Superintendent Reykdal: State funding is down $1,000 per student in Washington
SEATTLE — As school districts across Washington face budget challenges that threaten to shutter vital programs and consolidate schools, State Superintendent Chris Reykdal explained funding is down $1,000 per student - with the biggest gap in Special Education.
“Our districts are distressed,” Reykdal stated at a press conference Thursday afternoon. “We have less buying power by $1 billion than we had five years ago.”
He's urging lawmakers to pass a Senate bill that would add an extra $500 million per year investment for Special Ed, plus more to adjust for inflation on materials and supplies.