State Superintendent Chris Reykdal unveiled data showing stable student achievement and improved attendance in Washington's public schools while calling for expanded state education funding during a press conference in Olympia on September 10, 2026.
In the 2025-26 school year, 73.7 percent of students demonstrated foundational grade-level knowledge or above in English language arts, and 66.5 percent did the same in math, Reykdal said. Attendance rates and the percentage of ninth graders passing all their classes both improved.
Global student performance, by contrast, has declined for nearly two decades, according to new data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). "We have seen the impacts of smart devices and social media becoming more widely used among teenagers starting in the early 2000s," Reykdal said. "With the continued increase in screen time, young people aren't reading as much as they used to, their attention spans are shorter, and they are losing focus in class."
Reykdal proposed funding increases in his 2027 budget request to the Governor and Legislature for supplies, utilities, operations, substitute teacher salaries, student transportation, and education support professionals like paraeducators. He also requested restoration of cuts to the Transition to Kindergarten program and funding for elementary teacher professional development in mathematics. Most proposals would phase in over four years.
"Without significant investments and a renewed commitment by the Governor and Legislature, our progress is at risk," Reykdal said. "With our state's affluent economy, it is inexcusable that schools are being forced to choose between paying their insurance bills or laying off the teachers and paraeducators that support the student learning and progress we expect."
The superintendent's proposals stem from recommendations made by the K–12 Funding Equity Workgroup, which met over the past year with various stakeholders. Reykdal also proposed redesigning the formula for distributing resources to students experiencing poverty to ensure more even distribution.
School administrators and education unions expressed support. "High expectations must be matched by the resources necessary to help every student succeed," said Jeff Snell, Executive Director of the Washington Association of School Administrators.