Edmonds School District federal funding back to pre-COVID levels, reports show

At its Nov. 18 meeting, the Edmonds School District Board adopted school improvement plans, reviewed financial reports, approved nutrition and wellness policy changes, and reviewed new policy on student discipline and school board director ethics. 

Business and Finance Report

Executive Director of Business and Finance Lydia Sellie presented the budget status reports for August and September 2025.

Financial health and fund balance: The total fund balance was reported at 8.61%, which slightly exceeds a potential minimum fund balance of 8.5% suggested by Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) for large school districts. The District anticipates that it will not be on the list of schools facing “binding conditions” (a state designation given to districts that can’t provide a balanced budget, potentially leading to financial oversight).

Revenues and Expenditures

• Curriculum: The District set aside approximately $1 million for two curriculum adoptions planned for the 2026–2027 school year: high school Earth, space, physical science and high school social studies.
• Enrollment: K–12 enrollment projections for 2024–2025 were nearly spot-on, with only 37 students below what was budgeted for. However enrollment for 2025-2026 is on track to decrease by over 300 students from last year. While current underspending in other areas kept the District’s overall financial plan on target despite the enrollment dip, continuous decline makes it challenging to support the existing infrastructure, Sellie said. 
• Funding Sources: Federal revenues are back to pre-COVID levels, sitting at about 4% of the District’s total revenue. However, reductions are anticipated for federal programs including English language learning and technology for 2026-2027. State categorical funds, specifically special education and transportation, increased as a percentage of the total funding, Sellie said. 
• Levies and Bonds: The District levies a specific dollar amount, meaning that if property assessed valuation declines, the District will still collect the dollar amount levied, offering stability in a declining economy, Sellie said. The District is planning for a future bond sale of $200 million in fall 2026 – the second of three planned sales within the total $594 million bond authorization.

School Improvement Plans (SIPs): The Board unanimously approved the SIPs for 2025-2026. SIPs are typically three-year plans, but the one-year goals and strategies are revised annually based on performance and school autonomy. The District encouraged schools to be specific in their goals, such as focusing on a particular grade level (e.g., fourth or fifth grade) for math and reading, rather than applying a broad stroke across all grades.

Highly Capable Program Plan: The Board also unanimously approved an annual Highly Capable Program Plan and its funding. This plan is necessary to secure resources for student identification, teacher professional learning, supplemental curricular materials, and staffing.

2026 levy pro/con committee selection: The board selected Vonita Hallock Francisco for the “pro” committee for its upcoming replacement Educational Programs and Operations levy slated for the February 2026 ballot. The pro committee will write a statement in favor of the ballot for the Snohomish County Voter’s Pamphlet. Hallock Francisco is a parent of a child in the District and a long-time member of the Parent-Teacher Association. 

However, there were no applicants for the con committee as of Tuesday. The District reopened applications and is set to select an applicant at the next board meeting. 

Student discipline policy changes: The proposed revisions are intended to make permanent updates the District previously implemented under emergency rules. The updated policy aims to align with state and federal requirements and promote equitable, restorative and instructional approaches to student discipline over exclusionary measures.

Revisions include:

• Explicit acknowledgment of historical disproportionality and a commitment to equity-driven implementation.
• Requirements for using restorative and preventive strategies before considering exclusion.
• Expanded student protections related to gender identity, neurodivergence, housing status and citizenship.
• A mandate for annual review of disaggregated discipline data by race, gender, income, disability and language.

Board member ethics policy: The District doesn’t currently have a policy on ethics for school board directors. The proposed policies were developed by the Washington State School Directors’ Association. The policies require directors to adhere to the state’s code of ethics for municipal officers, with the potential of being removed from the board for noncompliance.

In other business, the board approved a resolution accepting a public works contract for the covered play structures project at Brier and Martha Lake Elementary Schools. The project was completed by Exxel Pacific, Inc. on Aug. 29, 2025 for $1.6 million. 

The board also unanimously approved changes to three board policies on nutrition, recess and physical activity and wellness. The changes were minor and didn’t affect any procedures. The changes clarified and removed repeated language among the three policies.  

The agenda and meeting recording are available on the District’s website. 

— Contact Ashley at ashley@myedmondsnews.com.