What an amazing week of advocacy here in our Washington and in the “other” Washington, our nation’s capital. Our 12 principals arrived just in time for peak cherry blossom viewing. What a treat! The National School Leaders Advocacy Conference is organized each March by NAESP and NASSP. We spent the first two days learning from expert panels, congressional staff, principals from around the country, and Cindy Marten, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Education, about various pieces of federal legislation and effective advocacy strategies. On Wednesday, over 400 principals headed to the Capitol to meet with their members of Congress to talk about educator shortages, improving school mental health, wellness, and safety resources, and various budget priorities. Our group shared poignant stories about students and staff in their buildings related to each area, and we built relationships with decision-makers and principals from other states.

As important deadlines are past and/or upcoming, negotiations between leadership, caucus members, and legislators of the opposite party are occurring behind closed doors. Those outside must wait to see what emerges. The assumed to be conference budget is a key piece yet to come. But other bill proposals also await action. So, it remains critical to continue to push/advocate with individual legislators while we learn to dance.

Welcome to the AWSP Learning Lab. Formerly known as Path, the Learning Lab is the place for you to learn whenever, wherever, and on any device. Whether you're looking for an on-demand course or a live webinar, we've got something for you.

Over the course of the next few months, I will share some resources, newsletters, and ideas to incorporate into your daily workflow and leadership practices that I, and the leaders I support, have been finding helpful, inspiring, and reflective. I’ve been following The Daily Coach and reading it daily. It's short, insightful, and I read it as one of the first things I do when I sit down with my cup of morning coffee to “wake up” to tackle the day. Short paragraphs of leadership wisdom, sometimes it’s a comeback story or a bulleted list of items to prompt reflection or journaling. Today’s “Magic Question” was, "Where are the growth opportunities in my life?"

I love APRIL. Springtime brings crazy schedules for the Cromwell Family. However, I am determined to enjoy these precious moments with my family along with the later sunsets, the blooming flowers, the birds chirping in the morning, and evenings on the back deck. All of these beautiful signs of spring make me smile. This month of April, you need to not feel guilty about shutting down your phone for an evening or weekend. Go for a walk, turn the music up a bit louder on your drive to and from work, get a massage, AND treat yourself to some me time. April is when we are starting to see the finish line for this school year, so fill YOUR bucket. I know you will find this edition of the School Celebration Newsletter helpful to bring laughter, joy, and appreciation to your work. As always, feel free to reach out to me if I can do anything to support your work or be a sounding board of ideas. I believe in you!

This was another full week in the Legislature with jam-packed agendas in committee hearings, a bit of floor action sprinkled here and there, and plenty of attention on the Senate as they released their budgets. One of my personal highlights of the week was listening to our very own Tricia Kannberg, principal at Deer Park Elementary, share how her Classroom Support App (CSA) works during a work session with members of the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Committee. Tricia and her team created the CSA to provide an immediate response to the needs of students and staff. It has been extremely effective, and the app is now used in 35 different schools. For more information, check out the video of Tricia walking through her app.

The Senate budget proposal has been released. The House proposal is yet to come. The big-ticket items have been covered earlier in this TWIO. The other financial figures related to funding benefits will be finalized once the assumed differing budget proposals are reconciled. A fuller report detailing those finances will come after the final is done.

March can feel like a long and busy month in schools, and it is the same in the Legislature. This week, there were lots of hearings on bills by committees in the opposite house. Next week is more of the same. The updated revenue forecast comes out on Monday, March 20, and this will be used to help determine the final operating budgets (and other budgets) for this year’s legislative session. We will see the Senate budget on Thursday, March 23, and it will be heard in Senate Ways and Means on Friday, March 24. We should also see the Senate Capital Budget next week. I’m hearing the House will release its budget the week after.

