AWSP
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Advocacy & Legislation

AWSP provides a strong and respected voice on state and nationwide issues affecting K–12 schools and principals. We vigilantly monitor and research trends impacting our members’ profession, reputation, and practice. We value our members who travel to Olympia and Washington, D.C. to provide the principal’s perspective. 

We offer several ways to help you keep pace with the legislative arena, including Legislative Update (our a weekly e-newsletter during session), how to find your state legislator, how to track the status of bills and find out how your lawmaker voted, and practical tips for talking with legislators.

We focus our governmental relations efforts and legislative platform through a statewide, grassroots Legislation Committee. This collaboration identifies and prioritizes issues critical to our members, so we can work smarter on your behalf in Olympia and around the state.

Every voice matters, and it’s important for all of us to stay informed and connected.

2025 Legislative Platform



“It is difficult to envision a higher return on investment in K-12 education than the cultivation of high-quality school leadership.” ~ Wallace Foundation, 2021

The 2025 AWSP Legislative Platform focuses on leadership development, fully funding basic education, and increasing student support to ensure all students succeed, with priorities for principals and school staff.

photo of Erika Burden
Connecting with our legislators at both the local and national level is critical to ensure our legislators recognize the importance of supporting educators in their efforts to keep students safe and reach every student in their classrooms and buildings.
- Erika Burden, 2020 NASSP Advocacy Champion of the Year

Get Involved


Legislative News

Legislative Update - Feb. 1, 2019

Roz Thompson
Feb 1, 2019

advocacy day group pic

Principals in Olympia

What an amazing show of advocacy this week as 40 principals from across our state met with their legislators on Monday, January 28 for our annual “Day on the Hill”. We wore brightly colored plaid scarves in our AWSP colors which were noticed by many (that’s a good thing!) Rep. Mike Chapman from the 24th district even requested one for his scarf collection!

Many thanks to those who traveled to Olympia to meet with legislators and talk about the issues that concern them the most. Principals shared information and stories about special education funding, levy flexibility, graduation requirements, the complexities of working with the various higher education institutions and dual credit programs, and more. Many of our principals who came to Olympia established relationships that will continue throughout this session and beyond. Anyone can reach out to send legislators an email about specific issues. Find out who your legislators are and send them an email!

School safety and mental health were the big themes of the week with a powerful work session in the House Education committee on Tuesday where Alissa Parker, mother of one of the first graders who was killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting, spoke about her tragic experience and her commitment to help schools strengthen safety measures. Her presentation was followed by Dr. Eric Madfis from UW Tacoma who spoke about school safety research. One of his most powerful conclusions (that we all know to be true) is relationships matter. I hammered home this point when I testified on several school safety bills in the Senate Early Learning and K–12 Education Committee on Thursday. These bills each have a different focus, but the main topics include the use of threat assessments, defining and training School Resource Officers, and regional safety centers through the ESDs.

Here are the major safety bills so far:

  • SB 5052 | Training for SROs
  • SB 5141 | Training for SROs
  • SB 5216 | Multistage Threat Assessment
  • SB 5315 | Increasing Student Support Staff
  • SB 5317/HB 1216 | Comprehensive School Safety
  • HB 1305 | SROs in Schools
  • HB 1308 | Firearms on Schools Grounds in Certain Conditions
  • HB 1245 and HB 1507 | Both are related to comprehensive safety planning related to school buildings and construction.
  • HB 1216 | The companion school safety bill in the House to be heard next week.

Also on tap next week is a long list of bills related to many different topics:

House Bills

  • HB 1057 | School Bus Safety
  • HB 1221 | Youth Suicide Prevention
  • HB 1191 | Notifications of Student Criminal Offenses
  • HB 1263 | Homeless Student Support
  • HB 1272 | Lunch Duration
  • HB 1264 | Secondary Trauma in School Staff
  • HB 1454 | Responsive System for Students with Disabilities
  • HB 1674 | Changing “Alternative Learning” to “Personalized Learning”
  • HB 1479 | Building Capacity Within School Workforce Related to Mental Health

Senate Bills

  • SB 5066 | Simple Majority for Bonds (50%)
  • SB 5252 | Simple Majority for Bonds (55%)
  • SB 5070 | Bilingual Educators
  • SB 5087 | World Language Competency Grant Program
  • SB 5159 | Transitional Bilingual Instruction
  • SB 5354 | Highly Capable Students
  • SB 5464 | Opioid Overdose Medication for Schools with Grades 7–12
  • SB 5465 | Basic Education Funding
  • SB 5532 | Special Education Funding
  • SB 5572 | Modernization Grants for Small Schools
  • SB 5603 | Enrollment and Registration for Children of Military Families

As always, please reach out with questions and comments!

Photo of Roz Thompson, smiling with shoulder-length hair, next to text that reads: ‘Roz Thompson, Government Relations & Advocacy Director’ in blue and orange on a light green background.

Legislative Update E-Newsletter

Want updates on what's going on? Trying to understand the process and learn how to make an impact?  Follow us on social media, check out our blog or this page for the latest legislative news page, and read our Legislative Update email newsletter every Friday during session.

Questions? Reach out to Roz.

Email Roz

Join Our PAC

School leaders in Washington state can take an active role in the political process by joining AWSP’s political action committee or PAC, the Washington School Principals Legislative Effectiveness Association.

AWSP-WSPLEA supports AWSP’s governmental relations efforts at both the state and national levels. It also raises and spends money to support candidates and issues that are important to the principalship and to K–12 education. Make a difference — join the PAC today!

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School Funding Coalition

The School Funding Coalition represents the voices of nearly 8,000 school district leaders from our state’s 295 school districts. We bring a front-line understanding of school district financing and the education funding issues the Legislature continues to grapple with—especially as state budget decisions are contemplated in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Coalition includes AEA, AESD, AWSP, WASA, WASBO, WSPA, and WSSDA. We believe that each and every student needs stable support, safety, access to learning, and well-equipped staff. Learn more in our Immediate Student Needs document below.

2024 Legislative Priorities