By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org
Click here to view our comprehensive Week 5 Bill Tracker
We are one month into the 105-day session and policy committees are really digging into hearings and voting on the bills in their committees before the first deadline for bills to remain under consideration – February 21st. Bills on “the Big 3” continue to advance, with public hearings completed on the House bills for special education funding and Materials, Supplies & Operating Costs (MSOC) in the Appropriations Committee and all three Senate bills scheduled for public hearing on the Tuesday, February 11th agenda in Senate Ways & Means.
As a reminder:
- SB 5187 would direct OSPI to update the student transportation funding formula (report due June 1, 2028) and immediately increase funding by a rate of $400 per student qualifying under the federal McKinney Vento Act (students who are homeless).
- SB 5192 would increase the MSOC allocation by about 10% of the current rate to school districts. The bill would allocate a single MSOC amount and require school districts to report to OSPI how the funds are spent by each category. The bill also would change from an annual per student allocation to a three-year FTE student average and would add the Implicit Price Deflator (IPD) as an annual inflationary adjustment. The new funding would begin in the 2025-26 school year.
- SSB 5263 would:
- remove the enrollment cap for special education;
- increase the multiplier to 1.32 x the basic education allocation, regardless of classroom placement;
- reduce the safety net threshold to 1.5 or about $27,000-$30,000, depending on how the multiplier discussion ends up;
- align the Early Supports for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) multiplier to the multiplier for Pre-K students (an increase from 1.15 to 1.6381);
- require safety net funds to be distributed quarterly in certain circumstances, including if a district received a safety net award for the same student the previous school year and nothing has changed for the student;
- allow OSPI to reserve .005 of excess special education funding for certain statewide special education activities, such as monitoring for disproportionality or providing technical assistance on inclusionary practices;
- require OSPI to develop and maintain a statewide IEP system; and
- authorize OSPI to adopt a uniform proration percentage of general apportionment funding for special education students.
If you haven’t signed in Pro to share your support for these bills, please act by Tuesday at 3 PM:
- SB 5187, student transportation. Click here to show your support.
- SB 5192, MSOC. Click here to show your support.
- SSB 5263, special education. Click here to show your support.
The House Appropriations Committee held a public hearing on January 30 on special education and February 3rd regarding the MSOC bill. Here’s a quick summary of these bills:
- HB 1310 (OSPI request) would remove the cap on enrollment, increase the multiplier, and lower the threshold to access safety net funding for high-cost students. HB 1357 would only slightly increase the multiplier; it doesn’t remove the enrollment cap or address the safety net. Neither bill has been scheduled for a vote.
- HB 1338 would increase MSOC by about 20%, add an annual inflationary adjustment, provide a Small Schools factor, and require a rebase every four years to ensure the gap between state funding and operating costs are aligned more closely than they have been the past few years. That bill also hasn’t been scheduled for a vote.
- HB 1579 is the companion to SB 5187 (above) regarding student transportation. The bill has not received a public hearing in the House Appropriations Committee.
Bills in budget committees must pass by Friday, February 28th to remain alive this session.
Levies and LEA
Last week the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee listened to public testimony on
SB 5593. Reviews were mixed, with some speakers in firm support but others questioning if the bill, as drafted, would result in more equity in funding across the state or widen the differences between property “rich” and “poor” districts. OSPI released a funding tool to show how the bill would work in the state’s 295 school districts, along with what the cost for levy equalization would be to the state.
Next week the House Finance Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 1356. The bill’s broad title, “Concerning K-12 funding,” could end up being an “end game” bill that includes all of the K-12 education funding decisions to be made in the 2025 session.
- Levy Comparison Tool (Posted February 5, 2025) This file compares Levy and LEA proposed calculations with current law to House Bill 1356 and Senate Bill 5593.
Bond bills – Simple majority and 55% thresholds
While the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee had scheduled SB 5186 and SJR 8200 for a vote on the 6th, the bills were pulled from the agenda last Wednesday, signaling a “deal” to pass them might not be fully cooked yet. SB 5186 would change the statute from a 60% threshold to pass a bond to 55%, while SJR 8200 would direct the Secretary of State to put the question of lowering the threshold to pass bonds to Washington voters at the next general election. As a reminder, the bills were heard in the first week of the session and negotiations behind the scenes are hoping for a path forward to secure at least 33 votes in the Senate and 66 votes in the House.
