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District officials urge action as bill could curb online-program contracts and funding
Summary
District staff warned that a recently introduced Senate bill (referred to in the meeting as "senate bill 63 20") would bar contracting with for-profit vendors for online programs and change local-effort assistance rules, potentially threatening the Insight School Washington partnership and millions in local funding.
District staff told the board they were concerned about a newly introduced Senate bill (referred to in the meeting as "senate bill 63 20") authored by a senator from Kitsap County that, as read in the meeting, would prohibit school districts from contracting with for-profit entities to deliver online instruction beginning Aug. 1, 2026, and would alter local-effort assistance rules so students in ALE (alternative learning experience) online programs might not count for certain local funding without a medical professional's form.
"It made my stomach sick for our children in online programs because it would devastate ... our online programs," said the staff member who led the legislative briefing (Staff member, SEG 996-999). Staff said the bill would force districts to either develop their own online curricula or contract only with nonprofit providers, which they said would be impractical to implement on the proposed timeline and could eliminate the district's partnership with Insight School Washington.
Staff also said the bill proposes limits on local-effort assistance tied to ALE counts that could reduce district revenues by roughly $3 million to $4 million annually (as discussed in the meeting). The board discussed opportunities for advocacy: staff planned to submit formal comments, the superintendent (Diana) was signed up to testify at an upcoming hearing, and staff said they would draft a district letter and encourage families to submit comments online.
Why it matters: If enacted as described in the board discussion, the bill could materially change how online programs are delivered and funded across districts that rely on contracted partners. For this district, staff said the changes would threaten the online program that serves students who do not thrive in brick-and-mortar settings.
Next steps: Staff encouraged board members and families to sign in opposition at the bill's hearing and to submit written comments; the board directed staff to prepare talking points and a comment letter.
