SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 6260
As Reported by Senate Committee On:
Early Learning & K-12 Education, February 4, 2026
Title: An act relating to efficiencies and programming changes in public education.
Brief Description: Implementing efficiencies and programming changes in public education.
Sponsors: Senators Wellman and Wilson, C.; by request of Office of Financial Management.
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Early Learning & K-12 Education: 1/27/26, 2/04/26 [w/oRec-WM].
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Requires the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to use a minimum anticipated lifetime of 180 months for school bus depreciation schedules.
  • Requires OSPI to withhold up to 1.9 percent of 9-12 grade materials, supplies, and operating cost allocations for the provision of licenses to the universal online high school and beyond plan platform, and prohibits such allocations from being used for OSPI staff salaries or benefits.
  • Reduces the funded maximum enrollment for Running Start students to 1.2 full-time equivalents (FTE), rather than 1.4 FTE.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EARLY LEARNING & K-12 EDUCATION
Majority Report: That it be referred without recommendation and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.
Signed by Senators Wellman, Chair; Nobles, Vice Chair; Wilson, C., Vice Chair; Harris, Ranking Member; Cortes, Dozier, Hansen, Krishnadasan and McCune.
Staff: Alex Fairfortune (786-7416)
Background:

School Bus Purchasing and Reimbursement. School districts are responsible for selecting, paying for, and maintaining student transportation vehicles purchased by the district. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is responsible for developing categories and competitive specifications for school bus acquisitions as well as a corresponding list of school bus dealers with the lowest purchase price quotes. School districts and educational service districts that purchase buses through this competitive quote process or through a separate lowest-price competitive bid process are eligible for certain state funds based on the category of vehicle, the anticipated lifetime of vehicles of this category, and a state reimbursement rate. The accumulated value of the state payments received by the district and the potential investment return is designed to be equal to the replacement cost of the vehicle, less its salvage value, at the end of its anticipated lifetime.

 

The anticipated lifetime of vehicles is determined by OSPI, and is currently eight years for vehicles in category A, and 13 years for vehicles in categories C and D.

 

High School and Beyond Plans—Online Platform. All students must have a high school and beyond plan (HSBP) to graduate from high school. HSBPs utilize career interest and skills inventories, assessment results, information about graduation pathway options, and other tools to inform course-taking that aligns with the student's postsecondary goals. HSBPs must be updated annually, involve parents and guardians to the greatest extent feasible, and include required elements related to postsecondary planning such as financial aid information and a current resume or activity log.

 

With the passage of SB 5243 in 2023, OSPI began preparing to transition all public schools serving students in grades 7-12 to a universal, statewide platform for HSBP. In May 2024, SchooLinks was introduced as the new universal platform for Washington State. SchooLinks will begin serving all students by the 2026-27 school year.

 

Running Start Enrollment. The Running Start (RS) Program allows students in grades 11 and 12 to enroll in participating public institutions of higher education and to simultaneously earn both high school and college credit.  Students choosing to participate in the RS Program are responsible for applying for admission to the institution of higher education.

 

Students participating in RS programs may be funded up to a combined maximum enrollment of 1.4 full-time equivalents (FTEs), including high school and institution of higher education enrollment.
Summary of Bill:

School Bus Purchasing and Reimbursement. Beginning with school buses that are scheduled for depreciation payments as of September 2025, and those qualifying for payments after that date, OSPI must use a minimum anticipated lifetime of 180 months—15 years.

 

High School and Beyond Plans—Online Platform. OSPI must withhold up to 1.9 percent of school district allocations generated for materials, supplies, and operating costs, to be used solely for the central provision of licenses to the HSBP universal online platform. The withheld funds may not be used for salaries or benefits for OSPI employees.

 

Running Start Enrollment. After the conclusion of the 2025-26 school year, students participating in RS programs may be funded up to a combined maximum enrollment of 1.2 FTEs, rather than 1.4 FTEs.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

PRO: This is a difficult bill to put forward. It saves money by being surgical about where money is coming out of the system. It is distressing but was presented in order to balance the budget. Governor Ferguson has asked about recent changes that, given the budget climate, should be scaled back. That is how Running Start was focused on for cuts. For the bus depreciation portion, the bill doesn't change the overall amount but it does spread it out for a longer period of time. Washington State Patrol will still inspect the buses and districts are still in control about what buses they buy. The high school and beyond plan is important to maintain, this just uses a set-aside mechanism based on models in the past that were similar.

 

CON: The Governor's proposed budget and cuts shifts costs to public schools without having difficult conversations. School districts cannot afford underfunding at a structural level and these austerity cuts. These are real cuts, not efficiencies, and education equity demands investment. Running Start is a lifeline for low-income kids across the state. Washington families are facing increasing financial strain and cutting the 1.4 FTE harms those students with the least margin instead of helping pull them out of poverty. Technical colleges will lose sufficient funding to participate in high-demand programs, which will impact students' ability to complete the pathways in their high school and beyond plans. This bill makes cuts to transportation that don't make sense from an environmental or cost-savings standpoint. It just means lower performing buses are on the road longer which doesn't help meet greenhouse gas targets and is less healthy for students. Extending the age of each fleet increases the likelihood of a breakdown. Districts need a reliable depreciation schedule. Holding back materials, supplies and operating costs (MSOC) is robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Persons Testifying:

PRO: Senator Lisa Wellman, Prime Sponsor; Sheri Sawyer, Office of Financial Management.

CON: Tyler Muench, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction; Barbara Posthumus, Lake Washington School District; Megan Larkin, Washington State PTA; Jamie Traugott, Washington's State Board for Community and Technical Colleges; Carli Schiffner, Grays Harbor College; Justin Guillory, Whatcom Community College; Chio Flores, Pierce College Puyallup; Teresa Rich, Yakima Valley College; Joyce Loveday, Clover Park Technical College; Ruffaro Guzha, Washington's State Board for Community and Technical Colleges; Owen Sharp; Bryce Humpherys, Big Bend Community College; Pedro Lopez; Jesus San German Cerritos; Bria Bodenman; Jesse Humpherys; Kevin Kildun, Clover Park Technical College; Robert Maxwell, Superintendent Pullman Public Schools; Lori Christmas, Grays Harbor College; Ronin Wachter; Chris Arizabal-Jackson; Jenny Morgan, Washington School Counselor Association; Jim Kowalkowski, Rural Education Center; Evan Banal; Tiffany Lam.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: No one.