Legislative Priorities

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Thurgood Marshall MS classroom

 

2026 Legislative Session Priorities (Updated January 23, 2026)

 

 

2025 Legislative Priorities (Historical)

 

 


 

 

The Olympia School District is proud of the schools and opportunities we provide for our students. Today’s reality, however, includes declining enrollment, rising costs and the end of federal relief funding. In this environment, the most helpful step the Legislature can take is to protect core funding and give school districts greater flexibility to adapt, stay stable and keep students at the center of every decision.

 

TOP PRIORITY: IMPROVE FLEXIBILITY

Schools are changing. Students’ needs are changing. Our funding and policy structures need to change with them. Flexibility allows districts to respond responsibly, protect services and make thoughtful local decisions.

 

  • Smarter Class Size Flexibility: Allow averaging of K-5 class sizes instead of rigid grade-by-grade limits creates more balanced classrooms, helps district align staffing with real enrollment and supports smoother experiences for students and families.

  • Stability During Enrollment Declines: Use a rolling three-year enrollment average for districts with declining enrollment. Recognizes that many school costs are fixed, reduces sudden budget swings and protects staff, program and student supports.

  • Running Start That reflects Reality: Revisit the funding split so districts retain more funding while continuing to serve Running Start students. Provides more flexibility to award college credit and acknowledges districts still deliver counseling, nursing, technology, extracurricular and graduation planning.

 

IN SHORT:

Flexibility is the most cost effective way to help schools stay strong, protect services and meet student needs during uncertain financial times.

 

MAINTAIN WHAT’S WORKING

 

  • Professional Development Days: Preserve state-funded days for training, planning and collaboration.

  • National Board Certified Teacher Bonuses: Continue supporting excellence and retention.

  • School Meals (HB 1238): Maintain funding so every student can count on breakfast and lunch.

 

INVEST WHERE STUDENTS NEED IT MOST

 

  • Special Education: Increase the multiplier to reflect real service costs.

  • Substitutes: Update funding that hasn’t changed since 2009-10.

  • MSOC: Protect recent investments and address inflation and insurance pressures.

  • Early Learning: Simplify systems and expand access to high-quality programs.

  • Staffing Model: Update outdated ratios and implement Staffing Enrichment Workgroup recommendations.

 

OUR ASK

Olympia School District invites the Legislature to partner with us to lead with flexibility, protect essential funding and make smart investments that allow every student to thrive -- from early learning through graduation.

 


 

2026 Legislative Session Bills/Resolutions to watch

 

House Bill No.

Senate Bill No.

Name

 Current Status

Sponsor

What it Does 

Potential New Revenue (Unknown New Expenditures)

HB2593

--

School district accounting, budgeting, and reporting requirements

House Ed 1/26 1:30pm

Rude, Callan, Pollet, OSPI

Minimum Fund balance: 6%-12% of prior-year state apportionment revenue. Must be realized by the 2030-31 school year. 
School districts must submit monthly budget status reports to OSPI by the end of the next calendar month.

Based on 2024-25, the minimum fund balance would need to be between $7.8 million and $15.6 million.

HB1122

SB5346

 Restricting mobile device usage by public school students.

 Senate Ed 1/29 10:30am

Liias, Harris, Shewmake, Dozier, Bateman, Christian, Frame, Hasegawa, King, Krishnadasan, Lovick, Nobles, Salomon 

 Help public schools implement best practices by providing research on student use of mobile devices and recommended best practice strategies for teaching students how to use their mobile devices responsibly.

 No fiscal impact

 --

 SB6125

 Providing enrollment stabilization funding

 Senate Ed 1/29 10:30am

 Wellman, Bateman, Nobles

 Uses 2025-26 enrollment for 2026-27 and 2028-29 apportionment formulas, if enrollment in the coming years is lower than 2025-26. This bill expires after 2027-28. 

Potential revenue is unknown

-- 

SB6260

 Efficiencies and programming changes in public education

 Senate EL & K12 1/27 at 8am

 Wellman, Nobles, Wilson, C.

School bus depreciation changed to 180 months (15 years instead of 13 years).
- OSPI shall withold 1.9% of High School MSOC apportionment for licenses for high school & beyond planning.
- Running Start FTE changed from 1.4 to 1.2

Indeterminate lost revenue. MSOC lost is $11,000.

 HB2160

 SB5883

 Eligibility for membership in the school employees' benefits board

 House Approps

Bernbaum, Parshley, Leavitt 

 Benefits eligibility is presumed at the start of a school year if the school employee worked at least 630 hours in the prior school year and returns to the same type of position with any employer.

 New costs: 19 additional employees eligible for benefits
Monthly $24,833
Annual $297,996

 HB2369

 --

Promoting the use of local foods in public schools. 

 House Ed

 Reeves, Ramel, Reed, Kloba, Scott, Duerr, Doglio, Stonier, Berg, Fosse, Salahuddin, Thai, Bernbaum

 Support at the state level to foster the use of Washington-grown food in our schools. Grants to schools to support programs similar to our Freedom Farm. 

 Potential grant funds to support Freedom Farm. 

HB2375 

 --

Running start allocations granted to school districts

 Not scheduled

Marshall 

 Adjusts the Running Start withholding for school districts from 7% to the share of funding above tuition and fees. 

 New Revenue of $1,738,000. Costs are indeterminate.

  --

SB5858

 pupil transportation safety net funding for special passengers

 Senate EL & K12 passed

Wellman, Krishnadasan 

 We received $71,000 in 2024-25 and $211,000 in 2023-24. The funding was cut in 2025-26. Funding is provided for the excess cost of transporting students that are experiencing homelessness, foster care, or special needs. These funds help bridge the gap between state basic ed allocations and actual costs.

 New revenue as high as $230,000

HB2147 

SB5918 

 Funding for school materials, supplies, and operating costs

 Senate EL & K12 

 Wellman, Conway, Hasegawa, Nobles, Riccelli, Slatter, Stanford, Wilson, C., OSPI Request

 Increases allocations for materials, supplies, and operating costs by $100 per student or $100,000 per school district, whichever is greater, beginning in the 2026-27 school year.

 $888,300

 

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

 


 

Thurston County Legislators

 

22nd District:

 

Senator Jessica Bateman: Democrat

Contact Information

 

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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