With a 98-0 vote Tuesday, the Washington State House reaffirmed its support for House Bill 2040, an education reform measure sponsored by Rep. Drew MacEwen, R-Union. The House approved the bill 97-0 last year.

House Bill 2040 seeks to provide financial relief to non-high school districts by changing the calculation of how much they’re required to reimburse neighboring high school districts for educating their students.

In order to reimburse high school districts for educating transferred students, non-high school districts can raise funds locally through enrichment levies. However, since the law requires them to pay the per-pupil levy rate of the high school district, they may find themselves in a situation where they’re not able to collect enough revenue to make the full payment. As a result, non-high school districts could be forced to tap into other resources.

MacEwen’s bill would change the law to stipulate that non-high school districts are only required to pay whichever per-pupil levy rate is lower between the two districts.

“This bill would help balance out some of the inequity that exists between the two divisions of school districts in Washington state,” said MacEwen. “Providing this financial relief for our non-high school districts would result in more funds staying in the district for local educational needs. That would be a big win for students and families across the state, especially in our more rural areas.”

House Bill 2040 now advances to the Senate for further consideration.