(Photo by Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images)
Fifteen years after Washington established its current K-12 funding formulas, it’s clear that our education funding system needs a serious reassessment. State legislators are beginning to recognize this with the introduction of bills like HB 2049, which proposes new revenue streams for education and creates a K-12 Funding Equity Work Group seated at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
State leaders are using this moment to ask themselves how education funding should be more fairly and effectively allocated. But this will not be the first time the Legislature has asked that question or even created a work group to explore it. In fact, over the past 16 years, seven legislatively directed reports have explored and provided recommendations on various aspects of our K-12 funding system. (2009, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2012, 2019, and 2022). Unfortunately, these past reports have all fallen short in identifying an approach to resourcing schools that is consistent with the range of supports and services schools currently provide to students.
Much has changed since our current approach to funding was established in 2010, and especially since the pandemic. There has been a significant shift in the depth and diversity of student needs. Whether it’s supporting mental health, addressing food and housing insecurity, or helping families navigate public systems, schools today are doing far more than delivering instruction.
Schools have learned that when students’ basic needs are met, they can more effectively engage students in learning, so many districts have responded by working beyond their means to meet a growing diversity of student needs. This evolving role for schools has created a misalignment between what schools need to engage students in learning and how the state provides funding to schools. One of the key reasons this misalignment persists is that previous work groups and funding studies have failed to put the voices of historically marginalized communities at the center of their decision-making, especially students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, and those from families navigating systemic barriers.
If Washington is serious about creating an education system rooted in equity, that commitment must be reflected not only in our funding formulas but also in how we define the problem and who gets to shape the solutions. Otherwise, we risk continuing the cycle: one where well-intentioned reforms claim equity as a goal but fail to deliver because they were built without the input of those most affected.
The lived experience of students and families is not anecdotal; it is expertise. When we not only invite but center that expertise in the decision-making process, we gain a more honest and accurate picture of what schools need. As we look to improve how we resource public K-12 education, we must use every tool available to design an education system that delivers the learning environments, supports, and opportunities all students deserve.
If there was ever a moment to assemble a diverse working group focused on reassessing K-12 funding, it is now. We must ask ourselves: how will this be different? How will we ensure that students furthest from educational justice are at the forefront of this process? As funding decisions move forward, these must be the guiding commitments to ensure that real change is achieved.
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