Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Washington superintendent warns of $1 billion annual shortfall for special education, supplies and transportation
Summary
OSPI Superintendent Chris Reykdal told reporters the state faces at least $1 billion in annual gaps across special education, maintenance/supplies and transportation, and urged the legislature to pursue progressive revenue and restore levy authority to protect students and services.
Chris Reykdal, Washington’s superintendent of public instruction, said the state’s K–12 system faces an urgent fiscal gap driven by three core shortfalls: special education, maintenance and supplies (MSOC), and transportation. "The sum of these big 3 are roughly $1,000,000,000 a year," Reykdal said, citing a special-education shortfall he estimated at "at least $400,000,000" annually.
Reykdal framed the shortfall in inflation-adjusted terms, saying districts are down "a little over $1,000 per student" compared with five to six years ago after the peak of post–McCleary investments. He said rising insurance, utilities and climate-related property risk have pushed MSOC costs higher, creating a roughly $400–$500 million annual gap that districts are covering with local levy dollars.
The superintendent urged lawmakers to set a measurable funding goal — aiming to reach the national average (about 3.6% of state GDP devoted to K–12) — and to use progressive revenue to close gaps rather than returning to austerity. He also called for restoring some local levy authority and increasing levy equalization to help property-poor districts access enrichment funds: "We can give levy authority back to communities that wanna do those extra things," he said.
Reykdal cited the McCleary court process as background for the obligation to maintain funding and warned that meeting the letter of past settlements is not a one-time task: "By way of reminder, our supreme court said it's an ongoing question. It's not that you reach funding and you're done. It's that you also have to maintain it." He said federal COVID-era and other federal funds are intended to supplement, not replace, state funding for core obligations such as special education.
The administration’s short-term ask includes a $3 billion proposal for the next biennium that Reykdal said has broad voter support. On levies, he noted enrichment levies pass at high rates (he cited a 94% passage rate for typical enrichment levies) and recommended returning levy authority to a consistent percentage of local budgets while boosting levy-equalization funding.
The press event ended with Reykdal urging bipartisan cooperation and noting OSPI will offer data support to lawmakers and reporters as budget proposals move through the 102-day legislative session.
