 1.2; OFM and the governor’s office justify savings, while districts, colleges, counselors and students warn of safety, equity and access harms.
SB 6,260 drew the longest, most contested testimony of the session. The bill bundles three changes: (1) extend school bus depreciation schedules to 180 months (15 years), a change staff estimated would reduce state transportation reimbursement in the near term and produce roughly $20–21 million in state savings per fiscal year while pushing larger final depreciation payments into later years; (2) authorize OSPI to withhold up to 1.9% of MSOC allocations to centrally pay licensing for a High School & Beyond universal online platform (estimated local reduction of roughly $1.2 million in FY27 statewide); and (3) reduce the funded Running Start maximum enrollment from 1.4 FTE to 1.2 FTE, which the fiscal note estimates would save state dollars but which college and student witnesses said would remove summer access and reduce students' ability to complete degrees.
Sherry Sawyer (Office of Financial Management) said the changes were included in the governor's supplemental operating budget and were chosen as "surgical" savings given the budget climate. Sawyer noted bus‑life data from OSPI indicated many districts operate buses into the 15-year range and that safety inspections would continue.
Opposition was broad and vociferous. District CFOs and superintendents warned that extending depreciation would delay replacements, increase maintenance, and could increase breakdown risk and operational costs. Barbara Posthumus (Lake Washington School District CFO) said the district would lose roughly $141,000 annually in state revenue under the bus change, the roughly cost of one new bus. Robert Maxwell (Pullman superintendent) emphasized safety and long‑term cost concerns.
College leaders, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, and many college presidents and trustees urged retaining 1.4 FTE for Running Start, describing rapid growth in summer participation (one witness cited a 400% rise after 1.4 FTE expansion) and high pass and retention rates; they warned a rollback to 1.2 FTE would deny summer access to thousands of low‑income students and reduce degree completion. Jamie Troggett (SBCTC) said the summer program serves the highest percentage of low‑income students of any term at 41 percent. College witnesses warned reducing FTE would force students to pay out‑of‑pocket for summer coursework or delay credentials.
School counselors and district advocates opposed the MSOC holdback for the High School & Beyond platform, arguing the state should fund the platform directly rather than require districts to pay via MSOC reductions, and that the bill lacks dedicated training funds.
The hearing closed after many hours of testimony; no floor action or committee vote was recorded.
