On-base school construction

AN ACT Relating to school construction assistance program 1
facilities support for on-base schools; and amending RCW 28A.525.166.2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:3
Sec. 1. RCW 28A.525.166 and 2015 3rd sp.s. c 3 s 7018 are each 4
amended to read as follows: 5
Allocations to school districts of state funds provided by RCW 6
28A.525.162 through 28A.525.180 shall be made by the superintendent 7
of public instruction and the amount of state funding assistance to a 8
school district in financing a school plant project shall be 9
determined in the following manner: 10
(1) The boards of directors of the districts shall determine the 11
total cost of the proposed project, which cost may include the cost 12
of acquiring and preparing the site, the cost of constructing the 13
building or of acquiring a building and preparing the same for school 14
use, the cost of necessary equipment, taxes chargeable to the 15
project, necessary architects' fees, and a reasonable amount for 16
contingencies and for other necessary incidental expenses: PROVIDED, 17
That the total cost of the project shall be subject to review and 18
approval by the superintendent. 19
(2) The state funding assistance percentage for a school district 20
shall be computed by the following formula: 21
Z-0545.1
HOUSE BILL 2470
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Leavitt, Shavers, Reeves, Ryu, and Callan; by
request of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Read first time 01/14/26. Referred to Committee on Capital Budget.
p. 1 HB 2470
The ratio of the school district's adjusted valuation per pupil 1
divided by the ratio of the total state adjusted valuation per pupil 2
shall be subtracted from three, and then the result of the foregoing 3
shall be divided by three plus (the ratio of the school district's 4
adjusted valuation per pupil divided by the ratio of the total state 5
adjusted valuation per pupil). 6
7 District adjusted Total state
8 3-valuation ÷ adjusted valuation
9 Computed per pupil per pupil State
10 State = ———————————————— = - % Funding
11 Ratio District adjusted Total state Assistance
12 3+valuation ÷ adjusted valuation
13 per pupil per pupil
PROVIDED, That in the event the state funding assistance percentage 14
to any school district based on the above formula is less than twenty 15
percent and such school district is otherwise eligible for state 16
funding assistance under RCW 28A.525.162 through 28A.525.180, the 17
superintendent may establish for such district a state funding 18
assistance percentage not in excess of twenty percent of the approved 19
cost of the project, if the superintendent finds that such additional 20
assistance is necessary to provide minimum facilities for housing the 21
pupils of the district. 22
(3) In addition to the computed state funding assistance 23
percentage developed in subsection (2) of this section, a school 24
district shall be entitled to additional percentage points determined 25
by the average percentage of growth for the past three years. One 26
percent shall be added to the computed state funding assistance 27
percentage for each percent of growth, with a maximum of twenty 28
percent. 29
(4) In computing the state funding assistance percentage in 30
subsection (2) of this section and adjusting the percentage under 31
subsection (3) of this section, students residing outside the school 32
district who are enrolled in alternative learning experience courses 33
under RCW 28A.232.010 shall be excluded from the count of total 34
pupils. In lieu of the exclusion in this subsection, a district may 35
submit an alternative calculation for excluding students enrolled in 36
alternative learning experience courses. The alternative calculation 37
must show the student head count use of district classroom facilities 38
p. 2 HB 2470
on a regular basis for a reasonable duration by out-of-district 1
alternative learning experience students subtracted by the head count 2
of in-district alternative learning experience students not using 3
district classroom facilities on a regular basis for a reasonable 4
duration. The alternative calculation must be submitted in a form 5
approved by the office of the superintendent of public instruction. 6
The office of the superintendent of public instruction must develop 7
rules to define "regular basis" and "reasonable duration."8
(5) The approved cost of the project determined in the manner 9
prescribed in this section multiplied by the state funding assistance 10
percentage derived as provided for in this section shall be the 11
amount of state funding assistance to the district for the financing 12
of the project: PROVIDED, That need therefor has been established to 13
the satisfaction of the superintendent: PROVIDED, FURTHER, That 14
additional state funding assistance may be allowed if it is found by 15
the superintendent, considering policy recommendations from the 16
school facilities citizen advisory panel that such assistance is 17
necessary in order to meet (a) a school housing emergency resulting 18
from the destruction of a school building by fire, the condemnation 19
of a school building by properly constituted authorities, a sudden 20
excessive and clearly foreseeable future increase in school 21
population, or other conditions similarly emergent in nature; or (b) 22
a special school housing burden resulting from projects of statewide 23
significance or imposed by virtue of the admission of nonresident 24
students into educational programs established, maintained and 25
operated in conformity with the requirements of law; or (c) a 26
deficiency in the capital funds of the district resulting from 27
financing, subsequent to April 1, 1969, and without benefit of the 28
state funding assistance provided by prior state assistance programs, 29
the construction of a needed school building project or projects 30
approved in conformity with the requirements of such programs, after 31
having first applied for and been denied state funding assistance 32
because of the inadequacy of state funds available for the purpose; 33
or (d) a condition created by the fact that an excessive number of 34
students live in state owned housing; or (e) a need for the 35
construction of a school building to provide for improved school 36
district organization or racial balance; or (f) conditions similar to 37
those defined under (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) of this subsection, 38
creating a like emergency. 39
p. 3 HB 2470
(6) ((For the 2015-2017 biennium, schools determined to have a 1
lack of sufficient space to provide science classrooms or labs, to 2
meet the requirements of law, have a special housing burden condition 3
similar to those defined under subsection (5)(b) of this section, 4
creating a like emergency. For the 2015-2017 biennium, school 5
districts are entitled to additional percentage points for school 6
construction projects that have a special housing burden condition 7
only and have received private donations in the form of cash, in-8
kind, or equipment of more than one hundred thousand dollars. The 9
additional percentage points are determined by (a) school district 10
student enrollments in the free and reduced-price meals program, (b) 11
school district class as defined by RCW 28A.300.065, and (c) the 12
funding assistance percentage as calculated in subsection (2) of this 13
section. The additional percentage points under (a) of this 14
subsection are twenty percent of the percent of student enrollments 15
eligible and enrolled in the free and reduced-price meals program. 16
The additional percentage points under (b) of this subsection are ten 17
for second class school districts. The additional percentage points 18
under (c) of this subsection are ten for school districts with 19
funding assistance percentages of more than fifty percent. )) When 20
determining eligibility for state funding assistance for the school 21
construction assistance program, school district instructional 22
facilities located on military bases must be excluded from the school 23
district's inventory of available instructional space, and the amount 24
of state assistance shall be equal to the total approved project cost 25
minus the amount of federal funding received for the construction of 26
the project.27
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p. 4 HB 2470