SB 6247 Washington Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Concerning school district financial management.

SB 6247 requires educational service districts to provide financial support to school districts showing signs of financial distress, including regular meetings with district leadership to create action plans and address budget issues. It mandates that school board members complete annual governance training focused on funding, budgeting, and fiscal accountability, with the training developed by the Washington State School Directors' Association. The bill also establishes a requirement for educational service district staff to report suspected financial misconduct to state auditors and the attorney general. By January 2027, the state superintendent must define "financial distress" using measurable indicators to guide oversight.

Issues: ✓ Education

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Jan 20, 2026 Last action Mar 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Substitute Bill → Engrossed Substitute Bill · 4 edits · Feb 12, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was renamed from 'Substitute' to 'Engrossed Substitute,' indicating it has passed both legislative chambers. The most significant change extends the deadline for school directors to complete mandatory financial training from one year to two years for those already in office, and from the first year to the first two years for new directors. Additionally, compensation for this training is now restricted to be paid only from locally collected excess levy funds, preventing the state from assuming any financial obligation for this cost.

TIMELINE

The deadline for existing school directors to complete mandatory training was extended from one year to two years after the bill's effective date.

The requirement for newly elected or appointed school directors to complete training was extended to occur within the first two years of their term instead of the first year.

FISCAL

Compensation for school directors attending training is now limited to locally collected excess levy funds, ensuring the state does not incur any present or future funding liability.

REQUIREMENT

The bill title was updated to reflect its status as an 'Engrossed Substitute Bill,' signifying it has been amended and passed in its final form.

Bill → Substitute Bill · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered and updated to reflect a new committee assignment and a revised effective date. The core policy changes focus on strengthening financial oversight for school districts in distress by shifting the language from 'oversight' to 'support' and adding mandatory reporting requirements for suspected financial misconduct. Additionally, the training program for school directors was expanded to include specific funding and finance content, and hiring practices for budget-related roles now require background checks on financial violations.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include a new requirement for school districts to hire only candidates who sign a statement authorizing background checks for financial violations. The applicability of the new training program was clarified to require completion by all current and future school directors.

TIMELINE

The bill's effective date was changed from January 20, 2026 to February 4, 2026, and the bill number was updated from S-4063.1 to S-4649.2.

REQUIREMENT

The requirement for educational service districts was changed from providing 'oversight' to providing 'support' for financially distressed school districts.

The required training for school directors was updated to focus on 'funding and finance' rather than just 'financial management,' with a new requirement for all current directors to complete the training within one year.

A new hiring requirement mandates that applicants for budget or accounting roles must sign a statement authorizing employers to disclose any history of financial violations.

ENFORCEMENT

A new mandatory reporting duty was added for any employee who suspects financial malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance by school officials.

DEFINITION

A new requirement was added for the Superintendent of Public Instruction to establish a specific definition of 'financial distress' with measurable indicators by January 1, 2027.

FISCAL

A new provision states that the training program in Section 4 will become null and void if specific funding is not provided by June 30, 2026.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 12, 2026

How they voted

51–0

Passed

Total votes 51

Feb 12, 2026

D Democratic31

31 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican20

20 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 25, 2026

Committee

Referred to Appropriations.

lower

Feb 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

Minority; without recommendation.

lower

Feb 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

Minority; do not pass.

lower

Feb 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

ED - Majority; do pass with amendment(s).

lower

Feb 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

Executive action taken in the House Committee on Education at 4:00 PM.

lower

Feb 19, 2026

Lower · Passed

Public hearing in the House Committee on Education at 8:00 AM.

lower

Feb 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

Floor amendment(s) adopted.

upper

Feb 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

WM - Majority; do pass 1st substitute bill proposed by Early Learning & K-12 Education.

upper

Feb 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 10:30 AM.

upper

Feb 6, 2026

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Ways & Means at 1:30 PM.

upper

Feb 4, 2026

Committee

Referred to Ways & Means.

upper

Feb 4, 2026

Committee

And refer to Ways & Means.

upper

Feb 4, 2026

Upper · Passed

Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 10:30 AM.

upper

Jan 27, 2026

Upper · Passed

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 8:00 AM.

upper

1 primary · 2 co-sponsors