Could Washington state be on the brink of fully funding special education?
The House on Wednesday passed Senate Bill 5263, which boosts special education funding multipliers for students in pre-K through 12th grade and eliminates the state’s 16% cap on special education funding.
That cap means that even if over 16% of a district’s student body is identified as needing special education services, that district doesn’t get any extra state funding — but it’s still required by state and federal law to provided these services.
Proponents of the cap say it’s a safeguard to prevent the misuse of public funds and over-identification of students needing special education services.
But it’s forced many districts to shell out millions of dollars from general funds and levies to make up the difference. In Seattle Public Schools, the discrepancy is part of the reason the district had a $74 million special education funding gap last school year — a key factor in the district’s ongoing financial challenges.
For years, state Superintendent Chris Reykdal, school district leaders, and education advocates across the state have been pushing the Legislature to increase how much money districts can get for special education.
The Legislature has made progress on the cap over the last several years, boosting it from 13.5% in 2017 to 15% in 2023, to the current 16% cap.
Public education advocates celebrated the Legislature taking another step forward this week.
“This is a positive step in not just addressing some of the immediate financial challenges of districts — but also a step towards an education funding system that is more rooted in meeting the needs of students,” said Jacob Vela, chief policy officer at the non-partisan League of Education Voters.
Vela said there’s no research to back up claims that districts would over-identify students for special education services without the cap. Instead, he said, it’s created an “arbitrary barrier” to districts getting the funding they need, “therefore making it harder and harder for them to actually meet the needs of their students.”
Jana Parker, president of the Seattle Special Education PTSA, said Thursday that removing the cap is “long overdue.” For years, Parker said, the cap has hurt kids and prevented financially strapped schools from adequately serving students.
“When you have high caseloads, whether it’s a special education teacher or a case manager or evaluators, then we see how the quality of work and supports go down,” Parker said. “And that hugely impacts our kids and their access to services.”
Funding constraints have also limited districts’ capacity to evaluate students for special education services, Parker said — and that especially hurts low-income families who can’t afford private evaluations or don’t have time to fight for services for their child while juggling multiple jobs.
“We’ve been living in a system that feels like survival of the fittest — where access to services depends on how loud or resourced you are,” she said. “And that’s not equity.”
While Parker welcomes the funding boost, she believes greater changes are needed in special education so that students get the services they need regardless of where they live or their district’s financial situation.
She hopes districts use this opportunity to lower caseloads, expand inclusionary practices, bolster mental health and behavioral supports, and increase paraprofessional support.
“Funding alone isn’t enough,” Parker said. “We need to really change how the system works.”
The bill is not yet set in stone: To move forward, it needs to be included in the state’s final budget.