[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6747225,"mediaKeyId","2112033-e4f174388fd138a48bdb26c87575935d","parentId",2112033,"title","Othello board highlights \"Big 3\" school funding priorities after legislative conference","audioSeconds",938,"startMs",617000,"endMs",1555000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2112033-e4f174388fd138a48bdb26c87575935d&start=617&end=1555","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2112033-e4f174388fd138a48bdb26c87575935d/thumbnail_617000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6747225/Washington/Othello-board-highlights-Big-3-school-funding-priorities-after-legislative-conference","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6747225-8ca18de68a9dfa35d858885bfea919c2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771035880&Signature=JBN-SCro0Y1rNd1kQnCzp1vGbNJr0vceJvAzpu3hBVnNTNJFY8G8tgp~LSXAFNrgKQ4-oCSdWTUGsYWAHbmINCJfM30R0mcHTh18v5PL~suwGdelZysquEgY~ub8UvLgJeKXmwlxWqJl08~ZqKQH9CTDl7RC3eCDwI0e0PShqwuGFIhDip6rOlsueVCIlB6v~pMsmZGkHUzm0UzunA-QiLRzVu2qt0lJlRr7D7tMwGghIgcm793mJsoy94Z4zHxu3hyYSD~UjPCZH5CqHp282wxYkUA-IQwCoWjqkbPpQd0pj2tM93cy7t5M5r3AxllCgsaFcnRRZQeU53eRIEcUug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Othello School District","date","2025-01-13T00:00:00Z","article","Othello School District directors said the most urgent item they brought back from a statewide legislative conference is a coordinated push on three funding categories the associations are calling the \"big 3\": MSOC (materials, supplies and operating costs), special education funding and transportation.

Director Gerber, who attended the conference with Superintendent Pete Perez, said the three organizations are aligning requests so legislators receive a single, consistent message. \"They said that a lot,\" Gerber said of the conference presenters, referring to emphasis on the three priorities.

MSOC, the board was told, includes insurance, utilities, technology, curriculum and textbooks, library materials, professional development, facilities maintenance, security and central-office supports. \"MSOC is the one that's going to impact us the most,\" Superintendent Perez said, noting dramatic increases in insurance and utilities that districts must cover.

On special education, presenters emphasized recalculating multipliers\u0000a0the additional weighting applied to students who qualify for special education\u0000a0so funding better reflects actual costs. The board heard about \"safety net\" funds that can reimburse districts for extraordinary costs for an individual special-education student once expenses pass a high threshold; presenters cited a threshold figure in the conference materials of roughly $40,000 in incremental cost for a single student.

Transportation funding was described as similarly in need of formula reform. Board members said the student-transportation allocation reporting system (STARS) does not fully reflect per-route costs; a bus that carries 20 students still costs nearly the same to operate as a bus that carries 40. Delegates described district examples of substantial rideshare or contract transportation costs in other parts of the state.

Board members emphasized the political strategy they observed: by narrowing and unifying requests to the \"big 3,\" the associations hope to improve the chance of legislative progress in a session where overall revenue and competing priorities are constrained. Perez and Gerber said presenters urged districts to tell local stories to their legislators so representatives understand how those three funding lines affect districts like Othello.

The board also heard context about the state budget outlook from conference speakers: presenters cited multi‑year shortfall estimates in the low double-digit billions and reported that some statewide proposals under consideration range from roughly $1.1 billion to $2.5 billion for public education. Presenters repeatedly warned districts and trustees to expect guardrails on any new funds so they are used as intended.

The board said it will watch the 105‑day legislative session closely and expects additional updates from director(s) and staff as bills and funding proposals emerge.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Regular Board Meeting - 01.13.2025","oneSentenceSummary","Directors reported from a legislative conference that three statewide funding priorities\u0000a0— MSOC (materials, supplies and operating costs), special education multipliers and transportation funding\u0000a0— are being advanced jointly by WASDA, WASA and WASBO to press lawmakers for more targeted state support.","taxTitle","Othello School District, School Districts, Washington","taxId",55334,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6747216,"Board approves consent items and early warrants; one abstention recorded",687,19000,706000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2112033-e4f174388fd138a48bdb26c87575935d&start=19&end=706","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2112033-e4f174388fd138a48bdb26c87575935d/thumbnail_19000.jpg","/articles/6747216/Washington/Board-approves-consent-items-and-early-warrants-one-abstention-recorded","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6747216-31f745324b5d48301f7e2d2b0987109f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771035880&Signature=cJEjJxAbtm7sYuw2zUP4Po0qOBqGADShVN~AXqlDCsoaxf42jclW~QVYFVwynmE9U7-vleewYQBxztcu8QlMie8UpDHC~sDn9gH-KagkenhscyoLjApw5iKqVNXSCSlofBZlU4nWnmYMmbKAmdPyGg3SCWnulQkRoBRlLRm2yaUcfvWxMo0NMMrsLe8O0pnSVkXewQSZQ-1vNcHGw5XCPZWcM9e7-3shiGpBrmxrnOjHAAAtQQjEfLt-YxPyi3TgdtKwmYU03GE4AijwbJ9VVTI5vgDoUnLLmP4lrv4hzTv7Vd0pXQ5Doj0xrTzWiLhjhvOB~Fn4291Lpnda5Ddxpg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Othello School District board approved routine consent items and two early accounts-payable warrant batches during the meeting. A motion to approve the agenda was moved, seconded and approved by voice. The board then passed the required approvals and two early warrants; during the warrants discussion one speaker recorded an abstention but did not identify themselves in the audible transcript.

