Breaking Down the Big 5

*The Big 5 is a framework for structural changes our school’s need, but in no way an all inclusive list of reforms, programs, and spending priorities necessary to transform our schools. We encourage community stakeholders, youth, and lawmakers to support the Big 5 + other community-led demands.

This is a grassroots campaign. This work can only be done together.

The Big 5 challenges our state lawmakers, agencies, and education associations' growing consensus around what they call the "Big 3" (in blue).

  1. Increasing special education funding;

  2. Fulfilling K—12 transportation needs; and

  3. Adjusting materials and administrative costs for inflation.

The Big 5 goes further, adding:

  1. Equitable Funding: Reform our funding model, the prototypical model, and allocate funding more equitably through meaningful reforms to our few equity measures.  

  2. Fix Our Unfair Tax Code to Fully Fund our Schools: Pass new progressive sources of revenue to fix our regressive tax code through expansions to capital gains tax, wealth tax, payroll taxes, and a constitutional amendment to allow for progressive income tax.

Big 3

Fully Funded Special Education

Special Education is being unlawfully underfunded by our federal government since the passage of the IDEA Act in 1975.

In addition to calling for federal reforms, our state lawmakers must remove the SPED spending caps and increase workforce development investments in our educators, especially our Education Service Professionals (ESP), such as para-educators.


Address Rising Inflation for Operating Costs

Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs (MSOC) continue to be underfunded by the state, as local prices rise across the country.

Liability costs have grown 100% in the last 5 years, suggesting that while we need to raise funds to adjust for inflation, we must also finally face the culture and class wars plaguing our districts with expensive lawsuits.


Fund Student Transportation

Students need access to our schools, this means reliable and sustainable transportation.

In addition to ensuring funding for a more robust transportation system, we must invest in electric modernizations to our state’s fleet.


The Big 5 adds:

Adopt Meaningfully Equitable Funding Measures

This means overhauling our funding model, the prototypical model, and allocating funding more equitably through reforms to both Local Effort Assistance and Learning Assistance Programs.

For more details, check out Education Finance 101 and more!

Fix Our Unfair Tax Code

We must pass sources of revenue to fix our regressive tax code.

This means expanding capital gains tax, wealth tax, payroll taxes, and a constitutional amendment to allow for progressive income tax.

For more information, check out Balance our Tax Code Coalition.

Why does Washington State need the Big 5?

1

Washington’s tax code, which dictates how our school funds are generated, is decided by the state Legislature and framed by our state constitution.

Our system regressively draws on sales and property taxes, and research shows this tax code has a disproportionate impact on the poor and working class.

This was decided by five men on the State Supreme Court in 1933.

Read more:

The Stranger - Parents Are Right to Yell About School Closures

The Stranger - Mad About Closures?


South Seattle Emerald - “Big 5” Launch

2

As OSPI Superintendent Reykdal highlighted in his 2025-27 Budget Proposal press conference, our state would need a $4 billion investment to match the national average at 3.53% to 3.17% of GSP. 

Washington is below the national average of 3.53%, at a dismal 3.17% of our state’s total income, or Gross State Product (GSP).  

With the unique feature of our state constitution being its “Paramount Duty” to “amply fund education,” we cannot settle with average, but compete alongside global leaders who spend 4% of what they have in the pantry. 

Chile and Norway lead the globe when it comes to Education spending at 3.9% and 4.6%, respectively.

To reach 4% of GSP, it would take $10 billion in new revenue and spending per year. 

We believe to fix it, we must fund it. 

The experts agree that “with schools, money does indeed matter.” 

Read more:

South Seattle Emerald - Education Finance 101

South Seattle Emerald - Education Finance 102