Change brings up different emotions. Spring is one of those seasons where change is happening in our schools with students preparing to graduate or move on to the next grade level, and staff looking to retire or move on to different buildings or roles. This is exciting, stressful, and bittersweet all at the same time.
Change is also coming as the Legislature makes decisions about the 2025-27 budgets and passes bills that will become new laws. In just about a week and a half, we will know more and we can move forward with changes that may need to happen as a result of these decisions. For now, some of it is unknown, which is very unsettling. Despite this, we move forward to plan for next year. Even legislators are thinking ahead to their interim work, and this long-term planning can bring excitement for changes that could be positive for our K-12 education system.
Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos is using the 2016 No Time to Lose report to form a workgroup to begin the process of creating a stronger student-centered education system in Washington. Senator Lisa Wellman is always attuned to the importance of technology, and she recently sent this article from Cascade PBS that recapped our state’s AI Summit. Washington is leading the way in using AI in instruction, and we should be so proud of this. I’m curious to know what might be coming our way for the 2026 session related to AI. As we wait for more specific budget news, we can be inspired by possible changes that could be beneficial for our students. But back to the budget.
A revised revenue package that would raise about $12 billion over the next four years was introduced by House and Senate Democrats this week. Here is a list of the bills:
These bills will move through fiscal committees and the two chambers over the next few days (remember that any bills that are considered “NTIB” or necessary to implement the budget can be heard and acted upon until the very end). It’s all about fiscal committees and final floor action for the next nine days of session. Budget writers have agreed on these new sources of revenue, but the question has been how Governor Ferguson would respond. He released a statement yesterday that said, “While our budget situation is currently challenging, it may soon become dire with additional cuts and chaos from the Trump Administration. We must defend Washington in the face of that.” He thanked legislators for their continued hard work and urged, “a balanced approach, using a reasonable amount of progressive revenue and adopting solutions to reduce our spending.” Conversations will continue behind the scenes to make decisions on priorities and appropriate funding levels, and we will anxiously wait for more information.
Legislators passed SB 5263 (Special Education) and SB 5192 (MSOC) this week, but districts remain concerned that the levels of funding provided by these bills still do not come close to meeting the documented shortfalls in these two areas. In short, local districts will have to continue paying for basic education costs that should be covered by the state. Further, if HB 2049/SB 5812 pass, these bills would allow districts to collect more local levy dollars, but this would leave out those districts that rely on levy equalization funds. This will further exacerbate inequities across our state.
Details about SB 5263
- Removes the 16% cap on special education funding.
- Increases funding to a single multiplier of 1.16 for eligible students aged 0-21.
- Enhances funding for the Early Support for Infants and Toddlers program.
- Begins with the 2025-26 school year.
- Allocates about $245 million for special education for 2025-27, significantly less than the Senate’s proposed $914 million.
Details about SB 5192
- A striking amendment reduced the bill from the Senate version to $1,614.28 per student, lowering the increase from $77.49/student to $35.27/student and changing the additional grades 9-12 funds to $214.84/student, lowering the increase from $14.94 per student to $4.69 per student.
- Begins with the 2025-26 school year.
More Bills
Here is a look at some of the bills that made it past Wednesday’s cutoff date. My complete bill tracking list is linked here (it’s now only four pages long…down from a total of 25 pages which shows you how many bills failed to move this session).
Budget
SB 5167 Operating budget
HB 1216/SB 5195 Capital budget
SB 5192 MSOC
SB 5263 Special education
Health and Safety
HB 1709 Adrenal insufficiency
SB 5004 Updating emergency response systems
SB 5641 Encouraging awareness of blood donation
Students and Their Learning
SB 5769 Transition to Kindergarten
HB 1393 Cultural expression at commencement
HB 1827 Basic education services for justice-involved students
HB 1079 Remote testing
SB 5189 Competency-based education
SB 5543 Providing equity in eligibility for the college bound scholarship
HB 2044 Addressing unexcused absences
CTE and Dual Credit
HB 1273 Dual credit programs
HB 1722 CTE programs
HB 1121 Work restrictions ages 16, 17
HB 1167 Maritime careers task force
HB 1414 CTE careers work group
SB 5358 CTE in 6th grade
Parents and Workforce
HB 1651 Teacher residency programs
HB 1936 Extending postretirement restrictions
SB 5025 Educational interpreters
SB 5041 Unemployment insurance for striking workers
HB 1296 Promoting a safe and supportive public education system
SB 5181 Amending the parents’ rights initiative
A Few Bills That Didn’t Make It
HB 1285 Financial education
SB 5327 Learning standards (financial education and computer science)
SB 5570 Instruction in tribal sovereignty
SB 5637 Student access to information about media literacy and civic education
HB 1085/SB 5272 Extending penalties for interference at extracurricular activities
HB 1151/SB 5210 Ninth grade success grants
HB 1051 Permitting the recording of IEP meetings
HB 1795 Addressing restraint and isolation
I won’t have a legislative update for next Friday, April 25, since we will be in Leavenworth for our spring board and GLLC meetings. I’ll send out a final legislative update the following week.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
Action Alerts
It is not too late to weigh in. It’s so important to communicate how legislative decisions impact you in your buildings. You are the experts! I emailed all legislators this week and shared Dr. Scott’s recent blog about the importance of assistant principals. We know cuts are happening already for AP positions in districts across the state, and as I told legislators, this leaves some principals wondering if they can ensure a safe and impactful learning environment for their students.
We still have several Action Alerts going on our “Advocacy and Action Center” page. 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 support.
Click on the link above, and scroll down the page until you see the orange “Action Alert” buttons. 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 thes emails if you’d like.
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