CAMANO: Community Connections – Jan. 24, 2025
Community Connections is a weekly email with news, events, and highlights from the Stanwood-Camano School District that is sent every Friday afternoon during the school year. Click here to receive future issues. Ed. Note: We excerpt those portions of Community Connections pertinent to the activities of the school board. For the full contents of the current edition of the newsletter, click this link.
Hello families
As our state legislators begin their work in Olympia, we want to provide our community with an overview of K-12 education funding.
The Stanwood-Camano School District remains committed to delivering exceptional educational opportunities for all students, thanks in no small part to your support of last year’s Educational Programs & Operations replacement levy. This local investment has been vital in maintaining critical programs and services for our schools.
At the state level, we are encouraged by ongoing discussions about addressing the structural funding challenges that have affected school districts across Washington. This year, the Legislature is focusing on several key issues for K-12 education, including:
- Increasing special education and transportation funding to better meet the needs of students with disabilities
- Enhancing mental health resources and support for students and staff
- Examining how the state’s funding formula impacts districts like ours in higher-cost-of-living areas
- Expanding Career and Technical Education opportunities to prepare students for success in a rapidly changing workforce
We will continue advocating for meaningful changes to the state’s funding model to address rising operational costs and inflation. Meanwhile, we will craft a balanced budget that ensures the long-term stability of our schools.
To learn more about this year’s budget and our budgeting process, please see our Citizen’s Guide to the Budget, the full 2024-25 budget, monthly financial reports, and more on our Budget page.
We are grateful for our community’s ongoing support and engagement, including the work of our community Budget Advisory Committee. We will keep you informed as the legislative session progresses and provide updates on how these discussions may impact our schools.
Thank you for partnering with us to support the success of every student in the Stanwood-Camano School District.
