My quote for this week helps me remember that in spite of changes that keep coming or that may come in the future, I can stay focused on my belief in public education and my desire to support students and staff in whatever way I can.
Just this week, following our trip to Washington, D.C., President Trump signed an executive order aimed at eliminating the Department of Education. Read more about this from the Seattle Times or from Ben Mitchell, Director of Advocacy and Policy for the Foundation for Tacoma Students, in his weekly legislative update.
In Olympia, week ten of the legislative session was all about committee hearings, the revenue forecast, and revenue proposals. Fewer policy bills are moving because of the $10-$12 billion budget shortfall over the next four years. Everything is focused
on the budget situation and both the House and Senate Democrats will release their budgets on Monday, March 24.
On Tuesday, The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council (ERFC) released their forecast that now estimates that revenues will be $844 million lower over the next four years. This wasn’t entirely unexpected news, but it adds to the budget problem that legislators have. Here is an article by the Washington Research Council that explains more about the revenue forecast.
Senate Ways and Means Chair June Robinson (D–Everett) issued the following statement on Tuesday’s Economic and Revenue Forecast Council meeting: “Today’s revenue forecast shows a modest decline in projected revenue, which is what
we expected. While it doesn’t change the broader fiscal challenges we face, it reinforces the need for a balanced and sustainable approach as we finalize the 2025-27 operating budget.”
On Thursday, the Senate Democrats unveiled their revenue proposals which would tax the wealthiest citizens but also cut our state sales tax by a half-cent in order to reduce the tax burden on the majority of people. For a look at the whole revenue package,
read this article in the Seattle Times or this article by the Washington Research Council. We expect to see revenue proposals from House Democrats soon.
Bills This Week
SB 5192 (MSOC) and SB 5263 (Special Education Funding) were heard in the House Appropriations
Committee and are the two remaining bills from the “Big 3” effort to fully fund basic education. Approximately $1 billion would be added to basic education funding over the next two years if these bills pass. A tremendous show of support
from district superintendents and school board members was organized for the hearing. Thank you to so many of you who signed-in support or sent in written comments to your legislators about these bills.
Other bills that were heard this week include:
Monday
House Education
SSB 5123 - Expanding protections for certain students to promote inclusivity in public schools.
SSB 5193 - Supporting remote testing options for students in online school programs.
ESB 5235 - Repealing and reorganizing outdated statutes concerning public schools.
Tuesday
House Education
SB 5177 - Considering the experiences of historically
marginalized & underrepresented groups when identifying professional development resources on certain topics.
SSB 5240 - Concerning anaphylaxis medications in schools.
SSB 5253 - Extending special education services to students with disabilities until the end of the school year in which the student turns 22.
SSB 5327 - Concerning learning standards and graduation requirements.
SB 5641 - Encouraging public school instruction in awareness of blood
donation.
Wednesday
Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education
ESHB 1651 - Concerning teacher residency and
apprenticeship programs.
HB 1796 - Concerning school districts’ authority to contract indebtedness for school construction.
SHB 1709 - Addressing the care of students with adrenal insufficiency by parent-designated adults.
SHB 1351 - Adjusting age requirements for accessing the ECEAP
ESHB 1414 - Improving access to career opportunities for students.
Appropriations
ESSB 5192 - Concerning school district materials,
supplies, and operating costs.
E2SSB 5263 - Concerning special education funding.
SSB 5738 - Permitting retirees additional opportunities to work for up to 1,040 hours per year while in receipt of pension benefits.
Thursday
Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education
ESHB 1296 - Promoting a safe and supportive
public education system.
Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development
2SHB 1273 - Improving student access to dual
credit programs.
We’ve heard questions from principals and assistant principals across the state about the Parents’ Bill of Rights and legislation around them (HB 1296 and SB 5181). To help inform our members and clear up confusion around the Bill of Rights and each of the bills, we published this blog on Wednesday. The information for the FAQs comes from the bill reports for each bill, as well as the bills’ prime sponsors ( Rep. Monica Stonier (D–Vancouver)
for HB 1296 and Sen. Claire Wilson (D–Federal Way) for SB 5181).
Both legislators extend much gratitude and respect for our school leaders as you navigate difficult situations and have hard conversations as you lead your schools. They encourage you to trust yourself with what you already know about working with the
policies that have been in place for years regarding working with families and supporting students.
Bills Being Heard Next Week
Monday
House Education
2SSB 5179 - Establishing a complaint process to address willful
noncompliance with certain state education laws.
ESSB 5181 - Amending the parents rights initiative to bring it into alignment with existing law.
SSB 5412 - Providing temporary interfund loans for school districts.
SSB 5418 - Concerning charter school contracts.
SB 5637 - Promoting student access to information about media literacy and civic education.
Tuesday
House Appropriations
HB 1198 - Making 2025-2027 fiscal biennium operating appropriations.
Senate Ways and Means
SB 5167 - Making 2025-2027 fiscal biennium operating appropriations.
The House Education Committee also plans a work session on digitizing high school transcripts for improved access, and the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee plans work sessions on strategies to address chronic absenteeism and truancy,
updates on institutional education, and potential impacts of changes in federal law and operations on Washington’s educational system.
The simple majority bill and bills related to levies and levy equalization are still out there and may be acted upon in the next few weeks depending on the budget situation. For a list of the other bills that are still alive, see my latest bill tracking here.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
Here are several ways to share your ideas and opinions with legislators.
Action Alerts
We now have three Action Alerts going on our “Advocacy and Action Center” page. Once we know more about the budgets released on Monday, March 24, we will add more.
Please take action now and send an email to your legislators about these important issues. This is an easy way to get the word out across our state that K-12 education
needs their support.
Click on the link above, and scroll down the page until you see the orange “Action Alert” on simple majority. Enter your home or school address and then you’ll see a prewritten email that will
go to your legislators. You can also add more information or anecdotes to this email if you’d like.
Town Halls
Attend a legislative town hall! They are a great place to raise the profile of your issue and to thank legislators for their leadership. Some are in-person, and some are virtual. Many town hall meetings are scheduled for the next few weeks of March. Here
are the schedules which are posted separately for the Democrats and
Republicans.
Get Involved
As always, many thanks for all that you do for students and staff. If you have questions or comments or want to get involved in our advocacy efforts, please reach out to me.
Thank you so much!
Important Links