As we plan for the next school year's budget, we engaged our community to understand the most important factors Highline needs to consider to support all students.
More than 330 ideas were shared, with nearly 13,000 ratings by 360 participants. A strong majority of 69% of participants reported they know at least a little bit about the budget development process.
Key Themes
Here are the top themes we heard from the ThoughtExchange, along with how they align with our priorities and investments.
Staffing and Support
What our community is saying
Our community emphasized the need to retain qualified staff. They expressed that ensuring teachers, paraeducators, and support staff receive adequate compensation and support is a priority.
How we’re responding
We share our community’s commitment to investing in high-quality staff. One of our strategic plan goals is to foster a culture of belonging—which includes engaging and retaining staff so they can best support students.
We have a strong track record of advocating for competitive wages to attract and retain educators. In 2023, Highline increased paraeducator pay, ensuring all paraeducators earn at least $25 an hour to strengthen recruitment and retention. In 2024, teacher salaries increased 1% above the state-funded cost-of-living adjustment (COLA).
Class Sizes
What our community is saying
Many participants highlighted the importance of maintaining smaller class sizes. This was frequently mentioned as a way to support inclusion and meet the diverse needs of all students.
How we’re responding
Our community values our commitment to keeping class sizes smaller than the state’s standard.
Highline maintains lower class sizes than what is funded by the state because we believe smaller class sizes help students get the support they need. We will continue prioritizing this in our budget planning.
Inclusion and Special Education
What our community is saying
Strong support was voiced for ensuring inclusion and adequate resources for special education. Participants emphasized that staffing and resources are necessary to provide all students, including those with special needs, the support they need to succeed.
How we’re responding
Inclusion is one of our big four priorities this year: inclusionary practices, secondary redesign, literacy, and multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). Our community’s feedback affirms this focus.
State funding for special education continues to fall short, requiring us to use local levy dollars to cover gaps. We are actively advocating for increased state funding so every student can receive the support they deserve.
Mental Health and Well-being
What our community is saying
Addressing student mental health was a key theme. Community members stressed the need for staff dedicated to supporting students’ mental health to create a safe and supportive learning environment.
How we’re responding
We invest beyond what the state funds to provide mental health support for students. Highline exceeds the state-funded allocation for mental health staff, using local levy dollars to pay for additional counselors and psychologists.
This investment directly supports our strategic goal of creating a culture of belonging for every student. We will continue prioritizing student well-being as we build next year’s budget.
Funding Resources
What our community is saying
Ensuring adequate funding and resources was another top concern. Participants identified priorities such as fully funding school staff, providing free breakfast and lunch programs, and ensuring teachers and students have the resources they need for academic success and overall well-being.
How we’re responding
Our community agrees with our three key funding priorities for the 2025 legislative session:
- Special Education Funding – Equitable education for all students requires adequate state funding.
- Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs (MSOC) – Rising costs due to inflation should not be a local burden.
- Transportation Funding – Safe, reliable transportation should be fully funded by the state.
Currently, nearly14% of Highline’s budget relies on local levy funds to cover essential expenses—funding that should come from the state. If school districts receive full state support in these areas, we can redirect local dollars to programs that directly support students.
Additionally, we are closely monitoring federal funding implications under the new federal administration. Changes in federal funding policies could have a significant impact on school budgets, and we will continue advocating for stable and adequate federal support for public education.
We will continue pushing for full state and federal funding to ensure Highline students have the resources they need to succeed.
Interactive Report
See all the thoughts shared in the exchange by reviewing our interactive report.
Next Steps
This ThoughtExchange is one of several ways we are engaging our community in the budget development process. The feedback collected will help inform decisions as we shape next year’s budget, ensuring it reflects the priorities and needs identified by our community.
We appreciate your time and commitment to ensuring Highline provides every student with the resources and support they need to succeed.
More Budget Information
- In October, we shared student enrollment is higher than projected—marking the first time since 2018 that enrollment has not decreased. Enrollment numbers are a critical factor in state funding and play a key role in our budget planning.
- In November, we highlighted Highline’s advocacy for increased state funding in three areas. Our 2025 legislative priorities focus on securing essential resources for students and schools.
- The School Board held a work session on the budget development process on Wednesday, December 11.
- In December, we shared that we do not anticipate additional reductions in the 2025-26 budget after eliminating $8 million from our district budget for the 2024-25 school year and steady enrollment.
- In January, Superintendent Ivan Duran co-authored an editorial in The Seattle Times urging lawmakers to address Washington’s K-12 education funding crisis. We also shared our enrollment projections for next school year.