Motions were made and seconded in open session and chairs called for voice votes of \"Aye.\" The transcript records the board's voice approval but does not provide a named roll-call tally for yes/no counts. Staff noted that approval votes provide a clear record for meeting minutes and the auditor.

The board announced an executive-session recess following public business and stated no action would be taken after the closed session.","Trustees approved the agenda, required approvals and early accounts-payable warrants (two warrant batches), with one abstention recorded during the warrants discussion. No roll-call vote counts were recorded in the transcript.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6747221,"Othello trustees review levy history and warn of revenue sensitivity to assessed-value changes",1585,1855000,3440000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2112033-e4f174388fd138a48bdb26c87575935d&start=1855&end=3440","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2112033-e4f174388fd138a48bdb26c87575935d/thumbnail_1855000.jpg","/articles/6747221/Washington/Othello-trustees-review-levy-history-and-warn-of-revenue-sensitivity-to-assessed-value-changes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6747221-2a8337b3d8d39d5d841a017ba7597248/orig.mp4?Expires=1771035880&Signature=T3nctV785bhYPFgrKa-TeruAK5Q9hvjyCJM5brJdDne~RjwJCHq0Jr7u59~VLeErwONwUtcqDinnihVOmzYcLL5pz5-WCc9EiqNuixD4U0WJausRgNIcYaglPqgFOfDUvnVmiX6zJQ8K3TcQU5adW6TVZ8uhD59u~XzLIKLDAbrnlSOEXCLqoLhY~vQkG5WVl~k3mmTPGB5ra1kYl8N0sLw8Hf8Cq8yTiJ4dT8WWYiecARa6NXBx3GL87N~Yi-gUMLXQ1d4roZagtsglbQwnB04efFE2x7VbyOBjMq06KmRc2JWTz5J5d40SyQscXHaWLDCVqdiQi6cKp-WRa5Xxfg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Othello School District finance staff told the board the district's levy revenues and the state's local-effort assistance (LEA) match are sensitive to changes in Adams County assessed value, and they outlined planning steps for a possible February 2026 levy.

Amy (district finance) explained levies are local property-tax measures that fill gaps between state allocations and district needs for certificated and classified staffing, substitutes, preschool, curriculum, technology, athletics, extracurriculars, safety, maintenance and insurance. She reminded trustees levies are a tax and that bonds (for capital projects) and levies (for operating programs) are separate: levies require a simple majority (50% + 1) to pass; bonds require a super‑majority (60%).

The presentation reviewed the district's levy lid under state rules (the lesser of $2.50 per $1,000 assessed value or an amount per pupil adjusted by inflation) and showed how rapid increases in assessed value in 2023 and projections for 2025 reduced the district's effective levy rate: a levy the board expected to be about $1.50 per $1,000 when proposed ended up as $1.23 per $1,000 in 2024 because county assessed values rose, lowering the per‑$1,000 rate needed to reach a fixed-dollar levy amount.

Because the state's LEA match is calculated relative to the rate voters approve, the district received a smaller percentage of the anticipated LEA funds when the actual effective rate was lower than projected. Finance staff quantified the impact in the presentation: the district's budget was cited at $81 million and staff noted levy/LEA changes contributed to a projected difference of roughly $5 million in levy-era totals compared with the amounts submitted when the levy proposal was drafted.

Amy walked trustees through historical levy rates going back to 2013, explained the district's common choice between fixing a per-$1,000 rate or fixing a total dollar request, and recommended summer budget workshops and a formal timeline of filings, OSPI forms and auditor deadlines if the district plans to place a replacement levy before February 2026. She also noted that the district's bond payments mature in December 2027, which will change the local tax mix and should be factored into long-range planning.

Trustees asked about specific examples included in the presentation: substitute pay (the state provided $123,000 for substitutes for 2023–24 while the district's substitute costs exceeded $1.1 million), classified-staff costs covered by levies, and athletics and extracurricular costs (cited at approximately $1.6 million for 2023–24). The presenters said OSPI offers tools to project assessed-value growth, but final county-assessor figures usually arrive later and can materially change levy projections.

The board directed staff to continue preparing levy planning materials, to bring refined assessed-value projections when they are posted by Adams County and OSPI, and to provide training on allowable advocacy and board members' limits when public communications about levies begin.","Finance staff walked the board through levy mechanics, historical levy rates and assessed-value scenarios, concluding that rapid county assessed-value growth reduced the district's effective levy rate and the state match (Local Effort Assistance), creating a shortfall relative to earlier projections.","actionData","errors"]

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Othello board highlights "Big 3" school funding priorities after legislative conference

Board approves consent items and early warrants; one abstention recorded

Othello trustees review levy history and warn of revenue sensitivity to assessed-value changes