For the 2019–21 biennium, the Legislature appropriated $27.307 billion for public schools (a 20.3 percent increase over 2017–19). The Legislature also increased local levy authority for districts beginning in calendar year (CY) 2020. (As part of the response to McCleary, the Legislature had previously reduced local levy authority for CY 2019.)

There have been many stories this year about teacher layoffs and budget problems at the districts. But, as Neal Morton of the Seattle Times wrote earlier this week, “Months after school districts in Washington lobbied for a financial lifeline, the painful budget cuts and staff layoffs they anticipated largely have not come to pass.”

Meanwhile, a story in the Daily World covers how the Aberdeen and Hoquiam superintendents view the budget challenges, including that estimates of funds that will be available to districts haven’t been finalized.

The most recent estimates of funding for the upcoming school years are available in the school district budget comparison tool provided by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), which was updated on May 24. The spreadsheet shows state and local funding for school years (SY) 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, and 2022–23, for the state and by district, under the enacted 2019–21 operating budget.

Statewide, for SY 2019–20 (using enrollment as estimated by the Caseload Forecast Council), total state funding increases to $13.296 billion. That’s an increase of 5.7 percent from SY 2018–19 and an increase of 2.0 percent from maintenance level (the amount that would have been spent in SY 2019–20 under the law in effect Jan. 1, 2019). Additionally, local funding from enrichment levies is expected to be $1.763 billion (a decrease of 13.1 percent from SY 2018–19, but an increase of 13.4 percent over maintenance level). Total state and local funding was $14.604 billion in SY 2018–19 and will be $15.059 billion in SY 2019–20 (an increase of $455.1 million). (Per pupil state and local funding is estimated to be $13,309.)

One component of the total state funding is hold harmless payments to districts. ESHB 2163 transferred $58.4 million from the rainy day fund to the general fund to use for these payments. OSPI has also released a preliminary list of the 95 districts that qualify for these payments for SY 2019–20. (They qualify based on calculations that consider general apportionment, local levies, and local effort assistance in SY 2018–19 compared to SY 2017–18.)

Tacoma gets the largest amount, $7.8 million. (Tacoma was also the sole recipient of $12.0 million in hold harmless funding for SY 2018–19 that was part of legislation adopted in 2018.)