Several legislative measures that would affect school district budgets face an uncertain future as the Legislature enters the end of the third week of the 2026 session. Lawmakers must close an operating budget that is currently more than $2 billion in the red—a challenge that becomes even greater if they choose to increase spending on public education.
School Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs (MSOC)
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) requested two bills that would increase funding for school materials, supplies, and operating costs by $100 per student per year. PSE supports both bills and believes they offer the strongest opportunity to stabilize school district budgets.
- HB 2147
Status: House Appropriations Committee; no action taken or scheduled as of Jan. 30, 2026
- SB 5918
Status: Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee; public hearing held Jan. 21; scheduled for committee vote on Feb. 3
We are hearing that neither bill is likely to move out of its respective budget committee due to an estimated $100 million impact on the operating budget.
Sen. Jesse Salomon has also introduced SB 6310, which addresses school materials funding, but it is not expected to advance.
Pupil Transportation
Two bills would provide additional state funding through the pupil transportation “safety net.” To qualify, districts would need to demonstrate excessive transportation costs for special populations that exceed current state allocations. The safety net supports transportation for homeless students, foster youth, and students with individualized education programs (IEPs).
Another transportation-related bill, SB 6065, applies only to districts under state oversight. It would allow those districts to shift funds from pupil transportation to general operating costs, but it does not provide any new funding.
Levy Equalization
Several bills propose changes to how the state supports property-poor school districts in order to better equalize local levy funding.
- HB 2562 and HB 2580, sponsored by Rep. Kristine Reeves (D–Federal Way)
- HB 2116, sponsored by Rep. Steve Bergquist (D–Renton)
None of these bills has seen action so far this session. We are hearing that only Rep. Bergquist’s bill has a realistic chance of passing this year.
School Enrollment Stabilization
Sen. Lisa Wellman has introduced legislation (SB 6125) that would provide additional funding to districts if their state funding in the 2026–27 or 2027–28 school years falls below what they received in 2025–26. This approach mirrors a funding stabilization mechanism used during the COVID-19 pandemic.
PSE supports this concept, but the bill is unlikely to advance because it has not been scheduled for a policy committee vote before the Feb. 4 committee cutoff deadline.
Proposed cuts to non-Basic Education programs
Gov. Ferguson has proposed reductions to several K–12 programs categorized as non-Basic Education. To implement these changes, the Governor’s budget office requested two bills that would reduce funding for Running Start, modify school bus depreciation schedules, and cut MSOC funding that supports the High School and Beyond Plan. HB 2676 and SB 6260.
PSE opposes these reductions, even though they fall outside the statutory definition of Basic Education. However, it is very likely that some version of these cuts will be included in the final supplemental operating budget.