School enrichment funding

AN ACT Relating to school enrichment funding; amending RCW 1
84.52.0531; reenacting and amending RCW 28A.500.015; and providing an 2
effective date. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
Sec. 1. RCW 84.52.0531 and 2025 c 404 s 1 are each amended to 5
read as follows: 6
(1) ((Beginning with taxes levied for collection in 2020 )) 7
Subject to subsection (8) of this section , the maximum dollar amount 8
which may be levied by or for any school district for enrichment 9
levies under RCW 84.52.053 is equal to:10
(a) For taxes levied for collection through 2029, the lesser of 11
$2.50 per $1,000 of the assessed value of property in the school 12
district or the maximum per-pupil limit ((. This maximum dollar amount 13
shall be reduced accordingly as provided under RCW 43.09.2856(2))); 14
and15
(b) Beginning with taxes levied for collection in 2030, the 16
lesser of $3 per $1,000 of the assessed value of property in the 17
school district or the maximum per-pupil limit. 18
(2) The definitions in this subsection apply to this section 19
unless the context clearly requires otherwise. 20
H-2434.1
HOUSE BILL 2116
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Bergquist, Gregerson, Stonier, Ryu, Doglio,
Simmons, Callan, Santos, Zahn, Scott, Berg, Reeves, Thai, Hill, and
Pollet
Prefiled 12/08/25. Read first time 01/12/26. Referred to Committee
on Appropriations.
p. 1 HB 2116
(a) "Inflation" means the percentage change in the seasonally 1
adjusted consumer price index for all urban consumers, Seattle area, 2
for the most recent 12-month period as of September 25th of the year 3
before the taxes are payable, using the official current base 4
compiled by the United States bureau of labor statistics.5
(b) "Inflation enhancement" means: 6
(i) $500 in the 2026 calendar year; and 7
(ii) 3.33 percentage points added to inflation each year from the 8
2027 to 2030 calendar years. 9
(c) "Maximum per-pupil limit" means: 10
(i) Through the 2030 calendar year: 11
(A) $2,500, as increased by inflation, plus inflation 12
enhancements defined in (b) of this subsection, beginning with 13
property taxes levied for collection in 2020, multiplied by the 14
number of average annual full-time equivalent students enrolled in 15
the school district in the prior school year, for school districts 16
with fewer than 40,000 annual full-time equivalent students enrolled 17
in the school district in the prior school year; or18
(B) $3,000, as increased by inflation plus the inflation 19
enhancement defined in (b)(i) of this subsection, beginning with 20
property taxes levied for collection in 2020, multiplied by the 21
number of average annual full-time equivalent students enrolled in 22
the school district in the prior school year, for school districts 23
with 40,000 or more annual full-time equivalent students enrolled in 24
the school district in the prior school year. 25
(ii) Beginning with the 2031 calendar year, $5,035, as increased 26
by inflation beginning with property taxes levied for collection in 27
2032, multiplied by the number of average annual full-time equivalent 28
students enrolled in the school district in the prior school year.29
(d) "Prior school year" means the most recent school year 30
completed prior to the year in which the levies are to be collected.31
(3) For districts in a high/nonhigh relationship, the enrollments 32
of the nonhigh students attending the high school shall only be 33
counted by the nonhigh school districts for purposes of funding under 34
this section. 35
(4) For school districts participating in an innovation academy 36
cooperative established under RCW 28A.340.080, enrollments of 37
students attending the academy shall be adjusted so that each 38
participant district receives its proportional share of student 39
enrollments for purposes of funding under this section.40
p. 2 HB 2116
(5) Beginning with propositions for enrichment levies for 1
collection in calendar year 2020 and thereafter, a district must 2
receive approval of an enrichment levy expenditure plan under RCW 3
28A.505.240 before submission of the proposition to the voters.4
(6) ((The superintendent of public instruction shall develop 5
rules and regulations and inform school districts of the pertinent 6
data necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.7
(7))) Beginning with taxes levied for collection in 2018, 8
enrichment levy revenues must be deposited in a separate subfund of 9
the school district's general fund pursuant to RCW 28A.320.330, and 10
for the 2018-19 school year are subject to the restrictions of RCW 11
28A.150.276 and the audit requirements of RCW 43.09.2856.12
(((8))) (7) Funds collected from levies for transportation 13
vehicles, construction, modernization, or remodeling of school 14
facilities as established in RCW 84.52.053 are not subject to the 15
levy limitations in subsections (1) through (5) of this section.16
(8) The maximum dollar amount authorized under subsection (1) of 17
this section shall be reduced accordingly as provided under RCW 18
43.09.2856(2).19
(9) The superintendent of public instruction shall develop rules 20
and regulations and inform school districts of the pertinent data 21
necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.22
Sec. 2. RCW 28A.500.015 and 2025 c 405 s 1 and 2025 c 404 s 2 23
are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:24
(1) Beginning in calendar year ((2020)) 2028 and each calendar 25
year thereafter, the state must provide state local effort assistance 26
funding to supplement school district enrichment levies as provided 27
in this section. 28
(2)(a) For an eligible school district with an actual enrichment 29
