Like many school districts across Washington, Highline continues to face funding challenges. The state has not kept pace with rising costs for insurance, utilities, transportation, materials, special education services, and other essential operations. Highline is not immune.
Last year, Highline reduced its budget by approximately $8 million for the 2026-27 school year, including a reduction of 31.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions from central office. We anticipate additional reductions will be needed for 2027-28.
Our goal is to make changes that reduce ongoing costs and put Highline in stronger financial footing for the years ahead. We have taken a multi-year approach to this work so we can make decisions based on the most current information.
“Last year’s reductions were significant and had real impacts across Highline,” said Chief Financial Officer Jackie Bryan. “We know there are more difficult decisions ahead. Taking a multi-year approach allows us to make those decisions based on what we know today, rather than projections we made two or three years ago about what our enrollment, funding and costs might look like.”
One important piece of the funding puzzle is enrollment. State funding is closely tied to the number of students we serve, so enrollment has a direct impact on our budget.
Throughout September, school and district teams are monitoring enrollment and comparing actual student counts with projections. By October, we will have a clearer picture of enrollment for this school year and what it means for our 2027-28 budget.
As the budget picture becomes clearer, we will share more about what additional reductions may be needed, how decisions will be made, and what changes are being considered.
We will continue to communicate opening throughout the process as we work to balance our budget and plan for the years ahead.