AWSP Blog

Here are some recent articles that might interest you if you are trying to keep track of budget discussions. This article is by DJ Wilson of the Washington State Wire and it explains how the budget process actually works. The Washington Research Council published this comparison chart of the House and Senate budgets. And, OSPI has budget tools for the 2019-20 school year on its webpage. Click on the Multi-Year Budget Comparison Tool to see how your district fares in the Governor’s budget, the House budget and the Senate budget.

Following marathon hearings by the fiscal committees in both houses, the chambers are now publicly engaged in floor action where numerous bills are debated and voted upon. As is generally the norm, for every nine bills brought to either floor and approved by the body, the tenth bill becomes hotly contested. That’s when the theatrics occur. One example, is after passing a number of bills fairly easily, a bill dealing with union dues, SHB 1575 brought things to a halt as the Republicans demanded the bill be read in its totality, a very rare occurrence.

This research used child-led tours to investigate how young children’s spatial autonomy is enacted in two contrasting environments: their home and a forest setting. Spatial autonomy, by inviting children to form a relationship with their environment, can promote agency, a sense of self, self-confidence, and a healthy relationship with their environment.

“No! No! No!” was the constant refrain heard as the committees and floor debated numerous amendments to the budget proposals. Requests for spending totaled more than the amount either house was willing to spend or to make a priority. Concurrently, policy committees continued to hear and then move bills. All of which have been reported previously in greater detail.

Welcome to another episode of AWSP News, where we discuss this year’s National Assistant Principals Week, how Vicki Puckett and the Mercer Island School District empower and use student voice, how the Association of Washington Student Leaders can help you harness student voice, and a great example from Bob Walters on how to use our pay gap video with your district administration.