La Conner joins district talks on school funding

La Conner Schools officials joined colleagues throughout Skagit County Dec. 5 in assigning homework to state lawmakers for the 2025 legislative session.

The county’s school administrators and board members asked legislators during an hour-long

webinar on Thursday to explore strategies for increased funding support of crucial academic services. Anacortes School District Superintendent Justin Irish moderated.

La Conner Superintendent David Cram spoke directly to the lawmakers, citing fiscal stress caused by soaring costs related to special education, transportation and basic campus maintenance and operation needs.

Cram, whose career has been in school finance, noted that K-12 full-time enrollment here has dropped from 600-700 students prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to just 465 pupils this year, making necessary deep budget cuts.

Student enrollment is the main driver of state funding allocations to public school systems.

“We rely on a levy of around $1 million a year to cover a bunch of non-funded mandates,” Cram reported

Longtime Mount Vernon school board member Larry Otos spoke at length at the outset, insisting that it was “imperative to get with legislators before the start of the session.”

Otos said that with rising fuel and maintenance costs, districts face significant shortfalls in transportation. He said that districts must supplement special education programs with funds from other resources. Otos said materials and supplies budgets are underfunded as well.

“(Funding) doesn’t keep up with inflation,” he lamented. “And utility and insurance costs keep rising. This isn’t intended to be a downer. We came here as a tool to help you help us.”

LD 10 State Rep. Clyde Shavers (D-Oak Harbor), vice-chair of the House Education Committee, expressed support of special education, transitional kindergarten, early childhood education, career and technology instruction and McKinney-Vento funding – the program that provides academic services and transportation to homeless students.

“Last session,” Shavers noted, “we grappled with how to make sure all kids’ needs are met.”

The challenge is dispensing funds from limited resources.

“Chronic underfunding,” Otos lamented, “jeopardizes our ability to provide essential services to students.”

Participants stressed that school funding is complicated. Further complicating matters is a tight state budget.

“The budget shortfall is real,” said State Sen. Keith Wagoner, “but, hopefully, we’ll get to make some of the changes you’re asking for.

“Everybody agrees we can do better,” Wagoner acknowledged, while cautioning that “this is going to be a really, really tough year.”

Irish said school leaders are aware that tough choices await lawmakers in Olympia.

“We’re here to help you,” he said, “and we understand there are competing priorities.”

The La Conner School District is in LD 10.