wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > HB 2026 > Original Bill
The legislature acknowledges that every public school in Washington state should receive equal funding on a per-pupil basis, directly correlated to the number of students served. However, the legislature finds that schools in wealthier census tracts are better funded, providing their students with access to higher quality facilities and resources.
The legislature intends that every student, regardless of socioeconomic background or geographic location of residence within the state, should receive roughly equal priority and funding for the provision of education, as stated in the Washington state Constitution. Local levies, local capital funding, and local enrichment levies inherently favor schools in wealthy census tracts over those in high-poverty census tracts and should therefore be abolished and replaced with state funding that demonstrates to the public and to every public school student in the state that their education is valued, prioritized, and funded at the same level as every other public school and public school student in the state of Washington.
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Until the 2025-26 school year, the minimum state allocation for salaries for certificated instructional staff in the basic education program must be increased to provide a statewide average allocation of $64,000 adjusted for inflation from the 2017-18 school year.
Until the 2025-26 school year, the minimum state allocation for salaries for certificated administrative staff in the basic education program must be increased to provide a statewide average allocation of $95,000 adjusted for inflation from the 2017-18 school year.
Until the 2025-26 school year, the minimum state allocation for salaries for classified staff in the basic education program must be increased to provide a statewide average allocation of $45,912 adjusted by inflation from the 2017-18 school year.
Until the 2025-26 school year, state allocations for salaries for certificated instructional staff, certificated administrative staff, and classified staff must be adjusted for regional differences in the cost of hiring staff. Adjustments for regional differences must be specified in the omnibus appropriations act for each school year through at least school year 2022-23. Beginning with the 2026-27 school year, all school districts will receive the same state salary allocations as prescribed in subsection (6) of this section for certificated instructional staff, certificated administrative staff, and classified staff with no regional adjustments.
Beginning with the 2026-27 school year, the minimum state allocation for salaries in the basic education program are as follows:
For certificated instructional staff, $100,033 adjusted for inflation from the 2026-27 school year;
For certificated administrative staff, $179,857 adjusted for inflation from the 2026-27 school year; and
For classified staff, $71,082 adjusted for inflation from the 2026-27 school year.
For the purposes of this section, "inflation" has the meaning provided in RCW 28A.400.205 for "inflationary adjustment index."
Beginning with the 2026 calendar year, the state must provide the following amounts to school districts, charter schools, and state-tribal education compact schools per average annual full-time equivalent enrollment adjusted for inflation from the 2026 calendar year:
$1,550 per average annual full-time equivalent enrollment for enrichment funding. Funding provided under this subsection is subject to the restrictions of RCW 28A.150.276. School districts are not eligible to receive allocations under this subsection (1)(a) in any calendar year that they collect enrichment levies; and
$1,000 per average annual full-time equivalent enrollment to support the construction, modernization, or remodeling of school facilities, which includes the purposes of RCW 28A.320.330(2) (f) and (g). School districts are not eligible to receive allocations under this subsection (1)(b) in any calendar year that they collect excess levies to support the construction, modernization, or remodeling of school facilities.
The funding provided under this section is not part of the state's statutory program of basic education.
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School districts may use enrichment funding provided under section 3 of this act only for documented and demonstrated enrichment of the state's statutory program of basic education as authorized in subsection (2) of this section.
Nothing in this section revises the definition or the state funding of the program of basic education under RCW 28A.150.220 and 28A.150.260.
For purposes of this section, "enrichment funding" means funding received under section 3(1)(a) of this act, and other school district local revenues including, but not limited to, grants, donations, and state and federal payments in lieu of taxes, except that "enrichment funding" does not include other federal revenues, or local revenues that operate as an offset to the district's basic education allocation under RCW 28A.150.250.
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Enrichment activities are permitted under this section if they provide supplementation beyond the state:
Minimum instructional offerings of RCW 28A.150.220 or 28A.150.260;
Staffing ratios or program components of RCW 28A.150.260, including providing additional staff for class size reduction beyond class sizes allocated in the prototypical school model and additional staff beyond the staffing ratios allocated in the prototypical school formula;
Program components of RCW 28A.150.200, 28A.150.220, or 28A.150.260; or
Program of professional learning as defined by RCW 28A.415.430 beyond that allocated pursuant to RCW 28A.150.415.
Permitted enrichment activities consist of:
Extracurricular activities, extended school days, or an extended school year;
Additional course offerings beyond the minimum instructional program established in the state's statutory program of basic education;
Activities associated with early learning programs;
Any additional salary costs attributable to the provision or administration of the enrichment activities allowed under this subsection; and
Additional activities or enhancements that the office of the superintendent of public instruction determines to be a documented and demonstrated enrichment of the state's statutory program of basic education under (a) of this subsection .
In addition to the limitations of subsections (1) and (2) of this section and of RCW 28A.400.200, permitted enrichment activities are subject to the following conditions and limitations:
If a school district spends enrichment funding for salary costs attributable to the administration of enrichment programs, the portion of administrator salaries attributable to that purpose may not exceed twenty-five percent of the total district expenditures for administrator salaries; and
Supplemental contracts under RCW 28A.400.200 are subject to the limitations of this section.
The superintendent of public instruction must adopt rules to implement this section.
The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall, where it is practicable to do so within available resources, prepare school district fiscal notes on proposed legislation that increases or decreases, or tends to increase or decrease, school district revenues or expenditures in a manner that uniquely affects school districts. Proposed legislation that uniquely affects school districts includes, but is not limited to, legislation that affects school districts' responsibilities as providers of educational services under this titleor as employers under chapter 41.59 RCW, but excludes proposed legislation that affects school districts only in the same manner that it affects other units of local government.
Where practicable, the school district fiscal note shall show the fiscal impact of the proposed legislation on each school district. Where it is not practicable to do so, the school district fiscal note shall show the effect of the legislation on a range of representative school districts. The fiscal note must set forth any assumptions that were used in selecting the representative districts, along with any other assumptions made about the fiscal impact.
School district fiscal notes prepared under this section are subject to coordination by the office of financial management under RCW 43.88A.020 and are otherwise subject to the requirements and procedures of chapter 43.88A RCW.
School districts shall establish the following funds in addition to those provided elsewhere by law:
The laws repealed by section 8 of this act are repealed except with respect to levies that were authorized by voters before March 1, 2025, which may be collected for the duration of the levy.
This act takes effect January 1, 2026, if the proposed amendment to Article VII, section 2 of the state Constitution (House Joint Resolution No. . . . (H-1240/25)), abolishing school district excess levies, is validly submitted to and is approved and ratified by the voters at the next general election. If the proposed amendment is not approved and ratified, this act is void in its entirety.