Latest news with #GerryPollet
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Washington takes ‘historic' step toward full funding for special education
Washington is on the cusp of eliminating a special education funding cap. (Photo by) Washington lawmakers are on the cusp of eliminating a special education funding cap, which critics said was straining school finances, hurting students, and putting the state at risk of a major lawsuit. On a 97-0 vote, the House amended, then passed Senate Bill 5263 this week to put Washington, for the first time, on a course to fully fund special education in its public schools. It also adjusted two other funding levers in the bill to drive more dollars for special education to the state's 295 school districts. All told, roughly $870 million more will be sent out over the next two budgets. That sum is a compromise with the Senate, which wanted to spend closer to $2 billion. Spending on special education in Oregon needs a revamped formula, researchers find Rep. Gerry Pollet, D-Seattle, who called the cap 'unconscionable and maybe unconstitutional,' said its elimination is 'a historic achievement.' It commits the state to amply fund the education of every child with a disability, he said. Ditching the cap 'is the very first step to saying we're going to fully fund special education. This is going to absolutely help our schools,' said Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, who has three children with individualized education plans, or IEPs — plans developed for every public school student who needs special education services. 'It represents something we should all be proud of,' he said. Couture urged his colleagues to guard against any weakening of the legislation in the final stages of budget talks. Also Wednesday, the House passed a Senate bill to send additional dollars to districts to cover materials, supplies and operating costs — MSOC in state budget lingo. These costs, which cover non-employee-related expenses tied to a district's daily operations, have surged in recent years. 'This is a bill that will literally keep the lights on in schools,' said Rep. April Berg, D-Mill Creek, a former school board member. The House amended, then passed Senate Bill 5192 on an 85-12 vote. It would boost the amount of state funding per student for MSOC to $1,614, an increase of $35. An additional $214.94 is provided for each high school student. That's four dollars more than the current rate. Couture opposed this legislation, saying it's too small an increase to help the most needy districts. 'I don't think an extra $35 will keep the lights on,' he said. Special education is the area where the gap is largest between what districts receive from the state and what they pay for with local dollars. In the 2022-23 school year, districts spent $590 million of local levy receipts to make up the difference, according to a performance audit issued in January by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee. Washington uses two key mechanisms for determining what a district receives. First, there is the cap on the percentage of a school district's student population that can receive extra dollars for special education services. Under current law, the state only provides additional funding for up to 16% of a district's student population. In other words, if 20% of a district's population requires special education services, the district cannot get additional money for the remaining 4%. Second, the state distributes an amount of money for each student enrolled in a school, plus additional dollars for each special education student under a formula known as the multiplier. Senate Bill 5263 removes the enrollment cap and increases the multiplier to send more dollars to districts. It also simplifies the formula used by the state to determine how much will be provided per student. And it makes it easier for districts to qualify for additional special education dollars through a safety net program run by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, and Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, are the bill's co-sponsors. Pedersen, prior to the Senate vote, acknowledged the state's tight budget situation this year but said Washington's Constitution 'is very clear that funding basic education is our paramount duty.' 'The fact that it is expensive doesn't change that on the ground we've got kids with special needs who are in our charge and are relying on us to make sure that they get the education to which they're entitled,' he said. Initially, the House upped the multiplier and safety net but left the enrollment cap in place. Pollet continued to press for the cap's erasure as he has for the past 13 years. This time he prevailed. Changes made Wednesday will pump out $870 million to districts over the next four fiscal years, he said. If House Bill 2049 passes, it will be more, he said. That bill would allow an increase in annual property tax growth from the current 1% cap to the combined rate of population growth plus inflation within a taxing district, not to exceed 3%. This would apply to the state's property tax, also known as the common schools levy. The bill would also make other changes that could help districts receive more taxpayer dollars. A fiscal analysis estimates that uncapping the state property tax would bring in an additional $200 million in the next biennium and $618 million in the 2027-29 budget. School districts collectively could raise another $900 million locally over four years. The legislation is slated to be voted on Friday in the House Finance Committee. Washington State Standard, like the Capital Chronicle, is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: info@
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House Democrats begin push to repeal Washington's cap on property tax hikes
