By League of Education Voters Policy Team

 

In the 2023-25 biennial budget compromise, all amounts are per biennium unless noted.

Early Learning

Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) Rate Increases

+$50 million

To increase ECEAP reimbursement rates

Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program Expansions +$30 million

To expand the program starting in 2023-2024 by converting 1,000 part-day slots to full-day slots and adding 500 school-day slots

Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) Program Expansions

+$13 million

To expand eligibility, including to child care employees, those in specialty courts, and those who are undocumented and meeting income requirements (SB 5225)

Working Connections Child Care Rate Increases (Child Care Centers)

+$219 million

To increase Working Connections Child Care reimbursement rates

K-12: Funding and Educator Workforce

K-12 Staff Compensation

+$261 million

For additional inflationary adjustments

Teacher Residency Program
Teacher residency programs provide teacher candidates with a paid residency consisting of a full academic year in the classroom

+$2.3 million

To support teacher residency program focused on special education at Western Washington University

Beginning Educator Support Team (BEST) Program
Provides mentoring support to beginning educators

+$2 million

To expand the program

K-12: Student Supports

Addressing Isolation and Restraint Practices in Schools (HB 1479)

+$5 million

House Bill 1479 did not pass, but funding was included to provide professional development and technical assistance to districts to begin work around eliminating isolation and limiting the use of restraint. Makes no changes to state policies regarding the use of isolation or restraint

Implementing School Mental Health Funding Increases
(SB 5019, a follow-up to last year’s HB 1664)

Not Included

Senate Bill 5019 would have ensured mental health funding from last year can only be used to hire mental health professionals and not School Resource Officers (SROs)

Student Mental Health

No Additional Funding

No new funding to better resource teachers, schools, or districts to meet the mental health needs of students

Support for Students Experiencing Homelessness

+$2.6 million

To increase funding for a grant program for school districts that enables students experiencing homelessness to continue attending the same schools, maintain housing stability, and improve academic achievement

Student Food Security

+$85 million

To fund the provision of school meals to all students at schools serving large populations of low-income students and expand access for schools serving grades K-4 (HB 1238)

Inclusive Curriculum
(Ensuring student curriculum is diverse, equitable, and inclusive of under-represented identities and perspectives)

No Changes or Additional Funding

Neither Senate Bill 5441 nor Senate Bill 5462 passed this session. No changes or resources were dedicated to ensuring curriculum is inclusive and representative

Open Doors Youth Re-Engagement
(A re-engagement system that provides education and services to older youth, ages 16-21, who have dropped out of school or are not expected to graduate from high school by the age of 21)

+$2.5 million

To start a pilot program to enable re-engagement programs to continue serving students during the summer months

K-12: Special Education

Special Education Funding Formula

+$254 million

To increase funding for children aged 3-5 receiving special education services and students in the K-12 system (HB 1436)

Special Education Enrollment Cap
(Currently, districts can only receive state funding for up to 13.5% of their students receiving special education services)

+$107 million

To increase the enrollment cap from 13.5% to 15.0% starting in 2023-24 (HB 1436)

Special Education Evaluations During the Summer
(To fund special education evaluations and support the development of IEPs during the summer for the next 3 years – HB 1109)

No Additional Funding

Extension of Transition Services
(Currently, students who will turn or have turned 21 during this current biennium, did not graduate with a regular diploma, and require recovery services on or after July 1, 2021 were able to continue receiving access)

No Additional Funding

Students who had qualified under this provision will no longer be able to access transition services

Special Education Safety Net
(A reimbursement program for districts to account for higher than expected costs of providing special education services)

+$5.5 million

To lower the eligibility threshold for applying for safety net funds

Inclusionary Practices Project (IPP)

+$5 million

To continue providing professional development and technical assistance to districts to support implementation of inclusionary practices. This is a reduction of 50% in previous funding levels (HB 1436)

Accountability in Non-Public Agencies

+$245,000

To expand accountability and oversight districts and OSPI must exercise for non-public agencies serving students in the K-12 system (SB 5315)

K-12: Other Program Areas

Mastery-Based Learning

+$6 million

To continue the work of the State Board of Education to administer a grant program to school districts to help expand implementation and share best practices in mastery-based learning

Outdoor Education

+$20 million

To increase funding by $10 million per year to expand access to outdoor education opportunities with a focus on 5th and 6th graders

Nothing About Us Without Us Act – HB 1541
(Takes steps to ensure more meaningful inclusion of under-represented communities in the policy-making process)

+$300,000

House Bill 1541 did not pass, but funding was provided to the Office of Equity to develop an equity toolkit intended to address under-representation

Higher Education

Higher Education Funding

+$55 million

For increases in higher education operational costs

Washington Career & College Pathways Innovation Program

+$4 million

To support the expansion of the grant program

Financial Aid

+$13 million

To expand eligibility for the maximum Washington College Grant award to 65 percent of median family income

Capital Budget

School Construction Assistance Program

+$588 million

To provide matching funds to support districts in building schools

 

Read our 2023-25 Biennial Budget Summary (PDF)

Read our Side-By-Side of the House, Senate, and Governor’s 2023-25 Biennial Budget Proposals (PDF)

Read our 2023 Legislative Platform

 

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