Legislative Priorities

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2025 Legislative Session Priorities

 

 

The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Olympia School District No. 111, Thurston County, Washington (the “District”) supports legislative action at the state level as follows:

 

Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs

The district has an obligation to deliver relevant and engaging learning experiences for our students. We ask the legislature to amply and sustainably fund basic operating costs, freeing up other funds to pay for curriculum and classroom supplies. Insurance along with utilities must be paid for before a district can explore learning options.

 

  • The 2024-25 insurance premium increased 20 percent or $443,000. Utilities increased 8 percent last year, over $255,000.

  • A $522 per student increase in MSOC is needed to cover Olympia non-staffing costs. The current general ed rate funded by the state in 2024-25 is $1,533 and should increase to $2,055 per student.

 

Special Education Support

The Legislature has made significant investments in Special Education over the last several years, making progress in our dependence on the levy for special ed costs. A next significant step will be to increase the per-pupil multiplier.

 

  • In 2023-24, Olympia diverted more than $6.3 million from other programs to support the special ed program.

  • To fill the gap in funding, both per pupil multipliers would need to be 1.5.

  • Current multipliers are 1.12 for students spending at least 80 percent of their day in general education settings. And 1.06 for students spending less than 80 percent of their day in general education.

 

Transparent and Predictable Transportation Funding

Pupil transportation is a key part of the state’s program of basic education. We ask the legislature to address the shortcomings within the current system or consider alternate funding models. As designed, the STARS formula does not generate adequate funds for districts and is neither transparent, nor predictable.

 

Continued Priorities

The board continues to support the following initiatives:

 

  • Raise school levy lids and restore local effort assistance to realize the full purchasing power of state investments made over the last five years.

  • Take early action on Transition to Kindergarten, to ensure state funding for the number of students being served by the program.

  • Address inequities among school districts created by regionalized salary model.

  • Continue implementation of the state’s Staffing Enrichment Workgroup’s recommendations.

  • Acknowledge the importance of substitutes for positions beyond teachers and align funding with the need for one day per month.

  • Include African American studies and Native American studies as a required part of curriculum.

  • Address the impact that social media and continuous access to cell phones have on student mental health.

  • Expand access to full-day early learning programs.

  • Improve student success in running-start by increasing the school district share of funding to support the necessary wrap around services in the home high school.

  • Seek new, dedicated revenue sources for expanded education programs.

 

ADOPTED by the Board of Directors of Olympia School District No. 111, Thurston County, Washington, at a regular open public meeting thereof, of which due notice was given as required by law, held this 24th day of October 2024, the following Directors being present and voting in favor of the resolution. OLYMPIA SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 111, THURSTON COUNTY, WASHINGTON.

 

 

2025 Legislative Session Bills/Resolutions to watch

Based on legislation presented on January 17, 2025.

 

House Bill No.

Senate Bill No.

Name

 Current Status

Sponsor

What it Does 

Potential New Revenue (Unknown New Expenditures)

1198

5167

Making 2025-2027 fiscal biennium operating appropriations.

 HApprops

 Ormsby, Gregerson, Macri

    

--

5186

Concerning school district elections.

SEL/K-12 

Krishnadasan, Wellman, Orwall, Riccelli, Chapman, Hasegawa, Frame, Hansen, Liias, Saldaña, Cortes, Dhingra, Lovelett, Nobles, Shewmake, Slatter, Stanford, Valdez, Wilson, C.

    

 --

 5187

Providing adequate and predictable student transportation.

SEL/K-12

Wellman, Dhingra, Conway, Shewmake, Bateman, Salomon, Riccelli, Hasegawa, Saldaña, Cortes, Frame, Krishnadasan, Nobles, Valdez, Wilson, C.

 Establishes a flat rate allocation for transporting students requiring special transportation as a result of them experiencing homlessness. Set at $400. Directs OSPI to study pupil transportation cost drivers.

 $28,400
 --  5190 Allowing school districts to request extensions to state energy performance standard deadlines for K-12 school buildings.    SEL/K-12  Wellman, Conway, Shewmake, Bateman, Riccelli, Hasegawa, Saldaña, Lovick, Krishnadasan, Nobles, Salomon, Wilson, C.    

 --

5192

Concerning school district materials, supplies, and operating costs.