Leader’s Lens Newsletter, by Jacob Espinoza, has been a new find since about mid-February. I love Jacob’s writing voice, and you know what? It’s so practical! The newsletter starts with a short set of statements that ABSOLUTELY apply to leadership. There is a little bit of self-care, thought-provoking questions (great daily journal prompts), and then a “Deep Dive.” The February 19 Deep Dive leaned into The 6 Heads of Leadership…powerful read and so applicable to our AWSP Mentor Program.

The revenue forecast is set to be released on the afternoon of March 20th. Budget releases and hearings follow shortly after. Therein lies the importance of the null and void clause. As Casey Stengel might have said, “If it cost somethin’ and ain’t in the budget, it ain’t going to happen.”

The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) announces that high school students Mr. Rishi Hazra and Ms. Claire Anne Michal joined Senator Patty Murray and Senator Maria Cantwell in representing Washington during the 61st annual USSYP Washington Week, held March 4 — 11, 2023. Rishi Hazra of Sammamish and Claire Michal of Marysville were selected from among the state’s top student leaders to be part of the 104 national student delegation. Each delegate will also receive a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate study.

The deadline for bills to pass their house of origin has passed. Committee agendas are now full of hearings on bills from the opposing house. Listed below are bills that appear still ‘alive’ remembering that NTIB bills are always in the background and may come forward at any time.

These resources are sent out weekly to leaders in special education and Section 504. Each post contains tips and resources on a variety of topics that are meant to keep you informed and up-to-date.

On the morning of the house of origin cutoff, SB 5175 passed the Senate. Many thanks to all of you who engaged with your Senators and sent emails encouraging them to support this bill. Senator Lisa Wellman sponsored SB 5175, which allows districts to offer principals up to a three-year contract. We see this as an option that districts may choose to use to recruit and retain leaders, especially for high school positions. We support this bill because we hope school districts see this as an opportunity to maintain consistent leadership. Dismantling bad-for-student systems takes time and consistent, effective leadership. Principals deserve this job security due to the complex nature of their jobs and the years of experience required to become a highly effective and impactful school leader.

We are halfway to the end of this year’s legislative session, and we are fast approaching the next legislative cutoff date when bills must pass out of their house of origin. We need SB 5085 and SB 5175 to get pulled to the Senate floor by Wednesday, March 8th for a vote, or their journey this legislative session ends. I’ve heard this week that SB 5175 may get a vote but SB 5085 may not. There is a potential concern with the salary piece in SB 5085, so I told Senator Wellman to remove that section if that is what is needed to keep the bill moving.

These resources are sent out weekly to leaders in special education and Section 504. Each post contains tips and resources on a variety of topics that are meant to keep you informed and up-to-date.

Both houses were and remain in caucus or in debate on the floor, considering various bills on their respective calendars. Committee work will begin in earnest once the deadline to pass bills from their house of origin. (March 8th). House bills that passed will then be heard in Senate committees and vice versa.

Black women are the third most represented demographic for the principalship in Washington state. Knowing that, it is vital to create a brave space for black women to connect, support one another, and grow together for us to sustain ourselves in education. In response to a request from one of our leaders, AWSP created “Dear Sista,” an affinity group space for African American women leaders. The title Dear Sista is a tribute to Veronica Very’s book of poems that speaks to truth, healing, and supporting the sisterhood.

Emotional Agility is probably one of the trickiest skill sets to learn as you are busy juggling the demands of an intense school year. As we think about all that has happened over the past three years and ALL of the things we are working to handle effectively, the importance of emotional agility cannot be overlooked. Susan David, author, TedTX speaker, and co-founder of the Institute of Coaching (Harvard Medical School), is a leader in this field. Those of you participating as mentors/mentees in our AWSP Mentoring Program have been exposed to the School Leader Paradigm and how our personal and social intelligence positively/negatively impacts our ability to lead in the schoolhouse.

These resources are sent out weekly to leaders in special education and Section 504. Each post contains tips and resources on a variety of topics that are meant to keep you informed and up-to-date.