Schools need more money, so why did some districts lobby against freeing up local cash?

Plus new money in the Lands Commissioner race, more on Ferguson’s $100M for cops, and some recommended reading

Public school districts in Washington came to the legislature in the 2024 session with a clear message: They need more money. Districts argued the cost of providing a quality education for all Washington students—which the constitution makes the “paramount duty” of the state—is outpacing the available cash.¹ 

The legislature considered multiple bills about K-12 education financing in the session—with mixed results. Renton Democrat Rep. Steve Bergquist, who is a teacher, was the prime sponsor of a bill that would increase the state allocation to pay for materials supplies, and operating costs, or MSOC, by about $23 per student. 

Amid concerns about the impacts of inflation—particularly the cost of insurance and utilities for public schools—the bipartisan House Bill 2494 sailed through the House with minimal process. The bill also passed in the Senate, but not without Senate Republicans first admonishing school districts to learn to manage their money better, instead of coming to the state for a bail-out. 

Other bills, such as House Bill 1843 from Rep. Paul Harris, R-Vancouver, which would make it easier to pass school construction bonds, were practically dead on arrival. HB 1843 in particular received little support from the House Republican caucus, who remain wary of legislation that makes it easier to raise property taxes. 

In the end, the legislature allocated about $1.19 billion for operating Washington public schools. About $335 million went to implementing new policies and programs in public schools that the legislature passed this biennium. 

But this is mostly a story about why lawmakers didn’t pass a bill that would have pumped many millions of dollars into schools across Washington without costing the state a dime.

Photo courtesy CDC on Unsplash.