May 29, 2025
By: Katherine Trowbridge
Like many school districts across Washington state, the North Franklin School District is facing significant financial challenges as it prepares its budget for the 2025–26 school year. The strain on school budgets is being felt statewide, and North Franklin is no exception.
For the past five years, districts have relied on temporary federal COVID relief funds known as ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) to help close budget gaps and maintain operations. With those funds no longer available as of the 2024–25 school year, schools are now being forced to confront structural financial imbalances that have been building over time.
"School districts are essentially operating like households, everything is just costing more," said North Franklin Superintendent Brian Moore.
Several compounding factors are contributing to the financial strain. One of the most significant is declining enrollment, driven by smaller birth rates. School districts have seen smaller kindergarten classes year after year, directly impacting the funding districts receive from the state. North Franklin has seen enrollment shrink by 50 students over the last 5 years. That is equal to roughly $500,000 lost in state funding (about $10,000 per student).
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The Franklin County Graphic (FCG) is a locally owned and operated, weekly source of community news and information across Franklin County. The Franklin County Graphic is a Legal Newspaper (approved January 11, 1955).
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