A groundswell of frustration and concern has unified the Whatcom County community, culminating in a powerful demand for state legislators to fulfill their constitutional obligation to fully fund K-12 education. At a packed town hall meeting held in the Blaine Performing Arts Center, approximately 100 students, parents, superintendents, and residents delivered an urgent and clear message to Olympipublic schools cannot sustain any more cuts. This unified local plea stands in direct opposition to the governor’s proposed supplemental budget, which includes significant cuts to education and casts a shadow of uncertainty over the future of the region’s schools. The gathering served as a stark reminder of the growing disconnect between the fiscal realities presented by state officials and the on-the-ground needs of students and educators, setting the stage for a critical confrontation over the state’s paramount duty.
The Human Cost of Underfunding
The Community Mobilizes
At the heart of this advocacy effort is “Fund Schools Now,” a grassroots group formed by parents in the Blaine School District who witnessed firsthand the damaging effects of budget shortfalls on their children’s education. The group’s co-founder, Meaghan Doyle, articulated a clear two-pronged mission for the town hall: to send an unequivocal message that “no further cuts to our schools are acceptable in the short term,” and to “begin to discuss the long-term solutions” for stable and predictable funding. This dual focus demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the issue, recognizing the immediate need to halt further harm while simultaneously pushing for systemic reform. The emergence of such parent-led organizations highlights a growing trend of community mobilization stepping in to fill a perceived gap in political will and to hold elected officials directly accountable for their constitutional responsibilities, transforming personal frustration into organized political action.
The significance of this grassroots movement extends beyond a single town hall meeting, representing a powerful shift in the dynamics of education advocacy. When parents and community members organize, they bring a level of personal investment and urgency that can be difficult for lawmakers to dismiss. The story of “Fund Schools Now” serves as a microcosm of a larger statewide issue, where local communities are increasingly forced to become frontline advocates against systemic underfunding. By framing the debate around the direct impact on their children, these groups effectively translate complex budget spreadsheets into compelling human narratives. This approach challenges the bureaucratic inertia that often plagues state-level politics and underscores a fundamental demand: that the state’s constitutional duty to fund basic education is not a negotiable line item but a foundational promise to its youngest citizens. Their activism creates a clear political mandate for their representatives in Olympia.
Students Speak Truth to Power
The most compelling and impactful arguments of the evening came directly from the students, who eloquently translated abstract budget figures into the concrete realities of their daily educational experiences. Josephine Stark, a senior at Blaine High School, provided a poignant account of how funding shortfalls have directly compromised her academic development and future prospects. She detailed a significant reduction in course offerings, which has left the school with only two Advanced Placement classes, severely limiting opportunities for students to challenge themselves academically. Stark’s testimony powerfully connected the lack of resources to tangible life outcomes, stating, “I can speak firsthand on how this has affected my choices regarding college, where to apply and, at times, if it was even worth it.” Her words underscored the fact that budget cuts are not just numbers on a page but are actively shaping, and in some cases limiting, the potential of an entire generation of students across the county.
Similarly, Logan Ignacio, a student representative on the Meridian School Board, painted a vivid picture of the consequences of inadequate funding on school infrastructure and student well-being. He described the experience of “being stuck in a century-old middle school that isn’t going to be rebuilt for probably a decade,” a direct reference to his district’s recently failed bond measure and a symbol of systemic neglect. More critically, he linked financial constraints to a dangerous lapse in essential student support services, noting that “at risk or vulnerable students not get the mental health support they need because there’s only one mental health counselor in the district.” These personal accounts from students across Blaine, Meridian, Ferndale, and Mount Baker school districts served as a powerful indictment of the current funding model, effectively shifting the focus of the conversation from fiscal policy to the undeniable human cost of inaction and the long-term damage being inflicted on student well-being and academic opportunity.
