We’re so glad you are interesting in learning more. There are a few great resources that can help you understand how school funding works in Washington state and the challenges schools are facing.

Office for the Superintendent for Public Instruction Policy & Funding page

Washington School Funding: Get to the Core of the Issue

School Funding FAQ from the Washington State School Directors Association

Organization and Funding of Washington Public Schools

A simplified statement about the difference between bonds and levies is "Bonds are for Buildings and Levies are for Learning" Bonds are used for building and maintaining school facilities.

Public education funding is a shared responsibility between the state government and school districts. The state's funding for K-12 education usually does not fully cover all necessary programs and services. Local levies and bonds allow school districts to raise additional funds through taxes approved by voters in their community.

Different items in the Chehalis School District are paid by different types of money. Our district might be tightening belts in an area like staffing or maintenance, which are paid out of our general fund, while spending continues in areas funded by other sources:

• Donors – Projects like the renovation of the Bearcat baseball field or the construction of the indoor tennis facility are paid for by money from community donors. These donors have designated their gifts to projects that are important to them
• Grant funding – Certain employee travel to conferences, trainings, classroom activities or resources and school programs are paid for by grant funding which can only be spent on specific items. Our staff are always actively seeking and applying for grant funding in order to be better stewards of taxpayer money
• Other designated funding – Some state and federal funding is required to be spent only on certain items or programs and that funding cannot be used in another way. For instance, funding for the operation of Green Hill School can only be used on that facility and money from our general fund cannot be used for that facility

Because the state does not fully fund public education, districts like ours appreciate that our local taxpayers are willing to approve levies and bonds that allow us to continue to provide the best learning opportunities for our students. When a school district puts a levy or bond on the ballot, they must choose a total tax collection amount and may only collect that total amount from taxpayers and no more. Even though property taxes and the cost of goods and services have gone up, the total amount we can collect for our levies and bonds has stayed the same.

Our schools can only be successful with the help and support of our community. We appreciate those who support our schools and we need your support to make sure we can fully fund education for all of our students. If you want to help you can:

• Support bonds & levies – The Chehalis School District budgets conservatively, yet unfortunately, bond and levy funding is still needed. If you support our schools, we appreciate your support for our bonds and levies.
• Advocate for Us – Washington law requires basic public education to be fully funded, yet many things we are required to do are still not fully funded by the state. We could use citizens who will reach out and advocate for public schools with our legislature. CLICK HERE to learn more about the Washington state legislative process and how to get involved.
• Be a Key Communicator – There’s a lot of misinformation out there about what’s going on in public schools. If you have seen the great things happening in our schools and support the work we are doing, help us spread that correct information to those who may not know. And think before you share. If you see a claim about public schools on a platform like social media and do not know if it is correct or not, please ask us before sending it to others.

In the Chehalis School District, we like to say we are preparing students for the journey ahead. That means our schools are actively engaged in shaping the future of our community. A robust, well-funded public school system is the backbone of strong, resilient and thriving communities. Good public schools can be a recruitment point for local industry. Good public schools lower the rate of crime and other social issues that cause a burden on taxpayers. Good public schools create highly-qualified community members who are prepared to be contributing members of society.