2025 Legislative Priorities

An investment in MSOC helps all districts in our region. ESD 105 urges legislators to address the pressing issue of our current funding model for maintenance, supplies, and operating costs (MSOC) in our school districts.

The allocated funds for MSOC fail to keep pace with the rising costs of running a school district. Non-staff related expenses such as insurance and utilities have surged in recent years, outstripping state funding. As demonstrated in the table below, of the twenty-five public school districts we serve in our region, seventeen have experienced increases in insurance rates well over 50%, in many cases more than doubling their expenses over the course of the last three school years. In stark contrast, MSOC reimbursements have only grown by 10.6% during the same period. These escalating costs have created a significant gap in the amount of MSOC funding districts are provided and their actual expenditures.

As a result, districts are spending the great majority of their MSOC allocations on insurance and have little left to cover the other MSOC categories. Without adequate funding, our districts have been forced to divert resources from other critical needs, reduce staff and programs, and rely on local levies to bridge the funding gap. This is not sustainable.

Substitutes are a critically important part of every school district’s infrastructure. Without substitute teachers, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, child nutrition staff and other essential positions, our schools are not able to operate. Although substitutes are essential, the state funding formula for providing substitute certificated staff hasn’t been adjusted since the 2008-09 school year and there is currently no state funding for classified substitutes.

Historically, the state has only funded four substitute days per funded teacher—a figure that fails to meet the requirements of RCW 28A.400.300, which mandates a minimum of 10 sick days per teacher annually, with up to 12 sick days. The need for substitutes has grown exponentially with the implementation of the Washington State Paid Family and Medical Leave Act and the Washington Paid Sick Leave Act in 2020, which allow for 12 to 16 weeks of leave for qualifying events. These expanded leave benefits have created an unprecedented demand for substitute teachers and classified staff across our school system.

To cover this shortfall, school districts are being forced to reduce staff and essential programs, diverting limited local levy funds to fill the gap. We urge the Legislature to update the substitute funding formula to reflect the true needs of our schools and provide adequate investment in substitute staffing. This adjustment is critical to ensuring we can maintain quality education and support services for our students.