Week nine of this year’s legislative session is coming to a close and I’ll share what I know about the current state of things in Olympia in just a bit. First, a quick report from our trip to Washington, D.C. this week to advocate for public education with over 400 principals from around the country at the National School Leaders Advocacy Conference (NSLAC). Our group included eight principals and assistant principals from Washington. We attended the conference from Sunday to Tuesday and then met with our Members of Congress and/or their staff on Wednesday. Thank you to these 51¸£ÀûÉç members for spending time away from their buildings and families to do this important work!
- Jeff Charbonneau, Zillah High School, Zillah
- Kevin Collins, Orting Middle School, Orting
- Kim Doughty, Peter G. Schmidt Elementary, Tumwater
- Woody Howard, Ben Franklin Elementary, Vancouver
- Tamera Marcoe, Hunt Elementary, Puyallup
- Raquel Martinez, Sageview High School, Pasco
- Thomasina Rogers, Ridgetop Middle School, Central Kitsap
- Jason Smith, Rogers High School, Puyallup
The focuses on “fighting forward” for public education, rejecting efforts to increase voucher programs, supporting federal funding for Title grants and IDEA, calling attention to the need to recruit and retain people in education, and supporting efforts related to school safety, and to the mental health and wellness of both students and staff. While we were in D.C., the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) Linda McMahon announced layoffs of 1,300 DOE employees as a part of a plan to cut the department in half. Superintendent Chris Reykdal warns that these firings pose an immediate threat to the enforcement of civil rights laws and support for students with disabilities. For more information on the potential impacts of decisions made at the federal level, listen to Superintendent Reykdal’s from yesterday afternoon or from today’s Seattle Times.
Back in Olympia, legislators were up against the clock as they faced another significant cutoff. Bills had to pass out of their house of origin by Wednesday, March 12th in order to keep moving. There were some very late nights for the House of Representatives in particular, and committee meetings started up again on Thursday morning as bills moved to the opposite chamber.
Next week, hearings will continue as legislators move toward the next cutoff date of April 2 when policy bills have to pass out of committees. The March revenue forecast will be released which will be used for the final budgets. And, we should also see the first budget documents from Democrats which will differ from the Senate Republicans’ that was released this Tuesday. As we get closer to seeing more information and decisions made regarding the budget, Superintendent Reykdal to legislators this week to reiterate how critically important it is for our state to invest in basic education.
Bills Heard This Week
Thursday
House Education
- Supporting the implementation of competency-based education.
- Supporting public school instruction in tribal sovereignty and federally recognized Indian tribes.
Senate Early Learning & K-12
- Directing the statewide CTE task force to consider educational opportunities for careers in maritime professions.
- Providing students with opportunities for cultural expression at commencement ceremonies.
- Concerning the effective delivery and administration of basic education services to justice-involved students.
Bills Being Heard Next Week
Monday
House Education
- Expanding protections for certain students to promote inclusivity in public schools.
- Supporting remote testing options for students in online school programs.
- Repealing and reorganizing outdated statutes concerning public schools.
Tuesday
Senate Early Learning & K-12
Bills to be Determined
House Education
- Considering the experiences of historically marginalized & underrepresented groups when identifying professional development resources on certain topics.
- Concerning anaphylaxis medications in schools.
- Extending special education services to students with disabilities until the end of the school year in which the student turns 22.
- Concerning learning standards and graduation requirements.
- Encouraging public school instruction in awareness of blood donation.
Wednesday
Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education
- Concerning teacher residency and apprenticeship programs.
- Concerning school districts’ authority to contract indebtedness for school construction.
- Addressing the care of students with adrenal insufficiency by parent-designated adults.
House Appropriations
- Concerning school district materials, supplies, and operating costs.
Senate Early Learning & K-12
Bills to be Determined
Senate Higher Ed & Workforce Development
- Improving student access to dual credit programs.
For a look at all of the bills that I’m tracking, .
YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
Here are several ways to share your ideas and opinions with legislators.
Town Halls
Attend a legislative town hall! They are a great place to raise the profile of your issue and to thank legislators for their leadership. Some are in-person, and some are virtual. Many town hall meetings are scheduled for the next few weeks of March. Here are the schedules which are posted separately for the and .
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 Alert” on simple majority. 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.
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. Send written comments to StudentDiscipline@k12.wa.us by March 19.
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.
Thank you so much!
