We’ve reached the halfway point of this year’s legislative session and we have a long way to go. As I’m paying attention to the floor action in Olympia this week, I also have my eye on our trip to Washington, DC this weekend to attend the National School Leaders Advocacy Conference hosted by NAESP and NASSP. There are about 10 51¸£ÀûÉç members from across the state who will be attending the conference Sunday through Tuesday and meeting with our Members of Congress next Tuesday and Wednesday. Here is the prepared by NAESP and NASSP as well as what of our Members of Congress. I’ll report more about our DC trip next Friday.
Legislators have been busy in Olympia this week passing bills off of the floor of each chamber. The cutoff for policy bills to pass either the House or the Senate is Wednesday, March 12. Whatever bills make it past that deadline will then move to the opposite house and the process starts all over again. Ever present throughout this session is what to do about the budget and the shortfall in our state.
The primary K-12 budget bills are listed below. Bills related to two of the “Big 3” issues remain in play: Special Education and Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs (MSOC). We continue to hope that special passengers (students experiencing homelessness or foster youth, etc.) receive additional transportation funds in the budget. The House has earmarked significantly less funding for K-12 than the Senate. The initial level for MSOC funds in was about $300/student but the bill was drastically reduced in Appropriations to $5/student. In the Senate, (MSOC) increases the per student amount by about $77/student. (See below for our Action Alert urging for the Senate bill.)
The two special education bills that remain alive have differences as well. The House bill () would increase the special education excess cost multipliers for kindergarten through age 21 to 1.18 for students who spend at least 80 percent of the school day in a general education setting, and 1.09 for those who spend less than 80 percent. The Senate bill () would increase the special education funding multipliers for Pre-K students and K-12 students to 1.32 and it would eliminate the multiplier tiers that provide different levels of funding based on time spent in a general education setting. I don’t have the final funding amount for these two bills, but the larger multiplier in the Senate bill signals significantly more funding for special education than the House bill.
In addition to the funding amounts, the House bill has some notable differences. The House bill would include grants for up to 20 pilot schools to establish school-wide centers of excellence for inclusionary practices and it would require OSPI, subject to appropriations, to provide grants for six demonstration projects to support inclusive teacher practices and student behavior management practices. The House bill would also require OSPI to use information gathered from demonstration projects and provide technical assistance to develop a strategy and timeline for prohibiting isolation of students in prekindergarten through grade 5 and to report on the plan by December 1, 2027. This is important to note because (Restraint and Isolation) failed to move out of House Appropriations so is technically “inactive” until the next legislative session.
Here’s a look at some of the other remaining bills. For my current bill tracking list, .
Budget
/: Operating budget
/: Capital budget
/: MSOC
/: Special education
/: Simple majority for bonds
Health and Safety
/: Extending penalties for violence at extracurricular activities
: Adrenal insufficiency
: Updating emergency response systems
: Anaphylaxis medications
: Encouraging awareness of blood donation
/: Survivors of sexual assault in schools
: Promoting inclusivity in school
Students and Their Learning
: Transition to Kindergarten
: Cultural expression at commencement
: Financial education
: Learning standards (computer science and financial education)
: Basic education services for justice-involved students
/: Remote testing
: Competency-based education
: Instruction in tribal sovereignty
: Student access to information about media literacy and civic education
CTE and Dual Credit
: Dual credit programs
: CTE programs
: Work restrictions ages 16, 17
: Maritime careers task force
: CTE careers work group
: CTE in 6th grade
Parents and Workforce
: Survey information for public schools
: Promoting a safe and supportive public education system
: Amending the parents’ rights initiative
: Teacher residency programs
Discipline Rules
As you know, OSPI released emergency discipline rules related to classroom exclusions at the start of the school year. They have now opened public comment on the and we strongly encourage you to submit feedback to OSPI (even a short email) to ensure that building perspectives are heard. There are several ways you can provide feedback. You can send written comments to StudentDiscipline@k12.wa.us by March 19. You can also show up in person at one of four locations across the state. For more details, read my blog here.
Action Alerts
We now have THREE Action Alerts going on our “Advocacy and Action Center” page. One for Simple Majority for Bonds, one for Special Education funding, and one for Materials, Supplies, and Operating Costs. Please take action now and send an email to your legislators about all three of these important issues. This is an easy way to get the word out across our state that K-12 education needs their support.
Click on the link above, and scroll down the page until you see the orange “Action Alerts.” Enter your home or school address and then you’ll see a prewritten email that will go to your legislators. You can also add more information or anecdotes to this email if you’d like.
Get Involved
As always, many thanks for all that you do for students and staff. If you have questions or comments or want to get involved in our advocacy efforts, please reach out to me.
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Important Links
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