Blaine school board roundup: School funding issues statewide, not just Blaine, board says

The Blaine school board gathered at the district boardroom for its monthly meeting on November 25, to discuss the recent Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) conference, the district’s failure to pass the $70 million bond, and the possibility of a local town hall with state representatives to advocate for school funding in the upcoming legislative session in Olympia.

Multiple school board members attended the WSSDA conference in Spokane over the past weekend, and Blaine school board members said the time spent discussing the state of public education with peers from around Washington highlighted the funding crisis across the state, not just in Blaine.

“I saw pain across the state,” Ben Lazarus said. “It was tough to see that we’re all facing tough times, but it was encouraging to feel like we’re not the only ones facing tough times. It’s just tough times to be in education, that’s just the way it is.”

One of the most pressing funding issue for the Blaine school district, a $70 million bond for construction of a new middle school and infrastructure improvements across the district campus and athletic facilities, was approved by 55.9 percent of voters, but failed to reach the state-mandated 60 percent supermajority for a bond.

Superintendent Christopher Granger said he was proud of the district’s ability to consistently earn a majority of support for its critical funding measures, but lamented the supermajority requirement and said the district is looking at ways to change requirements at the state level.

Granger compared the school district’s inability to pass a bond measure to similar struggles across the state, where 12 of 14 school district bond measures failed to meet the 60 percent supermajority threshold.

Granger also updated the board on efforts to bring 42nd Legislative District representatives Alicia Rule, Joe Timmons and senator Sharon Shewmake to Blaine for a town hall discussion on the need for more funding for public schools.

Granger said he hopes the town hall can be scheduled prior to Monday, January 13, when the state legislature will convene, and confirmed all three representatives have responded positively to the invitation.

Fund Schools Now!, a Facebook group run by Blaine parents, advocated for the idea of a town hall style meeting with local legislators after little was done to address public education funding in the 2024 legislative session.

“Our children are suffering due to these financial constraints,” the group said on its page. “It’s not just about numbers; it’s about our children’s future being compromised. We need more funding allocated towards our schools so that they can provide quality education that every child deserves.”

The Blaine school board has approved two consecutive years of multi-million dollar budget cuts, with roughly 80 staff positions gone due to a loss in pandemic-era relief funding, a lack of response in state funding to make up the difference, and a reduction in enrollment that directly lowers how much tax the district can collect, per state law.

Timmons is a member of the education committee and Rule is vice chair for the human services, youth and early learning committee and is a member of the capital budget committee.