Blaine, WA: "State, federal funding has not kept up with rising costs of special education

July 16, 2025, Northern Light: Blaine school district releases draft 2025-26 budget

The Blaine school district released its preliminary budget for the 2025-26 school year on July 10, outlining how a third consecutive year of budget cuts could look.

This year’s proposed budget shows the district’s revenue at $40.16 million and expenditures at $40.67 million, representing a half-million dollar deficit that will eat into the district’s $3.9 million fund balance.

The budget estimates an enrollment count of 1,866 full time equivalent students, continuing a downward trend from 2,023 in 2023-24 and 1,944 in 2024-25.

The budget also estimates just under 130 full time equivalent certificated employees, down from 146 in 2023-24, and 81 classified employees, down from 90 in 2023-24. With dwindling enrollment, state-imposed caps on how much tax revenue the district can collect and drastically rising operating costs, the district will once again need to get creative to find ways to save money. The district is working to avoid financial insolvency and “binding conditions” where the state would take over budget decisions from the board.

According to data from the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for the 2023-24 school year, state and federal funding has not kept up with the rising costs of special education, materials, supplies and operating costs (MSOC), and transportation.

School districts across the state outpaced state and federal funding by $435 million for special education, $456 million for MSOC and $67 million for transportation.

From 2020 to 2024, funding gaps in the Blaine school district reached $24.2 million, with the biggest gaps coming from MSOC and special education funding, according to district data.

The school board will meet on Monday, July 28 to discuss the proposed budget, and will hold a vote at the next meeting, scheduled for Monday, August 25.