Review of 2022 Legislative Session

Definition of “An embarrassment of riches”.
So many good things that it is difficult to fund just one.

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Pensions, Health Care, SEBB, PEBB, & Other

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.

The spending growth was fueled by stronger than expected tax collections and an infusion of Federal one-time dollars. The Legislature chose to dedicate more than 80% of these unexpected revenues toward new spending programs.

The final budget only maintains $821 million, or 2.8% of the budget, in reserves. However, it is also important to consider the general fund’s ending balance, the budget stabilization account (BSA) balance, as well as the new Washington Rescue Plan Transition Account (WARPTA). There is a cushion of sorts. But even so, should the economy ‘tank,’ then the next session could be one of cutbacks…or as some call them, ‘claw backs’.

Similar to the last session, dollars were spread like peanut butter among many different entities, K–12 being one.

So, what happened regarding pensions, health care, financials, and other issues? Listed, unless stated otherwise, are bills that have passed both Houses and signed by the Governor.

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Pension/Retirement Related Proposals

Retirement Related Proposals

SB 5676 | This bill will provide a one-time 3% benefit increase to certain retirees of the public employees’ retirement system plan 1 and the teachers’ retirement systems up to the first $44,000 of pension income. ($110/month/maximum). This bill passed and was signed by the Governor. Effective July 1, 2022.

EHB 1699 passed. It will permit individuals retired from the PERS, TRS and SERS retirement systems additional opportunities to work for a school district for up to 1,040 hours per school year while in receipt of pension benefits until July 1, 2025, including administrators in districts less than 2,000 students. The Governor signed the bill and because of its emergency clause it became effective March 23, 2022.

EHB 1752 adds the option of Roth-qualified contributions to the public employee deferred compensation plan operated by the Department of Retirement Systems. It has been signed by the Governor and becomes effective June 9, 2022.

School Employee Benefit Board (SEEB) and Other Health-Related Proposals

Last session (2021), Section 1212 (3) of the 2020 budget read “The health care authority must study the potential cost savings and improved efficiency in providing insurance benefits to the employers and employees participating in the public employees’ (PEBB) and school employees’ benefits board (SEBB) systems that could be gained by consolidating the systems. The consolidation options studied must maintain separate risk pools for Medicare-eligible and non-Medicare eligible employees and retirees, assume a consolidation date of January 1, 2022.”

The HCA submitted a study that recommended consolidation and SB 5718 was introduced in the 2022 session. The concept was to keep K–12 non-Medicare retirees in the SEBB pool rather than currently moving them into PEBB. But there was too much complexity to make what was assumed to be an easy change, so the health care authority withdrew the proposal. It is likely to be reintroduced in the 2023 session.

Other Bills

SSB 5326 (ESHB 1813) mandates that the costs of contracted employee health and retirement benefits must be built into school district contracts for pupil transportation.

Both bills died in their respective houses last session, but the Senate version was reintroduced in 2022 and put immediately on the floor calendar. The Senate chose to place in the “X” file (which is, the graveyard for proposed bills), but it is expected to rise from the dead again in some form during the 2023 session. (See future projections below.)

Other Bills That May Have Fiscal/HR Impacts For Districts.

SHB 1617 | Specifies that all state holidays are also school holidays on which school may not be taught clarifying that Juneteenth is to be a school holiday. This bill was signed by the Governor and becomes effective July 1, 2022.

SHB 1732 | The implementation of many of the activities related to the Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Program (Trust Program) are delayed. The date for beginning the collection of premium assessments under the Trust Program for both employees and self-employed persons is delayed by 18 months from January 1, 2022, until July 1, 2023. Premiums collected from employees before July 1, 2023, must be refunded to the employee within 120 days of collection by the employer or by the Employment Security Department through the employer. Persons born before January 1, 1968, who do not pay the premium for the required 10 years needed to become vested in the full number of benefit units may receive partial benefits under the Trust Program. For each year that persons in this population make the premium payments for the minimum of 500 hours, they may receive 10 percent of the maximum number of benefit units. Persons in this population may still qualify for full benefits if they have paid the premium for three years within the last six years. This bill signed by the Governor on 1/27/2022 became effective immediately.

