Assistant superintendent: 2026 legislative session yields limited new education funding and several new requirements
May 13, 2026 | Mukilteo School District, School Districts, Washington
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Assistant Superintendent Maria Stevens reviewed highlights from the 2026 legislative session and potential impacts for the Mukilteo School District, saying overall there was "not a lot of money that went to education" and that many proposals were imitation bills or modest grants rather than broad new funding.
Stevens said a late change in the prior session that had removed a district exemption (an item that could have had an estimated $500,000 impact to districts) was appealed and rolled back this year, restoring the exemption. She enumerated bills the administration will monitor and implement: HB 1795 (restrictions on certain restraint practices and isolation room construction, effective 07/01/2026), SB 5272 (strengthened penalties and public notice for threats or disruption at school activities, effective 07/01/2026), HB 2557 (special education evaluation timeline and new reporting requirements), HB 1295 (updates to teacher endorsement standards and literacy expectations that direct OSPI to rulemaking), and HB 2632 (terminology change requiring use of "non‑citizen" rather than "alien").
Stevens also described program changes that could affect districts: reductions in local record assistance funding, lower bus depreciation funding (which the district can partially mitigate by elongating vehicle replacement schedules), and a reduction in Ready Start FTE opportunity (a 0.1 FTE decrease that narrows student access to a >1.0 FTE option). She noted the district has used approximately $76,000,000 in local levy dollars over the last five years to cover unfunded state requirements.
Board members asked clarifying questions about the magnitude of impacts and whether specific items would require policy changes; Stevens pointed board members to a resource page with bill texts, vote histories and a plan to brief staff in June on HB 1795 implementation.
The summary was informational; no board action was taken at the meeting.
Stevens said a late change in the prior session that had removed a district exemption (an item that could have had an estimated $500,000 impact to districts) was appealed and rolled back this year, restoring the exemption. She enumerated bills the administration will monitor and implement: HB 1795 (restrictions on certain restraint practices and isolation room construction, effective 07/01/2026), SB 5272 (strengthened penalties and public notice for threats or disruption at school activities, effective 07/01/2026), HB 2557 (special education evaluation timeline and new reporting requirements), HB 1295 (updates to teacher endorsement standards and literacy expectations that direct OSPI to rulemaking), and HB 2632 (terminology change requiring use of "non‑citizen" rather than "alien").
Stevens also described program changes that could affect districts: reductions in local record assistance funding, lower bus depreciation funding (which the district can partially mitigate by elongating vehicle replacement schedules), and a reduction in Ready Start FTE opportunity (a 0.1 FTE decrease that narrows student access to a >1.0 FTE option). She noted the district has used approximately $76,000,000 in local levy dollars over the last five years to cover unfunded state requirements.
Board members asked clarifying questions about the magnitude of impacts and whether specific items would require policy changes; Stevens pointed board members to a resource page with bill texts, vote histories and a plan to brief staff in June on HB 1795 implementation.
The summary was informational; no board action was taken at the meeting.
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