WA's top education official requests additional $3 billion for public schools

Washington's public schools chief is calling on lawmakers to fully fund K-12 education.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal's newly proposed two-year budget calls for a $3 billion boost to public schools.

At a news conference Monday, he said education funding comprised over half of the state's budget in the 2017-19 biennium, but the share fell to about 44% in the current budget. Reykdal wants to change that.

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"I think it's time for all of us — in a bipartisan way, across the state, and every community — to recommit to schools in our state," he said.

Reykdal's latest budget proposal comes as he seeks a third term as state superintendent in November's general election. His challenger, David Olson, agreed the state should better fund education. But he called the $3 billion proposal a "band-aid solution."

"It's not going to fix the actual long-term problem with K-12 funding," Olson said.

Throughout his campaign, Olson has said he wants to overhaul what he calls a flawed funding formula for K-12 schools. He said it's the state's fault that districts are struggling financially, and both lawmakers and Reykdal should step up.

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About a third of Reydal's proposed $3 billion increase would go toward special education.

For years, Reykdal has pushed the state to increase how much money districts can get for students who receive special education services. The state Legislature has increased special education funding in recent years, but Reykdal said he wants the state to pick up more of the tab that districts currently pay.

"Our state should make a commitment on the front end to every student based on their individualized learning needs," Reykdal said. "And our state should fully fund that."

Other top priorities are transportation and school operations costs.

Inflation has been devastating for schools, Reykdal said, as they grapple with surging costs for maintenance, supplies, and insurance.

"Like all of us and our families, insurance has been really, really escalating. Our districts face the same thing," he said. "And when they don't have the resources to amply pay for those, they have to cut programs, sometimes impacting students."

The increase could help financially-strapped districts like Seattle, where the district is considering closing up to 21 public schools.

Many families have asked if the legislature could step in to prevent such widespread cuts. Reykdal didn't rule it out Wednesday.

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If those three priorities were fully funded in the two-year budget, he said it would address more than half of Seattle's current budget deficit.

But that might be too little, too late.

"I think this budget offers the greatest opportunity to alleviate stress in the Seattle school district and to keep schools from closing — at least not all of them," Reykdal said. "But there may be bigger policy considerations for the legislature along the way."