ESHB 1733 | Voluntary exemptions from the payment of premiums under the Long-Term Services and Supports Trust Program (Trust Program) are established for employees in one of four categories:

1. An employee who is a veteran of the United States military who has been rated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs as having a service-connected disability of at least 70 percent may apply for an exemption from the Trust Program.
2. An employee who is the spouse or registered domestic partner of an active-duty service member of the United States Armed Forces may apply for an exemption from the Trust Program.
3. An employee who holds a nonimmigrant visa for temporary workers who is employed by an employer in Washington may apply for an exemption from the Trust Program.
4. An employee who is employed in Washington but maintains a permanent residence outside of Washington as the employee’s primary location of residence may apply for an exemption from the Trust Program.

Unless a specified condition for termination of the exemption occurs, employees approved for an exemption are not required to pay the premium assessment, may not become a qualified individual or eligible beneficiary, and are permanently ineligible for the Trust Program. This bill signed by the Governor on 1/2/7/2022 becomes effective June 9, 2022.

ESHB 1795 | Silenced No More Act: Non-disclosure agreements (NDA’s) are often standard parts of dismissal settlements. This act makes void and unenforceable provisions in agreements between an employer and employee that prohibit the disclosure of conduct that is illegal discrimination, harassment, retaliation, a wage and hour violation, or sexual assault, or that is against a clear mandate of public policy, occurring in the workplace. The bill signed by the Governor becomes effective June 9, 2022.

SHB 1902 provides for reopening a workers’ compensation claim where the provider fails to submit the application. This bill signed by the Governor becomes effective June 9, 2022.

ESSB 5115 creates an occupational disease presumption for frontline employees during a public health emergency for the purposes of workers’ compensation. • Requires employers to notify L&I when a certain percentage of their workforce becomes infected during a public health emergency. • Requires employers to provide written notice to employees on the premises and their union of potential exposure to the infectious or contagious disease during a public health emergency. • Prohibits discrimination against an employee who is high risk for seeking accommodation that protects them from the disease or using all available leave options if no accommodation is reasonable. This bill signed by the Governor becomes effective 5/11/2022.

SB 5539 | State funding shall be provided to each ESD for the employer cost of the school employees’ benefits provided to the employees of the ESD covered by a collective bargaining agreement. This bill signed by the Governor becomes effective June 9,2022.

ESSB 5628 | This is an act relating to cyber harassment, addressing concerns in the case of Rynearson v. Ferguson, and adding a crime of cyberstalking. It also specifies level of charge/alleged violation if done against named persons in the act such as election officials. It places in statue the criminal offense that school employees or students can claim occurred. This bill signed by the Governor is effective June 9, 2022.

2SSB 5649 | Changes were made to the paid family leave program. Benefits are to be provided during the seven calendar days following the death of the family member for whom the employee would have qualified for medical leave for the birth of their child; or would have qualified for family leave to bond with their child during the first 12 months after birth, or during the first 12 months after the placement of a child under age 18 with the employee. The CBA exception in the PFML program expires on December 31, 2023. An audit is required to determine the financial situation within the program. This bill signed by the Governor is effective June 9, 2022.

ESSB 5761 | The requirement for an employer to provide salary information after an initial job offer, upon request of the applicant, is removed. Instead, beginning January 1, 2023, an employer must disclose in each posting for each job opening the wage scale or salary range, and a general description of all of the benefits and other compensation to be offered to the hired applicant. “Posting” means any solicitation intended to recruit job applicants for a specific available position, including recruitment done directly by an employer or indirectly through a third party, and includes any postings done electronically, or with a printed hard copy, which includes qualifications for desired applicants. This bill signed by the Governor is effective January 1, 2023.

