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.
“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.
The Advocacy Advisory Council serves as both liaison and resource to the AWSP Board on legislative matters. Members communicate with principals and assistant principals around the state on issues of concern, monitor legislative action, and assist with testimony as appropriate. Advisory Council members also identify and prioritize the association’s yearly Legislative Platform(PDF) for approval by the AWSP Board.
Learn MoreOur Advocacy & Action Center provides all the updates, tracking, resources, and action plans you need to stay informed and make your voice heard. Use it to stay informed and take action on the issues you care about. Legislators need to hear from you. Not sure where to begin? Already got a meeting scheduled? Our tip sheet will show you some of the best ways to communicate with lawmakers and their staffs.
Take ActionThe first fiscal committee deadline passed on Monday, and the list of active bills got even smaller as executive action by both the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Ways and Means Committee was not taken on some bills. The Legislature spent the rest of this week (and will spend all of next week) on floor action trying to get bills passed out of each house in order to meet the next deadline of March 9th. This is a much slower process in a remote session, so fewer bills will survive this session. We are watching to see which bills are still moving and will keep advocating to get bills of importance to the floor for votes.
This week several principals attended the National Leaders Conference (virtually!), which was put on by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). There were some good keynote sessions (you can see the presentation slides here) from Dr. Marguerite Roza, Director of the Edunomics Lab of Georgetown University, Danny Carlson, NAESP Associate Executive Director of Policy and Advocacy, and Jeremy Anderson, President of the Education Commission of the States.
We also met with some staff members from the offices of Representative Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, Representative Pramila Jayapal, and Senator Patty Murray. A big thank you to Paul Marquardt, Principal at Shining Mountain Elementary in Bethel; Erika Burden, Principal at Westwood Middle School in Cheney; and Derek Forbes, Principal at Meridian High School in Meridian who spent a few hours as our NAESP and NASSP representatives to meet with congressional staff to talk about education funding, assessment, broadband, and school reopening issues.
Outdoor School for All is gaining some great momentum! This is a statewide effort to get all 5th or 6th grade students to outdoor camp for a week. Senator Sam Hunt sponsored a $10 million budget request that would help start on this goal by getting 20,000 students to outdoor camp. The Washington Outdoor School Consortium (WOSC) is sponsored by our Washington School Principals Education Foundation (WSPEF) and our staff is working with a fantastic group of outdoor education advocates all across the state to make this happen. Find out more on the Outdoor School for All website.
The State Board of Education held a special meeting on Thursday this week to discuss new rules related to emergency waivers for graduation. Thank you to those who provided initial feedback to their survey. If you have any additional feedback, the survey will be open until March 5th or you can send written comments to sbe@k12.wa.us by that same date. The board intends to approve the new rules at their next meeting on March 10–11. For more information, check out SBE’s website.
We know you are working tirelessly to get schools reopen to more students and we love hearing how rewarding it is for both students and staff to be back in buildings. As we track the discussions related to budget and policy with the Legislature and federal government, we are working to make sure that funding stays whole for next year and that your districts have the resources necessary to keep schools running safely for all. Let us know if you have any questions and keep up the great work! We are cheering you on and here to support you.
Here is the list of bills that are still active and as a reminder, some bills that may be “dead” may actually be considered “zombie bills” because they could be brought back in some fashion. Thanks to Fred Yancey for this reminder!
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 RozSchool 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!
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.