2026 Legislative Candidate Questionnaire
Chipalo Street
Candidate for
State Senator
37th Legislative District
1.
Legislative priorities
Seattle Council PTSA: What will be your top three legislative priorities regarding K-12 public education during the 2027 legislative session and why?
Chipalo Street: Address funding shortfalls in MSOC (materials, supplies, and operating costs), further improving special ed funding by removing the gap on safety net reimbursement, and improving staffing like counselors, nurses, and social workers.
2.
State budget priorities and revenue
Seattle Council PTSA: As the Legislature develops the 2027–29 state budget, how would you prioritize K–12 public education alongside other state needs? What changes, if any, to state revenue policies would you support to ensure adequate and sustainable education funding?
Chipalo Street: As Vice Chair of the Finance Committee, I was part of the small team that worked on the Millionaires Tax so our state’s wealthiest will pay their fair share to increase funding for education, health care, and other key services. Going forward we need to focus on implementation so special interests don’t carve out exemptions. We can also consider restructuring our B&O tax and revisit progressive sources of revenue like the wealth tax.
3.
Levy reliance and regional funding inequity
Seattle Council PTSA: What changes, if any, would you support to reduce school districts' reliance on local levies and address funding inequities between districts?
Chipalo Street: Local levies should supplement, not determine, the quality of a child’s education. Washington should strengthen levy equalization for property-poor districts and update funding formulas to reflect actual student needs and regional costs.
4.
Special education funding
Seattle Council PTSA: Do you believe the current state funding formula, including the special education multiplier, adequately covers special education costs? What specific changes, if any, would you support?
Chipalo Street: The state still does not fully reimburse school districts for safety net spending - exceptionally expensive services, including one-on-one aides, specialized therapies, or intensive behavioral support. We need to ensure the funding formulas and safety net reimbursements cover the actual costs of providing legally required services, rather than forcing districts to divert resources from general education.
5.
Materials, supplies, and operating costs (MSOC)
Seattle Council PTSA: Do you believe the state's current MSOC funding formula adequately covers school districts' operating expenses, including utilities, insurance, and technology? What specific changes, if any, would you support?
Chipalo Street: No. Despite recent increases, the MSOC funding formula does not adequately reflect the actual costs districts face, particularly rapidly rising insurance premiums, utilities, technology, and facility maintenance. I support updating the formula to reflect actual district expenditures rather than relying solely on a general inflation index.
6.
Transportation funding
Seattle Council PTSA: What is your assessment of the state's current STARS transportation funding formula? What specific changes, if any, would you support?
Chipalo Street: STARS is especially problematic for students whose transportation needs can be more complex and expensive (eg. those with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, and students in foster care). I support reforming STARS to better reflect actual costs, including specialized transportation, contracted services.
7.
Student mental and behavioral health
Seattle Council PTSA: What specific funding or policy changes, if any, would you support to ensure schools have sufficient counselors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, and other mental and behavioral health professionals to meet students' needs?
Chipalo Street: I support updating Washington's prototypical school funding model to provide more counselors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, and other mental and behavioral health professionals.
8.
School safety
Seattle Council PTSA: What does a safe school environment mean to you, and what specific policies or investments would you prioritize to create it? Please address both physical safety and the conditions inside schools, including discipline, student support, and staff capacity to respond to student needs.
Chipalo Street: A safe school is one where every student is physically secure, respected, and supported. I would prioritize violence prevention, emergency preparedness, and safe routes to school. I also support restorative, trauma-informed, disciplinary practices that address harm without
9.
Early learning
Seattle Council PTSA: What is your view of the state's responsibility to expand access to quality early learning, and what would you do in the 2027-29 budget to address unmet needs in communities like ours?
Chipalo Street: The first thing we need to do is restore the funding that was cut from early learning. This will be hard in the coming budget given the projected deficit so the priority will be preventing more cuts. Once revenue from the millionaire tax begins to be collected we should prioritize K-12 and early learning.
10.
Prototypical school funding model
Seattle Council PTSA: The state calculates school funding through the prototypical school funding model, including staffing allocations and student-to-staff ratios. What specific changes, if any, would you support?
Chipalo Street: I support updating the prototypical school funding model to reflect the actual staffing needs of our schools rather than relying on inadequate formulas. That means adjusting staffing allocations to reflect student needs, poverty, and regional costs.
11.
Millionaires' Tax Revenue
Seattle Council PTSA: Do you support Washington's Millionaires' Tax? Why or why not? If you support it, how do youbelieve the revenue should be allocated, particularly for K–12 public education, and whatspecific changes, if any, would you propose? If you oppose it, what alternative revenue sourcesor funding changes would you propose to meet the state's K–12 education funding obligations?
Chipalo Street: I earned positions in Democratic leadership and on tax and budget committees to champion the millionaires tax. A key part of the bill is to direct a large portion of the money to the general fund. My goal is to use a lot of it for improved special ed funding, sufficient MSOC distributions, strong staffing ratios, and expanded early learning programs.
12.
Family and student participation & accountability
Seattle Council PTSA: How would you ensure that students and families have meaningful opportunities to participate in education policy decisions at the state and district levels? What specific steps would you support to ensure that adopted policies are implemented effectively and that districts are held accountable for following them?
Chipalo Street: Students and families should be partners in shaping education policy, not simply informed after decisions are made. I support strengthening advisory councils, expanding language access, and ensuring underrepresented communities have meaningful input. At the state level, I always prioritize constituent engagement when developing legislation. Transparency is a key part of accountability. Requiring districts to publicly report implementation progress will help us identify when they are not delivering on their mandated policies.
