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 | 2023 Session Kickoff

Roz Thompson, Governmental Relations & Advocacy Director, AWSP
Jan 6, 2023


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Legislative Preview 2023

Buckle up, people! This year’s legislative session begins on Monday! 

This will be a long session lasting 105 days. It is the first year of a two-year biennium where a new operating budget for 2023-2025 and hundreds of bills will be passed. Of our 147 legislators, almost 30 of them are brand new to the Legislature.

Budget

The budget is always top of mind during session. Our state’s economy continues to bring in revenue above projections, but this growth is slowing, and there are concerns about inflation and fear of a recession. Governor Inslee released his budget in mid-December to kick off the budget conversation, but education advocates will push legislators to do more. Inslee’s primary focus for education funding is for additional educator compensation due to inflation, required by statute through an increase in IPD (Implicit Price Deflator). He also included funding for special education, school nutrition costs, outdoor education, teacher residencies, and more. For a complete look at this initial budget, please check out Dan Steele’s This Week in Olympia. Thank you, Dan!

Year of the Principal

We have been referring to this as the “Year of the Principal” (and we always include assistant principals in that!). We feel the momentum for principal support building in our conversations with others about how the system could better support your professional needs. 

We have two bills in the works just to improve the lives of our principals and ​​assistant principals. One clarifies some parts of the evaluation process, and the other provides some job protections. Check out SB 5085 and SB 5175 to learn more. Both bills will be heard by the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee next Thursday, January 12 at 1:30 pm. We would love to have everyone sign in with your support or write your legislator about why these bills are so important.

How to Advocate

Bill Tracking List

There have already been a few hundred bills pre-filed, with more to come. Please see this list for all of the education bills I am tracking. I’ll have more next week about key bills for this legislative session.

Thank you for everything you do for students and staff. Reach out to me if you have questions or 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!

Join Now

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