The House Education Committee held an hour-long session on a simple majority for bonds bill and its corresponding constitutional amendment – HB 1032 and HJR 4201, respectively. The majority of testifiers spoke in favor of the measures and letting the voters decide. According to OSPI, capacity in the biennial capital budget for the School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) would be sufficient to support more bonds passing by local voters.
Other bills on the Watch List
Legislators continue to discuss and vote on bills to address student mental and behavioral health. This week the House Education Committee will take public testimony on HB 1634, providing school districts and public schools with assistance to coordinate comprehensive behavioral health supports for students. The bill is similar to one heard the previous week in the Senate education committee.
In addition, both the Senate and House education committees will hold public hearings on bills related to student isolation and restraint. HB 1795 and SB 5654 are companion bills, which means they are identical. While this issue has been before the legislature in different forms the past three sessions, this is the first time companion bills have been introduced by proponents Rep. Lisa Callan, D-Issaquah, and Sen. Claire Wilson, D-Auburn. At their core, the bills would:
- Redefine various words and phrases related to isolation and restraint, including clearly articulating what constitutes and doesn’t constitute “isolation.”
- Extend, subject to appropriations, demonstration projects established in the 2024 session with the goal of eliminating student isolation and reducing student restraint.
- Place restrictions on the restraint of all students, including prohibiting chemical and mechanical restraint.
- Place restrictions on the isolation of all students but provide a time-limited exemption for the isolation of pre-kindergarten through 5th grade students under specified conditions.
- Modify requirements for incident notification, incident review, incident reporting, behavioral intervention planning, and policies and procedures.
- Add staff and school board training requirements.
- Establish state compliance monitoring and support, including training and coaching services, subject to appropriations.
- Require multiple reports from agencies to the Legislature.
HB 1795 is scheduled for a public hearing Monday at 1:30 PM.
- To share your support for the bill, click here before 12:30 PM.
- To share written comments or, if the deadline has passed, share written support, click here.
SB 5654 is scheduled for a public hearing Thursday, February 13 at 10:30 AM.
- To share your support for the bill, click here before 9:30 AM Feb. 13.
- To share written comments or share written support, click here.
Advocacy in Action
- WSPTA President Angela Steck testified in favor of HB 1338, a bill that would close the gaps between what the state funds and what it costs to operate schools across the state. Angela asked House Appropriations Committee members to pass the bill and pointed out that PTAs have been asked more frequently to support staff and supplies that should be funded as basic education. Hear Angela’s testimony here.
- In addition, Michelle Harris of the Shoreline Council PTA shared data about the district’s shortfalls in their Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs (MSOC), and urged legislators to support and pass the bill. Listen to Michelle here.
- On Tuesday, February 4, Washington State PTA Board member Tori Emerson asked House Education Committee members to support bills to allow Washington voters to consider dropping the Constitutional threshold to pass school bonds to simple majority. Tori shared detailed information about bond measures that have failed in the Arlington School District and the negative impact those are having on students, teachers and the community. HB 1032 and HJR 4201 (simple majority) have been introduced each legislative session in recent years but haven’t made it through the House Capital Budget. The Senate is considering similar measures. Listen to Tori here.
- A big THANK YOU to all of the parent advocates who signed in for the Big 3 over the past few weeks and the sign in last week for simple majority for bonds bills. Your voice matters!
The Week Ahead – All hearings can be found on TVW – if the hearing has passed, using “replay” to listen
Higher Education & Workforce Development (Senate) – SHR 2 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 2/10 @ 10:30am
- SB 5658 – Public Hearing – Concerning the workforce education investment account. (Hearing is on the Proposed Substitute.) (Remote Testimony Available). (Monitoring)
- SB 5542 – Exec Session – Expanding tuition waivers for high school completers at community and technical colleges. (Support/Low)
- SB 5275 – Exec Session – Modifying funding and award levels for the passport to careers program and eligibility for the Washington college grant. (Support)
Education (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 2/10 @ 1:30pm
- HB 1634 – Public Hearing – Providing school districts and public schools with assistance to coordinate comprehensive behavioral health supports for students. (Remote Testimony Available). (Support)
- HB 1795 – Public Hearing – Addressing restraint or isolation of students in public schools and educational programs. (Remote Testimony Available).
Ways & Means (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 2/10 @ 4:00pm
- SSB 5062 – Public Hearing – Establishing a child care workforce standards board. (Remote Testimony Available).
Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 2/11 @ 8:00am
- SB 5551 – Public Hearing – Concerning school library information and technology programs. (Remote Testimony Available).
- SB 5253 – Exec Session – Extending special education services to students with disabilities until the end of the school year in which the student turns 22.
- SB 5327 – Exec Session – Concerning learning standards and graduation requirements.
Finance (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 2/11 @ 8:00am
- HB 1356 – Public Hearing – Concerning K-12 funding. (Remote Testimony Available). (Monitoring)
- HB 1334 – Public Hearing – Modifying the annual regular property tax revenue growth limit. (Remote Testimony Available).
Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans (House) – HHR C and Virtual JLOB – 2/11 @ 10:30am
- HB 1483 – Exec Session – Supporting the servicing and right to repair of certain products with digital electronics in a secure and reliable manner. (Support/Medium)
Postsecondary Education & Workforce (House) – HHR C and Virtual JLOB – 2/11 @ 1:30pm
- HB 1554 – Exec Session – Providing equity in eligibility for the college bound scholarship. (Support)
- HB 1556 – Exec Session – Expanding tuition waivers for high school completers at community and technical colleges. (Support)
- HB 1557 – Exec Session – Establishing the Washington guaranteed admissions program and requiring student notifications. (Support)
- HB 1587 – Exec Session – Encouraging local government partner promise scholarship programs within the opportunity scholarship program. (Support)
- HB 1657 – Exec Session – Establishing the Washington 13 free guarantee.
Community Safety (House) – HHR D and Virtual JLOB – 2/11 @ 4:00pm
- HB 1139 – Public Hearing – Promoting public safety and deterring unlawful firearm possession by increasing criminal penalties for unlawful possession of a firearm. (Remote Testimony Available). (Concerns/Low)
Education (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 2/11 @ 4:00pm
- HB 1832 – Public Hearing – Improving student performance and success. (Remote Testimony Available).
Ways & Means (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 2/11 @ 4:00pm
- SB 5192 – Public Hearing – Concerning school district materials, supplies, and operating costs. (Remote Testimony Available). (Support/High)
- SSB 5263 – Public Hearing – Concerning special education funding. (Remote Testimony Available). (Support/High)
- SB 5187 – Public Hearing – Providing adequate and predictable student transportation. (Remote Testimony Available). (Support/High)
Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans (House) – HHR C and Virtual JLOB – 2/12 @ 8:00am
- HB 1503 – Exec Session – Furthering digital equity and opportunity in Washington state. (Support/Low)
Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 2/12 @ 10:30am
- SB 5358 – Exec Session – Concerning career and technical education in sixth grade.
- SB 5593 – Exec Session – Adjusting enrichment levies and local effort assistance.
- SB 5386 – Exec Session – Supporting survivors of sexual assault in public elementary and secondary schools.
Appropriations (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 2/12 @ 4:00pm
- HB 1489 – Exec Session – Adjusting implementation dates for programs related to early childhood education and child care. (Monitoring)
Education (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 2/13 @ 8:00am
- HB 1393 – Public Hearing – Providing public school students with opportunities for cultural expression at commencement ceremonies. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 1817 – Public Hearing – Supporting survivors of sexual assault in public elementary and secondary schools. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 1032 – Exec Session – Concerning school district elections. (Support)
- HJR 4201 – Exec Session – Amending the Constitution to allow a majority of voters voting to authorize school district bonds. (Support/High)
Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 2/13 @ 10:30am
- SB 5654 – Public Hearing – Addressing restraint or isolation of students in public schools and educational programs. (Remote Testimony Available).
- SB 5693 – Public Hearing – Concerning teacher residency and apprenticeship programs. (Remote Testimony Available).
- SB 5369 – Exec Session – Enhancing youth mental health and well-being through advanced training and expansion of the workforce in schools. (Support/Medium)
Higher Education & Workforce Development (Senate) – SHR 2 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 2/13 @ 1:30pm
- SB 5666 – Public Hearing – Establishing a public school-based mental health internship grant program. (Remote Testimony Available).
Early Learning & Human Services (House) – HHR D and Virtual JLOB – 2/14 @ 8:00am
- HB 1385 – Exec Session – Concerning fingerprint background check on applicants. (Support)
Health & Long-Term Care (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 2/14 @ 8:00am
- SB 5183 – Public Hearing – Prohibiting the sale of certain tobacco and nicotine products. (Remote Testimony Available).