levy rate that is less than (($1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value in 30
the school district )) the local effort assistance levy rate , the 31
annual local effort assistance funding is equal to the school 32
district's maximum local effort assistance multiplied by a fraction 33
equal to the school district's actual enrichment levy rate divided by 34
(($1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value in the school district )) the 35
local effort assistance levy rate. 36
(b) For an eligible school district with an actual enrichment 37
levy rate that is equal to or greater than (($1.50 per $1,000 of 38
assessed value in the school district )) the local effort assistance 39
p. 3 HB 2116
levy rate, the annual local effort assistance funding is equal to the 1
school district's maximum local effort assistance. 2
(c) Beginning in calendar year ((2022)) 2028, for state-tribal 3
education compact schools ((established under )) subject to chapter 4
28A.715 RCW, the annual local effort assistance funding is equal to 5
the actual enrichment levy per student as calculated by the 6
superintendent of public instruction for the previous year for the 7
school district in which the state-tribal education compact school is 8
located, up to a maximum per -student amount of (($1,550)) $2,600 as 9
increased by inflation , plus inflation enhancements, from the 10
((2019)) 2028 calendar year, multiplied by the student enrollment of 11
the state-tribal education compact school in the prior school year.12
(3) The state local effort assistance funding provided under this 13
section is not part of the state's program of basic education deemed 14
by the legislature to comply with the requirements of Article IX, 15
section 1 of the state Constitution. 16
(4) The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this 17
section unless the context clearly requires otherwise.18
(a) "Eligible school district" means a school district where the 19
amount generated by ((a levy of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value in 20
the school district )) the local effort assistance levy rate , divided 21
by the school district's total student enrollment in the prior school 22
year, is less than the state local effort assistance threshold.23
(b) "Inflation" means the ((implicit price deflator for the 24
previous calendar year using the official current base, compiled by 25
the bureau of economic analysis, United States department of 26
commerce)) percentage change in the seasonally adjusted consumer 27
price index for all urban consumers, Seattle area, for the most 28
recent 12-month period as of September 25th of the year before the 29
taxes under RCW 84.52.0531 are payable, using the official current 30
base compiled by the United States bureau of labor statistics.31
(c) "Inflation enhancement" means $520 in the 2030 and 2031 32
calendar years.33
(d) "Local effort assistance levy rate" means:34
(i) Through the 2029 calendar year, $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed 35
value in the school district; and36
(ii) Beginning the 2030 calendar year, $2 per $1,000 of assessed 37
value in the school district.38
p. 4 HB 2116
(e) "Maximum local effort assistance" means , subject to the 1
limitation in subsection (5) of this section, the difference between 2
the following: 3
(i) The school district's actual prior school year enrollment 4
multiplied by the state local effort assistance threshold; and5
(ii) The amount generated by ((a levy of $1.50 per $1,000 of 6
assessed value in the school district )) the local effort assistance 7
levy rate. 8
(((d))) (f) "Prior school year" means the most recent school year 9
completed prior to the year in which the state local effort 10
assistance funding is to be distributed. 11
(((e))) (g) "State local effort assistance threshold" means 12
(($1,550)) $2,600 per student, increased ((for inflation beginning in 13
calendar year 2020 )) by inflation, plus inflation enhancements, from 14
the 2028 calendar year. 15
(((f))) (h) "Student enrollment" means the average annual full-16
time equivalent student enrollment, reduced by the alternative 17
learning experience adjustment. Alternative learning experience 18
adjustment equals (((f))) (h)(i) of this subsection minus (((f))) (h)19
(ii) of this subsection if a school district's full-time equivalent 20
student enrollment in alternative learning experience courses exceeds 21
33 percent of average annual full-time equivalent student enrollment.22
(i) The full-time equivalent students enrolled in an alternative 23
learning experience course. 24
(ii) Average annual full-time equivalent student enrollment 25
multiplied by 33 percent. 26
(5) Beginning in the 2031 calendar year, a school district's 27
maximum local effort assistance per pupil plus its maximum dollar 28
amount per pupil allowed under RCW 84.52.0531 may not exceed the 29
maximum per pupil limit under RCW 84.52.0531(2)(c)(ii).30
(6) For districts in a high/nonhigh relationship, the enrollments 31
of the nonhigh students attending the high school shall only be 32
counted by the nonhigh school districts for purposes of funding under 33
this section. 34
(((6))) (7) For school districts participating in an innovation 35
academy cooperative established under RCW 28A.340.080, enrollments of 36
students attending the academy shall be adjusted so that each 37
participant district receives its proportional share of student 38
enrollments for purposes of funding under this section.39
p. 5 HB 2116
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. Section 2 of this act takes effect January 1
1, 2028.2
--- END ---
p. 6 HB 2116