OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Education leaders are pushing lawmakers to address what they say is a desperate lack of funding for public schools.

State Superintendent Chris Reykdal said that Washington schools are at a “critical juncture” in his annual state of education update on Jan. 16.

“We are third in the United States of America in per-capita income,” Reykdal said. “We are a wealthy state that puts less investment back into our public schools than the average state—it’s unacceptable.”

Reykdal estimated that public schools face a roughly $1 billion gap in annual funding for their “big three” expenditures—special education, transportation, materials, supplies and operating costs.

With the state’s legislative session entering its second week, Reykdal urged lawmakers to set aside half of the operating budget for public schools.

“There’s no constitutional requirement that a certain percentage get met,” Reykdal said. “But again, we need goals in this state and it’s time for our legislature to translate the paramount duty of our state constitution, which is very clear: our number one priority is supposed to be public education.”

Public schools received just under 44% of the operating budget for the 2023 to 2025 biennium, something that Governor Bob Ferguson has called “unacceptable.”

On a positive note, Reykdal noted that the state has seen rises in attendance that is nearing pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, the state’s 4-year graduation rate dipped just below last year’s all-time peak of nearly 86%.