The 2023–25 capital budget (as passed by the Legislature) includes $871.5 million for public schools. Capital appropriations for schools account for 10.1% of total appropriations in the budget.

The budget includes:

• $588.2 million for the school construction assistance program.
• $100.0 million for the small district and tribal compact school modernization program.
• $41.4 million for the West Sound Technical Skills Center modernization project.
• $40.0 million for the school seismic safety grant program.
• $21.7 million for distressed schools.

Note that the $871.5 million includes $4.0 million for preconstruction grants and administrative implementation of SHB 1044, which would create a new school construction grant program. (The budget assumes that appropriations for SHB 1044 in future biennia would total $1.357 billion.) The House passed SHB 1044 unanimously this session; the Senate passed a different version of the bill nearly unanimously. Nevertheless, the two were not able to agree on a single version before the end of session, so the bill did not pass and the $4.0 million appropriation will lapse. (I wrote about the differences between the two versions here.)

As the chart shows, since the Great Recession, the state building construction account (state bond proceeds) has been the main source of state capital funding for schools. The other major source of state funding, the common school construction account, will receive any capital gains tax revenues that exceed $500 million (adjusted for inflation) a year.

Meanwhile, Wahkiakum School District is suing the state because it says the state doesn’t amply fund the facilities needed to provide the constitutionally-required program of basic education. The state Supreme Court heard the case in March, as the Seattle Times has reported, but no decision has been made yet.