State Funding Cuts for Education

In the span of roughly 24 hours, Washington’s legislative majority advanced two seemingly contradictory fiscal decisions. On March 11, they gave final approval to a long-contested state income tax intended to “fully fund” education. The following day, they approved a budget that reduces education funding by more than $1 billion over the next four years.

The same legislative majority that approved the income tax also finalized a supplemental budget package (SB 5998 and HB 2289), enacting more than $1 billion in cuts to child care, early learning and K–12 education over the next four years.

While families face a range of challenges when it comes to child care enrollment, cost remains one of the most significant barriers. In Washington, the median annual cost of center-based care for an infant exceeds $20,000. In King County, more than half of families paying out of pocket for infant care spend over $28,500 each year—surpassing the cost of many higher education options.

Investing in early learning and kindergarten transition programs is critical to setting children up for long-term success. These early experiences build the foundation for literacy, social-emotional development, and school readiness, while helping families and schools start strong together.