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.

This was essentially the last week that new policy bills were heard in committees as the cutoff for bills to pass out of committees of their house of origin is next Friday, February 17. Next week’s committee hearings will focus more on executive session when bills may be amended and then formally passed out of committee or not. After next week, my bill tracking list will definitely be smaller as some bills won’t make it.

The importance of advocacy cannot be overstated. Legislators need to continually hear from those impacted by proposed legislation. A lobbyist can keep issues in front of legislators, but those most closely impacted, particularly constituents, carry much more weight. Enough said. Listed below are bills that appear to be moving. Some previously reported bills have been dropped but may re-appear in future reports. Listed below are bills that show some life.

February is AWSP Member Engagement Month! Each week this month, we're highlighting opportunities for members like you to get more involved with your professional association. This week we want to call special attention to our Principal and Assistant Principal of the Year Award program.

As the calendar flipped to February this week and I realized it was the 25th day of this year’s legislative session, I felt a little relief. January was a blur as hundreds of education bills were introduced, and keeping track of those and all of the associated conversations about them takes a lot of mental energy. The first cut-off date of the year is fast approaching. February 17 is when bills must be passed out of their policy committees. The fast pace of keeping up with committee hearings continues for just two more weeks.

A reminder that the 17th of February is the first cut-off when policy bills have to make it out of their respective committees. Fiscal bills have until the 24th. So, the clock is running and selected bills are moving. Listed below are bills that show some life.

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.

The leaders of Washington’s statewide organizations representing parents and families, teachers, principals, classified school employees, superintendents, school board members, and our state superintendent have four top priorities for supporting Washington’s students this legislative session. Read their joint statement.

About 25 of our amazing principals and assistant principals will join us in Olympia on Monday, January 30, to meet with legislators at the Capitol and to attend a legislative reception in the evening. Our goal is to continue conversations about what our principals and assistant principals need to effectively lead their schools and how the Legislature can help continue supporting students and staff.

There’s a certain rhythm to the Legislature as the session continues. Action begins to move from the public hearings, to executive ones, to rules and dribbling onto the floor for action. The 17th of February is the first cut-off, and in all likelihood, the 6th is a closer measure of when new bills will cease being introduced. (It takes time to schedule, hear, etc. in order to meet the February deadline).

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.

There are so many great things about this special month that make it special. February is the month of love, a new grading term for some, my daughter’s birthday, and IT is finally starting to stay light a bit longer on my drive home. (YAHOO to all of them). February is a time for magical learning in the classroom when our students begin to hit their stride and “get it.” Our seniors are coming to the realization that graduation is around the corner. All of our hard work IS paying off, and we see the fruits of our labor. Each and every day, educators are making a difference in the lives of students, staff, and the community. Your never-ending belief in those you serve is a true game-changer. You are an inspiration. You will find this newsletter full of easy-to-use ideas to bring joy, laughter, and support to your team. February celebrations seem to all revolve around food, so you may want to purchase some Pepcid to keep on hand next time you are at the store. As always, feel free to reach out to me if I can support your work and to share your celebrations.

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.

This week, we would like to spotlight Hazen High School in Renton, WA. Principal Ashley Landes created this auto-reply email in collaboration with her counseling team and shared it with her staff at their meeting before the break to help staff understand the additional community resources to support students while school wasn’t in session. Knowing that their students had access to support beyond school allowed many staff to disengage from email and enjoy their time off.  At Hazen, this auto-reply was added to staff email over the holiday; however, a similar message could be used after school hours and on weekends to ensure access to available resources. Thank you, Team Hazen, for this great idea and powerful inclusionary practice, which allows students with diverse needs to access community resources.  This template was adapted from their resource list so our members can add their local resources.

Bills continue to be introduced but the real action happens as committees hold public hearings and executive sessions on various bills. Executive sessions often follow. Changes in planned agendas also often happen at the last moment. Listed below are bills that show some movement. Others were reported last week but are not repeated this week if no activity has occurred to date.

The second week of the session is coming to an end. Almost 1,000 bills have been introduced so far, with more on the way. The highlight of the week was that our two bills related to principal and assistant principal employment were both passed out of the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Committee. SB 5085 and SB 5175 now move on to the Rules Committee, where legislators on that committee will decide if and when to bring it to the full Senate for a vote.

Kimberley Astle, Associate Director of Elementary Science at OSPI, is currently collecting examples of elementary (K-5) instructional schedules at the classroom, school, and district level that include time allocated for science learning. The goal is to understand how teachers, schools, and districts are finding successful ways to organize instructional minutes so that elementary students are provided with the learning time they need for a quality science education.

This year’s legislative session kicked off on Monday, January 9th, and the Capitol was hopping! It was so great to see legislators, staffers, lobbyists, and other people bustling around the buildings and walkways of the Capitol Campus. For the most part, things feel the same as they did in 2020 when legislators last met in person. There are some new security features, such as metal detectors prior to going into the gallery sitting areas of the House and Senate floors, and there are more locked doors in the Cherberg and O’Brien office buildings. But, there are plenty of friendly faces to greet you in hearing rooms or escort you to members’ offices.

Jessica Buchan, assistant principal at Renton High School in the Renton School District, was named this year’s Washington State Secondary Assistant Principal of the Year. Buchan will also be recognized at the national level by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), where she will compete with winners from other states for the NASSP’s National Assistant Principal of the Year award, announced in early April.

Dana Stiner, principal at Pine Tree Elementary School in the Kent School District, was named this year’s Washington State Elementary Principal of the Year. Stiner will also be recognized at the national level by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). She will be recognized with winners from other states as one of NAESP’s National Distinguished Principals.