Definition of “An embarrassment of riches”. So many good things that it is difficult to fund just one. The legislative session has concluded, the Governor has acted, and now as the show goes on, districts have to adjust. The supplemental budget (ESSB 5693) approved by the Legislature and the Governor increased general fund spending to $64 billion, an increase of $5 billion over the budget approved in April 2021. The final budget increased state spending by 24% over the previous biennium and by more than 50% since 2017.

It’s a great time to honor the enormous contributions assistant principals make to student success. The many roles of the assistant, associate, and vice-principals have expanded and evolved as a result of a pandemic, remote learning, and all sorts of safety and health considerations most of us never even imagined. Through it all, our assistant principals have demonstrated unwavering leadership. At AWSP, we will continue to highlight the crucial role APs play, advocate for increased funding to provide more APs, and normalize making the assistant principal role not just a stepping stone on the way to the principalship, but a role worthy of respect, praise, and appreciation for those who find the role to be perfect for them.

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

In this episode of AWSP News, we discuss self-care and recharging during Spring Break, the Assistant Principal job and National AP Week, this year’s Washington winner of NAESP’s National Outstanding Assistant Principal award, principal job postings, the AWSP/WASA Summer Conference, the Smarter Reporting System and your students' data, and sharing ideas on how to improve the quality of life for school principals and assistant principals.

The recent HB 1941 (2022) added language to the regular drill requirements. The new language seems to have caused a bit of confusion. Let’s take a quick look at school safety drills.

I love APRIL. Spring time brings crazy scheduling for the Cromwell Family. Cooper, is playing baseball on two teams, and Kenzi, is preparing for high school graduation. We are taking time to enjoy these precious moments with our children along with the later sunsets, the blooming flowers (even though it brings out my husband's allergies), the birds in the morning, smell of fresh bark, and evenings on my deck. All of those signs of spring make me smile. However, April brings with it a new level of exhaustion for educators. This is the month 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 because you can't take care of others if you don't have anything to give from. I hope you find this edition of my newsletter helpful to bring laughter and joy to your work. Feel free to reach out to me if I can do anything to support your work or be a sounding board for ideas. You got this.

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

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

Comfortable in her role as an assistant principal, Dickert embodies the ‘bloom where you are planted’ adage. "She effectively accomplishes all the essential duties of a strong instructional leader with grace and humor, and in every interaction communicates her desire and vision for a better future for all,” said Mill Creek Principal Brenda Fuglevand about Dickert. “She maintains an artful balance of attention to high academic standards, respectful and personable interactions, humor, positive presuppositions, and an unwavering focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

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

And just like that, the Legislature has adjourned! This short session was a whirlwind of policy discussions and budget negotiations. In the end, legislators voted on final supplemental and capital budgets that show tremendous support for students, educators, and schools. There was a last-minute push yesterday to get HB 1699 across the finish line, which was amazing. This bill will allow retired educators, including administrators in districts with less than 2,000 students, to work more hours each year in schools.

At AWSL, we are hearing the same feedback from students, teachers, and administrators across the state. There is tension at school. There are tough moments to move through in the classroom, leaving teachers and administrators feeling underprepared and students feeling unseen and frustrated. "Hot moments," a sudden eruption of conflict or tension in the classroom, can bring up an array of big emotions for people. Often, these occur when a student says something politically charged, may exhibit bias(es), or would be considered a microaggression. This moment can bring on feelings of uncertainty for everyone involved. You may not know how to move through it to interrupt harmful comments or behavior without escalating the situation even further. It may be tempting to let it go and not “make a big deal out of it,” however, as students voiced in our Student Voice Groups, not doing anything opens the door to even more harmful behavior. So, what can you do? Read on for five strategies to consider when faced with a Hot Moment in the classroom.

The state DOH published an update to the Requirements and Guidance to Mitigate COVID–19 Transmission in K–12 Schools, Child Care, Early Learning, Youth Development, and Day Camp Programs document today. These updated school health and safety requirements take effect March 12 to coincide with the lifting of general indoor masking requirements. DOH is releasing it today to help people plan for this transition.

Our job jar is currently down. We apologize for the inconvenience. For now, please search for or post a job on WASA's Career Connection site. Our IT support company is working with the job jar vendor to restore functionality as quickly as possible, but we don't have an ETA at the moment.

It was budget week in the Legislature as both House and Senate Democrats released their supplemental operating budgets. Both budget bills had hearings within hours of their release on Monday, and both were amended within days of these hearings. Budget negotiators from both chambers will now seek to reconcile differences and come to a final budget before “sine die” (the last day of the session), scheduled for March 10.

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

At the beginning of the 2021–22 school year, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) released revised Student Growth Rubrics for schools and districts for their optional use this year. The revised rubrics capture key learnings from the past ten years of student growth goals as part of the evaluation process and are informed by feedback from schools that elected to pilot the revised rubrics this year.

The legislative clock continues to count down. The Senate is dealing with 85 bills while the House has 65 on their calendar for possible action. March 4th is the last day to consider opposite house bills. Both chambers then retreat into cloaked meetings to negotiate bills differences. While these negotiations are going on, any upcoming committee agendas will generally be scheduled work sessions to set direction for the interim and next session. That’s assuming they meet.

The Legislature used these words to underscore the importance of safety planning when it first required districts and schools to develop and maintain safety plans twenty years ago in 2002. Two things jump out at me when I read this. First, the foundational importance of ensuring a safe learning environment. That safe environment includes physical, psychological, emotional, and educational safety. And second, the environment is safe for all. All.

I started as the Professional Learning Service Specialist on January 10th. I greatly appreciated the warm, welcoming atmosphere and the camaraderie of the entire staff, which was completely foreign to me compared to my previous careers. The real gem here is the actual work. It is challenging and a complete uphill trek, but we are determined and focused. We support principals throughout their whole leadership journey, from aspiring to retiring.