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Selected Financials

ESSB 5693 State Budget

Below are selected financial figures from the adopted supplemental 2021–2023 Budget:

The Benefit Allocation Factor/Multiplier remains at: Certified staff units x 1.02; Classified staff units x 1.43.

 (4 subs/classroom teacher unit)

(Includes pro-rated payment by district for eligible part-time employees)

The employer rates do include the UAAL surcharge but do not include the 0.18% administrative rate.

*Note: The adopted budget indicates that PERS/SERS employer rates will increase 0.14%; TRS will increase 0.27% to fund SB 5676, the 3% one-time COLA for TRS/PERS 1 members. And as an aside, the investment return assumption that affects future rate charges has been decreased from 7.5% to 7.0%.

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What Will the Future Hold?

Although many policy bills proposed during the session failed to advance, some components will likely be re-introduced through either new legislation or rewriting a previous bill proposed during the recently concluded 2022 Session.

Moving into speculation on the future, some key activities may occur:

1. It will be a priority for the Democrats to not only maintain majorities in both houses but to build a more substantive and cohesive majority in the Senate which is currently 28–21. The Cap-and-Trade bill passed the Senate 25–24 which is just one example of how a few Democrat Senators are not fully in support of leadership. For example, the long-term goal of tax reform will need 60% majority at a minimum. So, a larger majority would assist in passage.

   Currently, the D’s hold a strong majority in the House, but as previously stated, a weaker one in the Senate. There is a strong chance that the D’s may lose the Senate majority and even possibly their House majority. Some legislative districts to watch are the 10th (Island, Skagit, Snohomish), 19th (Cowlitz, Grays’ Harbor, Lewis) ,24th (Clallam, Grays’ Harbor), and the 42nd (Whatcom).

   The Republicans will continue to organize opposition by beating up the Democrats over their passage of the Capital Gains tax, their failure to live within the state’s existing means, their ‘profligate’ spending with no relief for the average taxpayer, and the Governor’s continuation of emergency powers.

2. Unions groups like WEA and SEIU and social advocacy associations/organizations like the Economic Opportunity Institute continue to have a great deal of influence on the successful passage of legislation and funding. Although many of these organizations continue to get ‘one-time’ Federal dollars, when these funds are spent, they will be urging the legislature to continue to fund these programs. Issues like homelessness, mental health services, poverty, and equity to name a few will continue to be priorities.

3. There continues to be a need to get full funding of the SEBB benefits for districts. The law says that districts are to fund benefits for every employee who qualifies. The state funds benefits on a formula-generated FTE allocation, not based on the actual number of eligible employees that receive the benefit. This results in an unfunded liability to districts estimated to exceed $700 million dollars statewide.

4. If there is a missing piece to the financial planning puzzle, it is the failure to appreciate the limits on the state property tax. There is a false hope that property values will continue to soar showing a lack of understanding of business tax shifts. In addition, there is a continuing desire to attach more exemptions to household property taxes. This poses a structural risk to the tax system and makes planning and even supporting levies problematic.

5. Past legislation allowed employees to bargain for insurance benefits for employees working less than 630 hours. There will continue to be pressure on districts to offer these benefits to all employees. A proposal before the 2021 legislature, revived during the 2022 legislature and then ‘killed’ dictated that identical SEBB health benefits and retirement benefits be paid to employees who work with private providers of transportation services to school districts. This proposal again failed but is likely to return. Should this pass, those contracted employees such as in food service, janitorial, special education, etc. working within school districts may well ask for similar benefit coverage. This is a classic unfunded mandate unless the state funds these changes and even then, the state funds on staff formula basis, not an actual district FTE basis.

6. Efforts will continue to increase the Medicare insurance subsidy for retirees. Insurance and medical costs have gone up substantially. The current $183/ month is not enough to offset the increased costs.

