Protecting existing programs and restoring funding cuts that were made to help balance the state budget will be the focus of the Washington State Board of Education in the 2026 legislative session.
“We’re looking at a framework that responds to the budget realities while also keeping student needs at the forefront,” Yazmin Carretero, the board’s government relations and policy analyst, told members in their August meeting.
The legislative platform communicates the board’s top priorities to the Legislature and will guide the legislative committee’s advocacy efforts during the 2026 legislative session.
State lawmakers grappled this past session with a projected budget shortfall of more than $12 billion over four years.
They largely preserved funding for K-12 education in the 2025-27 budget, even increasing funding for special education programs and removing the artificial cap on state funding for students with disabilities.
While that investment was a historic win for special education, there were reductions in other areas for elementary and secondary schools, and colleges.
The 2025-27 budget reduced funding for college financial aid, and pared support for numerous grant-funded offerings such the Outdoor Learning Grants program.
Lawmakers and Gov. Bob Ferguson will write a supplemental budget during the 60-day session that starts in January.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal said Wednesday that his biggest supplemental budget request will be for $110 million per year to address inflation impacts on schools.
“That’s a necessary thing,” Reykdal said, adding that he will wait to make his “big requests” in the 2027 long session when a new two-year budget is written.
Last year, Reykdal sought $350.7 million in the two-year budget to cover inflationary costs of materials and supplies. The request was partially granted, with the budget including a $213,832 inflation adjustment.
Meanwhile, the legislative platform of the Board of Education also avoids big asks and focuses instead on safeguarding what it considers essential elements for Washington public schools.
The platform, which will be finalized in October, will stress the importance of maintaining civil rights protections, student supports and oversight and accountability systems.