HB 2724 proposes a new tax on Washington residents with annual adjusted gross income of $1 million or more, affecting approximately the top 0.5% of households. The tax revenue would be deposited into the state general fund to support K-12 education, health care, higher education, human services, and the working families' tax credit. Key provisions include exempting sales of family-owned small businesses and real property from the tax, aligning the state definition of taxable income with federal rules (modified for state purposes), and reducing other taxes like sales tax on essential items. The bill aims to make the state tax system less regressive by shifting more burden to high earners while maintaining current tax rates for lower-income residents.
SB 6346 would impose a new tax on Washington households with annual income of $1 million or more, affecting approximately the top 0.5% of earners. Revenue generated would fund K-12 education, health care, higher education, and human services programs. The tax excludes income from selling family-owned businesses and real estate, while also including reductions to sales taxes on essentials like personal care products and business taxes through credits. This policy aims to shift tax burden toward high earners to support public services, as the bill states Washington’s current system is the second most regressive in the nation.
HJM 4013 is a joint memorial urging Governor Ferguson to opt Washington state into a federal tax-credit scholarship program for K-12 education. It would direct approximately $732 million annually in unused federal funds to Washington students from working-class and middle-class families (household income ≤300% of area median income) through tax credits for donors. The program requires no state funding, imposes no budget obligation, and mandates scholarship organizations to spend at least 90% of funds on student expenses like tutoring and technology while meeting strict federal accountability standards. Failure to opt in would prevent Washington families from accessing these federal resources, which would instead benefit students in states that have joined the program.
SB 5969 integrates high school transition planning with special education transition planning for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). It requires Washington schools to use a single statewide online system for both IEPs and high school and beyond plans, eliminating duplicate paperwork. The system must include features like translation services, accessibility compliance, secure data sharing, and alignment with grade-level standards. This directly affects students with IEPs, school districts, and educators who will use the unified platform for planning, reducing administrative burden while ensuring transition plans meet both special education and career goals.
SB 6122 increases flexibility for Washington school districts in how they spend basic education funding. It removes requirements that previously mandated specific teacher-student ratios, instructional approaches, or staff classifications, allowing districts to allocate funds based on their actual needs. The bill establishes "prototypical" school models (elementary, middle, high) to calculate base funding levels, but requires adjustments based on each district’s actual student enrollment and grade-level composition. School districts must also report per-pupil funding transparently on their websites, as mandated by the superintendent of public instruction.
Washington's HB 2262 requires public high schools to include signature instruction in civics education starting in the 2027-28 school year. The bill mandates that civics courses teach students to produce a legible, repeatable handwritten signature - covering historical context including how signature practices have historically limited participation by marginalized groups - without requiring students to actually sign documents for course credit. It also directs the state to collect and publish annual data on ballot rejections due to signature mismatches, broken down by voter age, to improve election processes. The law directly affects all Washington public high school students and aims to address barriers in voting and civic participation.
SB 6052 creates a secure, statewide digital platform for schools and colleges to share student transcripts electronically. It requires all Washington public K-12 schools, charter schools, tribal education schools, and public colleges to use this system, eliminating the need for separate data-sharing agreements between institutions. The platform mandates that students or their parents must give express, revocable permission before transcripts are shared, ensuring privacy control. Private four-year colleges in Washington may choose to participate but are not required to join the system.
This bill revises Washington state's formula for allocating basic education funding to school districts. It establishes "prototypical schools" with specific student counts (400 elementary, 432 middle, 600 high school) to determine funding levels, setting class size targets (e.g., 17 students per teacher in K-3) and required staff ratios (like principals, nurses, and counselors per school). School districts must report per-pupil funding transparently on their websites, and the bill adds requirements for funding adjustments based on high-poverty schools and advanced courses. The changes affect all public school districts by altering how state funds cover instructional and operational costs, not direct utility or insurance expenses as the title suggests.
HB 2282 renames "transitional kindergarten" as the "transition to kindergarten program" and establishes state rules to support its implementation. The bill requires schools to enroll eligible 4-year-olds needing extra kindergarten preparation (based on assessments), prioritize low-income families, and prohibit tuition fees or disability-based exclusion. It mandates specific program standards, including using state-developed curricula, conducting regional child care needs assessments before launching, and reporting data separately from regular kindergarten. Funding is tied to the number of enrolled students using existing education formulas but is separate from the state's basic education budget. The program directly affects school districts, charter schools, tribal schools, and eligible children preparing for kindergarten.
SB 5956 prohibits Washington public schools from using artificial intelligence (AI) or surveillance technologies to make or solely determine student discipline decisions, such as suspensions or expulsions. It bans "risk scores" predicting student misconduct, biometric tracking for emotional/mental health analysis, and automated watchlists, requiring human review for any discipline action involving AI or surveillance data. The law directly affects all K-12 public school districts, charter schools, and tribal education programs in Washington, mandating updates to policies to prevent discriminatory impacts on students of color, students with disabilities, and LGBTQ students. It also restricts sharing student data with law enforcement except in emergencies involving imminent serious physical harm.
