Start with the lawmakers connected to your school district, understand what happened to major funding bills in 2026, and turn your own school experience into a specific request.
Choose a school district. If you selected one elsewhere on this site, it will already be filled in.
Choose a district to see its senator and two representatives.
Choose one funding issue and say what you want changed. A focused request is easier to answer and remember.
Use a real example from your school. A specific story makes the formula’s effects understandable.
When a bill receives a hearing, you can testify remotely, submit written testimony, or simply record support or opposition.
Subject: A constituent's perspective on K-12 school funding Dear [Senator/Representative Last Name], My name is [YOUR NAME], and I'm a [student/parent/community member] in [YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT]. I'm writing about K-12 school funding. [TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN FIRSTHAND - class sizes climbing, no mental health support when someone needed it, a program cut. Write the one you would tell a neighbor about.] Washington's funding formula currently [PICK YOUR ISSUE: does not fully cover special education costs / leaves transportation gaps / has not kept operating-cost funding level with district expenses]. I'm asking you to [YOUR ASK: name a policy change or bill you want supported]. Thank you for your time and your service. [YOUR NAME] [YOUR CITY], WA [YOUR SCHOOL OR DISTRICT]
Good [morning/afternoon], Chair [NAME], members of the [COMMITTEE NAME] Committee. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify today. My name is [YOUR NAME], and I am [a short bio - who you are, and anything that makes you worth hearing on this bill]. I am testifying [in support of / against] [BILL NUMBER]. [NOW TELL THEM WHY. Summarize the position you are taking, then back it up - a statistic, a case study, or what you have watched happen at your own school. A paragraph or two is plenty. The personal anecdote is the part they will remember.] I ask you to consider my testimony and vote [YES/NO] on this bill. Thank you again for the opportunity to testify.
2026 regular session
The session ended March 12, 2026. A bill that did not pass is no longer active, but its idea can return in a future bill or budget. Every title below links to the Legislature's official history.
2026 supplemental operating budget
Revised the state budget that pays for public-school operations, including general apportionment, transportation, special education, food service, and statewide programs.
Why it matters
This is where policy becomes actual dollars. Even when a separate funding bill fails, an idea can still receive, lose, or change funding through the operating budget.
Signed April 1, 2026 (partial veto) - Chapter 268, Laws of 2026
Public education funding changes
Stretched the assumed lifetime of school buses so the state reimburses their cost more slowly, directed OSPI to prioritize limited Transition to Kindergarten funding, and cut the combined maximum funded Running Start enrollment from 1.4 FTE to 1.3 FTE beginning in 2026-27 - it would have dropped to 1.2 FTE had the companion revenue bill not been enacted by June 30, 2026.
Why it matters
The major standalone funding law of 2026 focused mostly on savings and eligibility rules, so some districts may receive less than they would have under the previous formulas.
Signed April 1, 2026 - Chapter 267, Laws of 2026 (effective June 11, 2026)
Transportation safety net
Would have put a transportation safety-net program into law for excess costs serving students with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, and students in foster care.
Why it matters
Those students can require expensive individualized routes. Without a permanent statutory safety net, districts remain more dependent on whatever the budget funds.
Stopped in Senate Ways & Means
MSOC increase
Would have added $100 per student, or at least $100,000 per district, for materials, supplies, utilities, insurance, technology, and other operating costs.
Why it matters
The proposal directly targeted the gap between the formula and real operating expenses. Its failure left the scheduled inflation-adjusted MSOC formula in place without this extra increase.
Stopped in Senate Ways & Means
Enrollment stabilization
Would have temporarily protected local education agencies from sharp state-revenue losses when enrollment declined below 2025-26 levels.
Why it matters
District costs do not fall as quickly as enrollment. Stabilization funding would have given districts more time to adjust staffing and programs instead of making immediate cuts.
Stopped in Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education
Utilities and insurance costs
Would have changed district allocations for utilities and insurance, two operating expenses that can vary sharply by location and building portfolio.
Why it matters
A statewide per-student amount can miss large local cost differences. The bill raised that problem but did not advance beyond its first committee.
Stopped in Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education
Public education system review
Would have created a steering committee and directed independent reviews of public-education performance, operations, and funding.
Why it matters
It would not have immediately added classroom dollars, but it could have shaped a broader redesign of the funding system using independent analysis.
Passed the House; stopped before a Senate vote
Resource library
Use official sources to verify facts, then compare the priorities of groups participating in the debate. Advocacy organizations are labeled separately because they argue for particular outcomes.
Start with official explanations and the budget documents that control actual appropriations.
Read the actual bill, check its history, watch hearings, and see upcoming committee meetings.
Use the same primary sources behind this site and inspect district-level details.
These organizations advocate for particular priorities. Compare their claims with primary sources.
Young people can testify, organize, and advise state government before they are old enough to vote.