SEL/K-12

Nobles, Wellman, Chapman, Cortes, Dhingra, Hasegawa, Krishnadasan, Pedersen, Slatter, Stanford, Trudeau, Wilson, C.

Increases general ed MSOC by $155 above maintenance level and HS by $20 above ML. Sets MSOC as one amount per student rather than 9 distinct and transparent categories. Requires districts to report spending based on these 9 categories. Allocates MSOC on a fiscal year basis rather than a school year basis. Allocates based on a three-year average student FTE rather than the current year. Defines an inflationary measure as IPD for the previous calendar year.

 $1,555,000

 --

 5263

Concerning special education funding.

 SEL/K-12

Pedersen, Braun, Bateman, Chapman, Conway, Dhingra, Frame, Krishnadasan, Liias, Nobles, Orwall, Salomon, Shewmake, Stanford, Valdez, Wilson, C. 

Remove the cap of 16% for special education funding ($380,000). Remove the tier multiplier system and increase the overall multiplier to 1.5289 (current multipliers are 1.12 and 1.06) ($6.9 million). Increase multiplier for 3 to 5-year-olds from 1.2 to 1.6381 ($620,000). Allows costs to qualify for a safety net if they exceed the state-wide average per pupil expenditures by 1.5 times (currently 2.2) (indeterminate).

 $7,902,000

1310 

 5307

Concerning special education funding.

 SEL/K-12

Wellman, Bateman, Cortes, Frame, Krishnadasan, Liias, Nobles, Slatter, Stanford, Trudeau, Valdez, Wilson, C.

Removes the cap of 16% for special education funding ($380,000). Increase the tier 1 multiplier to 1.5289 and the tier 2 multiplier to 1.447(current multipliers are 1.12 and 1.06) ($6.18 million). Increases multiplier for 3 to 5 year olds from 1.2 to 1.6381 ($620,000). Allows an OSPI carve out of .005 for statewide special education activities (-$128,000). Allows costs to qualify for a safety net if they exceed the state-wide average per pupil expenditures by 1.5 times (currently 2.2) and allows for quarterly safety net payments under certain conditions (indeterminate).

 $7,052,000

1356

--

Concerning K-12 funding.

 HApprops

Bergquist, Berg, Ramel, Ormsby, Gregerson, Macri, Obras, Ryu, Berry, Scott, Ortiz-Self, Alvarado, Nance, Pollet, Salahuddin, Hill 

LEVY: $2.4 million in 2025-26 and $5.2 million in 2026-27.

 Adds a per pupil enhancement between 2026 to 2030. Unifies the split per pupil limit in 2031 (taxes collected in 2032)-- no more special limit for districts over 40,000 students. Provides LEA for charter schools. Enhances LEA limits as well.

STATE PROPERTY TAX: Allows for the state property tax to increase by population change and inflation not to exceed 103%. (currently 101%).

SPECIAL EDUCATION: Remove the cap of 16% for special education funding ($380,000). Requires 30% of general apportionment for students with special education services to be shifted to the special education program, currently about 26% for OSD (indeterminate).

K-12 FUNDING FORMULAE:

Requires a study

SUBSTITUTES ($140,000)
2027-28: Funds 5 days per classroom teacher at $200 per day adjusted for inflation (currently 4 days x classroom teachers x $151.86). Adds classified formula: Funds 2 days per school level classified staff at $150 per day adjusted for inflation.

$2,800,000

--

SJR 8200

Amending the Constitution to allow 55 percent of voters voting to authorize school district bonds.

 SEL/K-12

Cortes, Wellman, Dhingra, Shewmake, Riccelli, Bateman, Hasegawa, Lovelett, Conway, Orwall, Pedersen, Salomon, Saldaña, Wilson, C., Chapman, Cleveland, Frame, Krishnadasan, Liias, Nobles, Slatter, Stanford, Valdez

    

 

Note: The Governor must sign legislation before it becomes enacted.

 

 

Thurston County Legislators

 

22nd District:

 

Senator Jessica Bateman: Democrat

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Representative Beth Doglio: Democrat

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Representative Lisa Parshley: Democrat

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35th District:

 

Representative Travis Couture: Republican

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Representative Dan Griffey: Republican

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Senator Drew MacEwen: Republican

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