7. Work will continue to put school retirees in the largest risk pool available to reduce their current insurance costs. Currently, K–12 retirees transfer to the PEBB program/pool. The HCA has studied the issue and recommends consolidating school retirees into the SEBB program. This, however, is complex and will take revised legislation to accomplish.

If you have any questions, please feel free to make contact.

Fred Yancey
The Nexus Group LLC

Thank You Assistant Principals!

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. 

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AWSP Facebook Prompt

Visit our Facebook page, find the pinned post about AP Week, and leave us a comment. We'll pick a handful of our favorites. We'll send a gift card to you and your AP if we select your comment as a winner. 

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AP Leadership Matters

AWSP Executive Director Dr. Scott Seaman wrote an article on the importance of your role as a school leader. Scott shares that his favorite role in education was his time as an assistant principal. He writes, "As an assistant principal, I was instantly thrown into relationships with students that were literally life-saving. These were students who knew they could turn to me for anything and everything life was throwing in their direction. I provided a space for healing, calming, recovering, affirming, and hope."

He goes on to write about the importance of the AP role as a career in itself, and not a stepping stone into the principalship: "Of course we need great people to aspire to the principalship and that will happen naturally, but we also need great people to stay in a role where they fit best and where they are needed the most. We need to acknowledge that staying in an AP role is not only acceptable, but encouraged." 

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AP Week Events

Join NASSP for the 2022 National Assistant Principal of the Year Announcement made during the AP Week Webinar, “Tips for a Strong Finish to the School Year” on Wednesday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m. Please  register here  to attend.
Throughout the week, show your appreciation to your Assistant (Associate/Vice) Principal by sending an e-card.

NAESP also has some great cards and resources on their website for AP Week too!

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Thank An Assistant Principal

If you have an AP, thank them for the difference they make for your school! Thank them with one of NASSP's appreciation activities!

Send an E-Card

If ever there was a time to express how much your AP means to you and your school community, this is it. Browse the wide selection of e-cards, add your message, and schedule the delivery—it’s that easy!

#APWeek22

Use #APWeek and #APWeek22 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to share your words of appreciation, celebratory images, and other acknowledgments of the great work APs do year-round.

Need help getting started? Check out these sample social media posts.

Appreciation Ideas for School Leaders

Gratitude is a gift that always fits. Show your APs how much you value their contributions with one of these suggested activities for principals.

Activity Ideas for Parents, Teachers, and Students

Everyone can get involved during AP Week! Take a look at a few ideas for how parents, teachers, and students can show appreciation for their assistant principals.

Megan Mauro | Washington State Assistant Principal of the Year

Kristin Dickert | 2022 WA Winner | NAESP National Outstanding Assistant Principal

Section 504
Providing FAPE and Addressing Compensatory Services Under Section 504
Section 504 and Students with Disabilities 
Protecting Students with Disabilities

Early Childhood
Kids can learn more from guided play than from direct instruction

IEPs
Writing Measurable Functional & Transition IEP Goals ( book sample)

Understood.org
Positive Behavior Strategies: A Guide for Teachers
Empathetic Sentence Starters for Teachers
Self-Regulation for Kids

OSPI
March Special Education Update
Special Education and Institutional Education Directory
Rules for the Provision of Special Education

For more information, contact Abby Bowers , Capital Region ESD 113's Director of Special Programs.

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.

Prefer to read the news? Check out the script.

April 2022 School Safety Blog

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.

Schools have been doing safety drills for decades. Drills prepare students and staff to respond to a wide variety of threats and hazards. Staff and students need to know and practice these responses so they can be used in case of real emergency situations. Drills are essential; they help familiarize staff, students, and visitors in a school building with procedures, announcements, processes, and signals so that if there is a real emergency, there will be no hesitation or confusion in the response. 

In Washington, schools are required to practice four basic functional responses to threats or hazards: lockdown, evacuation, shelter-in-place, and drop-cover-hold on. Some districts and schools might modify the wording they use around their drills, but they all come down to these 4 basic functions. 

