An Educational Service District, or ESD, is a regional education unit in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
school district
A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public Primary school, primary or Secondary school, secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school dis ...
, a single ESD in Washington serves dozens of school districts. ESDs are established to allow school districts to work, plan, and buy equipment collectively. In Washington, they also provide other intermediary services between the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and local school districts.
Legislative role
There are nine statutory regional service agencies in Washington. Created by the legislature in 1969, the expressed purpose of an ESD is to ensure equal educational opportunities for quality education and lifelong learning for all. In addition to acting as a liaison between local districts and the State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to deliver programs mandated by the state, Washington's ESDs are public entities, which operate in a highly entrepreneurial fashion.
In 1967, ten school districts united to share software, hardware, and centralized technology support costs. The result of this collaboration created the WSIPC Cooperative WSIPC–a unique nonprofit public agency. It is now under the umbrella of ESDs.
Scope of service
ESDs were first created as a system of county school offices overseeing the establishment and operation of local school districts for the state. Eventually, that system developed into large media distribution centers, also serving as financial advisers for schools. Now, ESDs are both regional service providers and brokers among schools, businesses, and governments for various school administrative functions and children's education, health, and social services. An ESD's scope includes but is not limited to: curriculum, instructional support and assessment, business operations, transportation, youth employment, printing, public relations, data processing, payroll, fingerprinting, network support, statewide computer networks, traffic safety education, construction management, preschool programs, homeless transportation, para-educator training, and special education.
List of ESDs
Washington state has nine ESDs that oversee 295 school districts.
* ESD 101 (Northeast ESD) in
Spokane
Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...
* ESD 105 in
Yakima
Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the state's 11th most populous city. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The ...
* ESD 112 in
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
* ESD 113 (Capital Region ESD) in Tumwater
* ESD 114 (Olympic ESD) in Bremerton
* ESD 121 (Puget Sound ESD) in Renton
* ESD 123 in Pasco
* ESD 171 (North Central ESD) in Wenatchee
* ESD 189 (Northwest ESD) in
Anacortes
Anacortes ( ) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman.List of school districts in Washington
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Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, or OSPI, is the state education agency for the State of Washington. The agency is bound by the Washington State Legislature to implement state laws regarding education, inclu ...