WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Proposed cuts to federal funding at K-12 schools could have severe effects in Whatcom County.
The Washington State Superintendent’s Office released data on how Washington school districts would be affected based on the federal budget cuts to education proposed by President Trump.
The estimates were made using enrollment numbers and fiscal data from the 2023-24 school year.
According to the report, the Nooksack Valley School District would be hit hardest in the county with an estimated loss of $244,000 in funding, or $125 per student.
Bellingham would lose more funding overall, with nearly $1 million on the chopping block, but it would equate to roughly $90 per student.
Bellingham Public Schools spokesperson Dana Smith tells MyBellinghamNow that the data includes a grant that is no longer funded and that their projection is closer to $750,000 in potentially affected funds.
She adds that the potential cuts and projects could change depending on factors in Washington, D.C.
According to Smith, the areas that would be most affected by the cuts include migrant and multilingual learner, mental health, homelessness and professional development programs.
Elsewhere in Whatcom County, the Blaine School District would lose roughly $44 per student, Ferndale would lost $59, Mt. Baker would lose $53, Meridian would lose $62 and Lynden would lose $69, according to the report from the state Superintendent’s Office.
Rural school districts would be particularly impacted by the cuts such as La Conner, which would lose nearly $680 per student, according to the report.
State Superintendent Chris Reykdal called the proposed cuts “reckless” and says they would harm Washington’s most vulnerable students and families.
The U.S. Senate is expected to deliberate on the budget through the summer.