It is important to understand that safety drills are a specific type of preparedness exercise. Preparedness exercises fall into two categories: 1) discussion-based exercises which include such activities as scenario discussions, Tabletops, or seminars, and 2) operations-based exercises. 

Discussion-based exercises are great for furthering understanding and preparation. They can be adapted to staff meetings, classroom lessons, planning with first responders, PTA nights – any time there is an opportunity for safety-related conversations.

Under the operations-based category, there are three types of exercises:

1. Drills: coordinated, supervised exercises that generally practice a single, specific action or function. Keep in mind that drills build muscle memory.
2. Functional Exercises (FE): similar to drills but involve other (1^st responder) partners in a more realistic situation.
3. Full-Scale Exercises (FSE): real-time reenactments, creating a stressful, time-constrained environment that closely mirrors real events. 

FE and FSEs are often thought of as drills for first responders.

The new HB 1941 adds wording that says: “Lockdown drills may not include live simulations of or reenactments of active shooter scenarios that are not trauma-informed and age and developmentally appropriate.” 

Schools are required to practice drills. HB 1941 prohibits the use of full-scale functional exercises (FSEs) as part of the regular monthly drills. Although the bill specifically mentions lockdown situations, full-scale functional exercises should be considered prohibited for any and all regular monthly drills.

Drills are still required. Lockdown drills are still required. Full-scale exercises, live simulations, or reenactments are not drills, are not required, and in fact, are prohibited by HB 1941. 

To be most successful, ensure that all required drills:

• Are well planned and pre-taught,
• Announced,
• Communicated to families,
• Trauma-informed,
• Age and developmentally appropriate,
• Documented, and
• Debriefed.

If there are any questions, please visit the OSPI Safety Center Dills (Required) page, or contact the OSPI School Safety Center. You can also contact the Regional School Safety Center at each of the nine Educational Service Districts (ESDs).

It's Spring Time

Section 504

• Providing FAPE and Addressing Compensatory Services Under Section 504
• Section 504 and Students with Disabilities 
• Protecting Students with Disabilities
  

FAPE

• How Special Education Works
  

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)

• New CDC Recommendations and Their Impact on Children with Disabilities

Discipline

• Discipline Procedures for Students Eligible to Receive Special Education Services

Early Childhood

• Multilingual - Multidialect
  

1:1 Paraeducators

• Support Selection Guide and Plan

OSPI

• March Special Education Update
• Special Education and Institutional Education Directory
• Rules for the Provision of Special Education

For more information, contact Abby Bowers , Capital Region ESD 113's Director of Special Programs.

Section 504

• Providing FAPE and Addressing Compensatory Services Under Section 504
• Section 504 and Students with Disabilities 
• Protecting Students with Disabilities
  

FAPE

• How Special Education Works
  

Prior Written Notice

• Understanding PWN

 
Early Childhood Behavior Management

• Developing and Teaching Rules

Wrightslaw

• IEP checklist

OSPI

• March Special Education Update
• Special Education and Institutional Education Directory
• Rules for the Provision of Special Education

For more information, contact Abby Bowers, Capital Region ESD 113's Director of Special Programs.

Everett Public Schools AP creates a hope-filled future for every student and adult.

OLYMPIA — Kristin Dickert, assistant principal at Mill Creek Elementary School in the Everett Public Schools, was named this year’s National Outstanding Assistant Principal from Washington. The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) recognizes one winner from each state every year. After reviewing nominations, Ms. Dickert was selected to represent Washington by the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP). 

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.”

Under her leadership, the schoolwide math program is creating extraordinary results. Looking at real-time diagnostic data in the fall to target students needing help, teams form within the school to develop support structures — which Dickert calls ‘First…Next…Then’ — for each student. Parents are taught strategies for home support. Data from this winter shows these programs are creating more than a year’s growth and closing learning gaps in many cases.

