The bill seeks to enhance the flexibility of school districts in managing basic education funding by amending RCW 28A.150.260 and repealing RCW 28A.300.476. It establishes that the allocation of state funding will be determined by a formula recommended by the governor and the superintendent of public instruction, while clarifying that school districts are not required to follow specific instructional methods, teacher-to-student ratios, or allocate funds for certain staff classifications. To promote transparency, the superintendent must report state per-pupil allocations for various educational programs, and school districts are required to link to this report on their websites. The bill also outlines minimum staffing allocations for prototypical schools based on average class sizes and includes provisions for funding adjustments based on actual student enrollment.

Additionally, the bill specifies allocations for educational programs targeting students in grades seven through twelve, including transitional bilingual instruction and highly capable students. It mandates that supplemental instruction allocations be based on the number of students who exited the transitional bilingual program within the last two years, ensuring a minimum of 3.0 hours of extra instruction per week. Allocations for highly capable programs will be based on 5.0 percent of each school district's full-time equivalent basic education enrollment. The bill also introduces biennial reviews of the distribution formula for basic education funds, allowing the legislature to approve, amend, or reject the recommended formula, with provisions for maintaining the previous year's formula if no new one is adopted.

Statutes affected:
Original bill: 28A.150.260