The Anatomy of a Budget Crisis
Dissecting the Shortfall Special Education and Operations
District superintendents provided a detailed and alarming breakdown of the specific financial pressures they face, identifying three primary areas, or “buckets,” where state funding consistently fails to cover the actual costs of operation. The first and most critical area is Special Education. Districts are legally mandated by federal and state law to provide comprehensive services for students with special needs, yet the state’s funding allocation does not come close to covering the full expense. Ferndale School District, for example, spent $14.8 million on special education in 2025 but received only $12.6 million from the state, creating a staggering $2.2 million shortfall that must be covered by the local budget. Mount Baker Superintendent Jessica Schenck added crucial context, explaining that even after a funding increase of $900,000 from the previous legislative session, her district was still underfunded by $2 million, illustrating how even seemingly positive gains are insufficient to close the fundamental gap.
The second major area of underfunding is Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs (MSOC), a category that covers the essential, day-to-day expenses required to run a school, from textbooks and technology to utility bills and custodial services. The Blaine School District reported spending $6.2 million on MSOC in 2025 while receiving only $2.6 million from the state. This enormous disparity forces the district to make an impossible choice: use local levy dollars—funds specifically approved by voters for enrichment programs that go beyond basic education—to cover the gap for necessities. This practice not only subverts the will of local voters but also demonstrates a fundamental flaw in the state’s definition of “basic education.” When local enrichment funds must be used to keep the lights on and purchase essential supplies, it is clear that the state is failing its constitutional obligation. Transportation was named as the third major area of state underfunding, compounding the financial strain on districts.
The Vicious Cycle of Instability
This chronic shortfall, as Ferndale Superintendent Kristi Dominguez explained, forces districts into a relentless series of “hard choices,” as the legal requirements to provide services do not diminish even when the funding does. This creates a perpetual state of crisis management where administrators must decide which essential programs to cut or which staff positions to eliminate. Furthermore, Meridian Superintendent James Everett noted that any recent gains in state funding, however small, have been quickly and completely erased by a confluence of external economic pressures. Rising inflation, unpredictable fluctuations in student enrollment, and the increasing costs of staffing and benefits create a financial environment where schools are constantly struggling to keep pace, let alone make progress. This dynamic establishes a vicious cycle of financial instability that jeopardizes the long-term health and improvement of educational programs across Whatcom County.
The relentless cycle of financial instability has profound and lasting consequences that extend far beyond the annual budget process. As Blaine’s interim superintendent, Dan Chaplik, emphatically declared, “We can’t go backwards.” His statement captures the deep-seated fear that this constant fiscal pressure is not just halting progress but actively causing educational quality to regress. When districts cannot engage in long-term strategic planning, they lose the ability to innovate, develop new curricula, invest in professional development for teachers, or implement programs designed to address evolving student needs. Instead, their energy is consumed by the immediate need to balance the budget, often leading to larger class sizes, fewer course offerings, and reduced support staff. This environment of uncertainty also makes it difficult to attract and retain high-quality educators, further eroding the foundation of the school system and threatening the academic future of all students.
Olympia’s Response Promises and Priorities
In response to the powerful and unified testimony from students, parents, and administrators, the 42nd district’s legislative delegation—Rep. Alicia Rule, Rep. Joe Timmons, and Sen. Sharon Shewmake—expressed agreement with the community’s urgent concerns and promised to prioritize the issue in Olympia. Rep. Timmons assured the packed audience that their deeply personal stories were impactful and would be a constant presence with him as he returned to the state capital to deliberate on the budget. The legislators’ presence and receptiveness provided a glimmer of hope that the community’s message had been heard. Acknowledging the ongoing and systemic nature of the problem, Sen. Shewmake stated, “We left [last] session knowing there is more work to do.” She committed to continuing the difficult conversation required to find a viable path toward both a stable state budget and, as a direct consequence, the “stable school budgets” that formed the core demand of the entire Whatcom community for predictable and sufficient funding for their children’s education. The event concluded with the ball placed firmly in the legislature’s court.