Dickert’s “each child is known well” mantra means every learner is respected, challenged appropriately, and served. She believes in bringing programs to students, not students to programs. Meeting students where they are and fulfilling the needs of the individual is just one example of her equity leadership. Dickert’s partnership with the school PTA created a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. The committee received a $1,000 grant to inform and educate the parent and student community on various topics and themes. A focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion permeates all levels of her leadership and helps make the school a safe, welcoming, and thriving place for all. 

With a strong focus on culture and community, Dickert’s empathy and wisdom create partnerships with parents instead of a one-way relationship. She teaches parents how to guide their children’s learning. Her weekly Friday Update newsletters make sure every parent knows what’s happening in the school. Her more detailed Monthly Family Newsletter updates families on district initiatives, longer-term school programs, and other helpful information. Aside from making her school a better place, Dickert is a sought-out mentor. Her guidance contributes to the success of many other assistant principals, expanding her impact even more.

National Outstanding Assistant Principal Program

Each year, NAESP recognizes a new class of National Outstanding Assistant Principals (NOAP). Public school elementary and middle-level assistant principals are nominated by peers in their state, and final selections are made by committees appointed by each of NAESP’s state affiliate offices. There is no national winner at the elementary level.

Download the press release (PDF). 

For More Information  David Morrill | Communications & Technology Director | (800) 562-6100

For more information, contact Abby Bowers, Capital Region ESD 113's Director of Special Programs.

Sine Die (meeting adjourned!)

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 1699across 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.

Budget Highlights

Supplemental Budget

Here are some of the highlights of the final supplemental budget (SB 5693) for K–12 education:

Enrollment Stabilization — $346.5 million
This funding will support 230 districts that continue to experience enrollment declines, backfilling 50% of a district’s revenue loss.

Staffing Allocations — $90.6 million ($548.3 million for 2023–25)
Funding is provided to increase staffing ratios and allocations for support staff such as nurses, social workers, psychologists, counselors, classified staff providing student and staff safety, and parent involvement coordinators and other school district employees and contractors who provide physical, social, and emotional support to students, as defined by OSPI.

Increases in Inflation for K–12 Salaries and MSOC — $236 million
A new 5.5% inflationary factor is used to adjust the 2022 supplemental operating budget, providing the following minimum salary allocations for the 2022–23 school year: $72,728 for instructional staff; $107,955 for administrators; and $52,173 for classified staff. By way of contrast, most state employees will receive a 3.25% increase in salary with a one-time payment of $3,400.

LAP Hold Harmless — $27.0 million
Funding is provided to hold school districts harmless by allowing them to use 2019–20 school year free and reduced-price lunch percentages for calculating Learning Assistance Program (LAP) funding.

Federal Food Assistance and Community Eligibility Provision — $43.6 million
Funding is provided for state reimbursements to school districts for schools and groups of schools required to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) under 2SHB 1878 but who are not eligible for the full federal reimbursement rate. Federal assistance is also provided from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Supply Chain Assistance and Local Food for Schools funds.

Transportation — $13 million
Funding is provided for transportation safety net funding to school districts with a demonstrated need for additional transportation funding for special passengers.

Residential Outdoor School — $10.0 million
Funding is appropriated to OSPI to implement and administer an Outdoor Learning Grant Program with funds for school districts to develop or support outdoor educational experiences, funds for outdoor education providers to support or increase capacity at their sites, and funds that will prioritize outdoor experiences for 5th and 6th-grade students.

After-Exit Running Start — $3.0 million
Funding is provided for after-exit Running Start grants to school districts that identify Running Start students that have exceeded maximum enrollment under Running Start formulas and high school graduates who have 15 or fewer college credits to earn before meeting associate degree requirements. High school graduates who meet these requirements are eligible to receive funds from these grants for fees to the Community and Technical College to earn up to 15 college credits during the summer academic term following their high school graduation.