(Photo by) Democratic state lawmakers are aiming to erase a voter-approved limit on annual property tax hikes as a way to generate hundreds of millions of dollars for public schools and local governments. The state House Finance Committee held a hearing Tuesday on House Bill 1334 which would repeal a 1% cap on annual growth for property tax collections and give the state and local governments the ability to levy hikes up to 3%. This could drive $818 million into state coffers for education and close to $1 billion for cities and counties over the next four fiscal years, according to a fiscal analysis. 'When it comes to the basic services that our constituents need in order to do anything, all of these duties have literally been kneecapped by a 1% cap on revenue growth. What else is capped at 1%? Nothing,' Rep. Gerry Pollet, D-Seattle, the bill's sponsor, told the committee. But, as in previous years, the move drew fierce opposition from those who argue it will drive up the costs of living and housing. 'Taxpayers feel the crushing weight in taxes that the state already levies,' said Anthony Mixer of the Washington State Young Republicans. 'The young people that I represent are already struggling to afford to buy a home, and with this, any of them that do have a home will find it harder to live in.' Senate Democrats pushed a bill last year allowing only local governments to exceed the 1% cap. They dropped it after encountering a buzzsaw of opposition from Republican lawmakers, residents and a smattering of county leaders who warned the measure would drive up costs. Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, the bill's sponsor, said then supporters needed to do a better job explaining the needs of cities and counties in providing services like public safety, and helping the public better understand the mechanics of property taxes. Tuesday's committee hearings on House Bill 1334 and House Bill 1356, which would increase the cap on property tax hikes and boost how much schools can collect from local levies, marked the committee's first conversation this session on large-scale tax bills. No votes are expected soon because tax bills are considered necessary to implement the budget, said Rep. April Berg, D-Mill Creek, the committee chair. Because such bills are subject to less strict deadlines, lawmakers tend to deal with them later in the session. In the meantime, House Democrats planned to huddle Tuesday night to discuss the path for contending with a projected budget shortfall in the neighborhood of $12 billion over the next four years. Spending cuts and new revenue are among the subjects expected to come up. 'We are in the process of exploring everything,' said Rep. Lillian Ortiz-Self, D-Mukilteo, chair of the House Democratic Caucus. 'We're in a year where we have to explore all options — our cut options and our revenue options.' Voters established the property tax cap in 2001 when they approved Initiative 747, the handiwork of anti-tax activist Tim Eyman. It limited cities, counties, schools and special districts from increasing property tax collections by more than 1% from one year to the next unless voters approved a larger increase. At the time, the maximum allowable increase was 6%. The initiative passed but faced an immediate legal challenge. In 2007, a divided state Supreme Court found it unconstitutional. But days later, lawmakers held a one-day special session to chisel the limit into law. Then Gov. Chris Gregoire, a Democrat, signed it. The revenue growth limit applies to both state levies and all regular local property tax levies. The proposed bills would raise the cap for both. The changes would apply for taxes levied for collection in 2026. In Washington, the revenue growth limit for property taxes is 101%. This means if a county collects $1 million in taxes from owners of property in its boundaries this year, it would be able to increase it by 1%, or $10,000, the next year. That sum would be spread among all property owners. Under both House bills heard Tuesday, the limit would be 100% plus population change and inflation – with increases capped at 103%. Using the $1 million example, the collection by the state and a local government could rise 3%, or $30,000 each. The primary source of public school funding is the state property tax, also known as the state school levy. Raising the cap under House Bill 1334 would generate $200 million for the next budget and $618 million for the 2027-29 biennium, according to an analysis of the legislation's fiscal impact. 'My number one mission as a legislator is to fund our schools,' said Pollet, adding that many school districts are 'deep, deep, deep underwater' because the state fails to provide ample funding as required by the state constitution. City and county leaders told the House Finance Committee that the cap starves local governments of enough money to keep up with inflation-driven increases in costs of public services. It has forced them to scale back or cut services or find other sources of revenue, such as higher fees or sales taxes, to make ends meet. 'Times have changed since the 1% [cap] was put in place,' said Paul Jewell, government relations director for the Washington State Association of Counties. 'We didn't have the housing crisis that we have today. We didn't have the homelessness issues. We didn't have the fentanyl issues that we're fighting in our communities right now. And every year, the Legislature adds new requirements upon local governments without providing adequate resources to pay for them.' While counties can ask voters to tax themselves above the limit, Jewell said 'that's not an acceptable solution for the basic, essential, statutorily required services that counties are supposed to provide.'
