How school funding issues affect Washington state education

This collection of reporting illustrates the breadth of challenges Washington state faces in adequately funding its public education system, revealing how resources shape student opportunities and outcomes.

Declining federal contracts disrupted Tacoma's math study project, halting efforts to analyze high school algebra enrollment patterns.

Crowded facilities, such as those in the Puyallup area, underscore the strain on infrastructure, with districts relying on voter-approved bonds to address issues ranging from portable classrooms to aging buildings.

Overcrowding at Bonney Lake High School has left students having class in the hallways, on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024 in Bonney Lake, Wash. By Brian Hayes

NO. 1: THESE PIERCE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE BURSTING AT THE SEAMS AS OTHERS IN WA SHRINK

One school district is asking residents to approve a $732 million bond. Another is seeking $119.2 million. | Published October 15, 2024 | Read Full Story by Alexis Krell

Transitional kindergarten students from Voyager Elementary (from left) Chloe Johnson, Ezra Croft and Joey Tian take a close-up look at a mushroom as they take a nature walk through Kopachuck State Park in Gig Harbor, Washington, on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. By Tony Overman

NO. 2: POPULAR PRE-K CLASS WITH A WAITLIST GETS PIERCE CO. KIDS OUTSIDE. ITS FUNDING IS AT RISK

A spike in enrollment could force state-funded transitional kindergarten programs to make cuts or divert funding from other programs. | Published January 13, 2025 | Read Full Story by Julia Park

Capital projects director Brady Martin shows one of the makeshift clocks installed in classrooms at Spinning Elementary School in Puyallup, Washington, on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. The aging school’s clock system no longer works properly, often moving class bells off by a couple of minutes. By Tony Overman

NO. 3: THIS CROWDED PIERCE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS 221 PORTABLES AND IS ASKING FOR $800M

The district said it would have to consider closing some of its aging schools if its bond doesn’t pass. | Published January 31, 2025 | Read Full Story by Alexis Krell

Spinning Elementary School in Puyallup, Washington, sits adjacent to busy Pioneer Way and the train tracks, shown on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. A proposed $800 million bond for the Puyallup School District would include building a new school further away from the busy roadway and train tracks. By Tony Overman

NO. 4: PUYALLUP HAS AN $800 MILLION SCHOOL BOND ON THE BALLOT. EARLY ELECTION RESULTS ARE IN

Without the funding, the district said it would have to consider closing some of its aging schools. | Published February 12, 2025 | Read Full Story by Alexis Krell

NO. 5: THE $800M PUYALLUP SCHOOL BOND HAD 63 PERCENT APPROVAL, BUT STILL FAILED. HERE’S WHY

“The school district has over 200 portables district-wide and a lot of that pressure is at the high-school level,” a school district spokesperson said. | Published February 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Isabela Lund

Tacoma Public Schools’ Central Administration Building. By Drew Perine

NO. 6: TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CUT ‘WOKE SPENDING.’ WHY A TACOMA SCHOOLS MATH STUDY GOT SHELVED

Local research on high school students’ math experiences has been affected by canceled contracts. | Published February 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Shea Johnson

Going down as the one of the more contentious legislative sessions in recent memory, the 2025 regular legislative session came to a close on Sunday, April 25 at the state capitol in Olympia, Wa. By Steve Bloom

NO. 7: READY FOR SOME GOOD WA BUDGET NEWS? LOCAL SCHOOL LEADERS HAPPY WITH SPENDING PLAN

They said lawmakers should prioritize a more equitable model of directing funds to school districts, instead of relying too heavily on local levies. | Published May 2, 2025 | Read Full Story by Isha Trivedi

Sydney Kilen, left, crosses the street with Tate, 2, with the guidance of crossing guard Peggy Tonnema, right, known as Miss Peggy, on the way to pick up a sibling from Washington Elementary School on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in Tacoma, Wash. Kilen used to cross the street with Miss Peggy as a child, Miss Peggy shared. By Liesbeth Powers

NO. 8: BELOVED TACOMA SCHOOL CROSSING GUARD KNOWN FOR HER CRAZY OUTFITS LAID OFF

On Tuesday she was dressed as Wonder Woman with a long pink wig, red cape, bejeweled pink glasses, glittery blue skirt and hand-puppet gloves as she cooed at families crossing the street. | Published May 15, 2025 | Read Full Story by Becca Most

NO. 9: TACOMA PUBLIC SCHOOLS CUTS JOBS AMID $30M DEFICIT, WARNS OF MORE TO COME

The district did not renew the contracts for 105 provisional employees for the next school year and will implement more cuts by June 13. | Published May 16, 2025 | Read Full Story by Isha Trivedi

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.