Why WA school budgets are getting tighter, and what can be done about it

Talk about a thankless job. In Washington state, school district budgeting has suddenly become much more difficult.

After more than a decade of strong revenue growth, districts are facing deficits. In 2013, the average expenditure per student in Washington was $9,600. Since then, the Legislature has steadily increased funding for schools. Then came federal pandemic relief funds. In this last school year, Washington schools averaged over $18,000 per student. That’s an 89% increase (far outpacing inflation at 32%).

Flush with cash, districts could bring on new staff. Our state’s schools now employ over 20,000 more people than they did a decade ago (a jump of 20% even as enrollment grew only by 3%). Leaders could make employees happy by giving out pay raises: Washington’s average teacher pay is currently $86,804—the 4th highest in the nation.

But the era of big year-over-year spending increases has ended. Federal relief funds disappear in September. Enrollments are projected to drop 7% by the end of the decade. Even when state funds rise with inflation, fewer students mean fewer dollars; in the coming years many Washington districts will have no choice but to shrink programs, reduce staffing, and close schools.

https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/07/24/why-wa-school-budgets-are-getting-tighter-and-what-can-be-done-about-it/