Financial Literacy Education — $3.0 million
Funding is provided to establish a new Financial Literacy Education Professional Development Grant Program. Grants are to be provided to school districts for integrating financial literacy education into professional development for certificated staff.

Capital Budget

Here are a few of the main components of the capital budget for schools.

• School Seismic Safety Grant Program — $100.0 million
• Distressed Schools— $21.7 million (including $13 million to rebuild Almira Elementary School)
• West Sound Technical Skills Center Modernization — $10.9 million
• Small District and Tribal Compact Schools Modernization — $7.6 million

There are many other pieces to these final budgets. For a comprehensive review, check out Dan Steele’s Special Edition TWIO (This Week in Olympia) on the final supplemental budget. Thank you, Dan!

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Final Bill Tracking

Budget

• SB 5693 | Operating Budget
• HB 1590| Enrollment Stability
• HB 1664| Prototypical Support
• SB 5651 | Capital Budget
• SB 5933 | School Seismic Safety

Students

• HB 1723 | Telecommunication Access
• HB 1833 | Electronic Option for School Meal Needs
• HB 1878 | Increasing Participation in Community Eligibility Provision
• HB 2068 | Creating the Imagination Library Program
• HB 2078 | Outdoor School for All
• SB 5497 | Student Board of Education Members
• SB 5657 | Computer Science in Juvenile Institutions
• SB 5720 | Financial Literacy
• SB 5878 | Arts Instruction

High School/Dual Credit

• HB 1736 | State Student Loan Program
• HB 1805 | Opportunity Scholarship Program
• HB 1835 | Postsecondary Enrollment (FAFSA completion support)
• HB 1867 | Dual Credit Data
• SB 5498 | Awarding Diplomas Posthumously
• SB 5789 | Career and College Pathways Innovation Challenge Program

Health/Safety

• HB 1800 | Increasing Access to Behavioral Health Services for Minors
• HB 1834 | Student Mental Health Absences
• HB 1890 | Children and Behavioral Health Work Group
• HB 1941 | Active Shooter Drills

Workforce/Staff

• HB 1617 | School/State Holidays (Juneteenth)
• HB 1699 | Educators Working in Retirement
• HB 1974 | State Board and ESD Elections Moved to WSSDA
• SB 5252 | School District Consultation with Tribes
• SB 5628 | Concerning Cyber Harassment

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Other Important Bills and Issues

I’m mentioning these bills and links to important resources because they passed last year and have either already gone into effect or will very soon.

Comprehensive School Counseling Programs
Check out OSPI’s page on School Counseling Programs following the passage of SB 5030.

Staff Mental Health/Secondary Trauma
Check out OSPI’s page for resources for educators who have experienced secondary trauma in the work environment and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s page with resources to help reduce secondary traumatic stress among educators following the passage of HB 1363.

Educator Certification
Here is PESB’s page with NEW information about certification renewal for administrators including NEW requirements to complete 10 clock hours in educational leadership, 10 clock hours in equity, and 5 clock hours in government to government relations with tribes following the passage of HB 1426.

Juvenile Access to Attorneys
For more information on the Youth Access to Counsel program, visit the Office of Public Defense’s website. This was developed after the passage of HB 1040.

Youth Tip Line
Last session, SB 5092 established the Tipline Advisory Committee to advise the Attorney General’s Office as it develops processes for risk assessment, threat assessment, referral and follow-up, data retention, and confidentiality of the Tipline Program. The Tipline will be a statewide 24-hour, seven days per week line to support youth safety and well-being. Youth identified through the Tipline will be provided with appropriate resources or triaged to appropriate intervention within the state. More information will be coming soon.

Student Growth Goals
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 critical 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. This process requires reflection and conversation, and favors learning and growth over the attainment of a certain level of performance or achievement. These will continue to be piloted in the 2022–23 school year and will eventually be required in the TPEP process.

Thank you ALL for your advocacy this legislative session. We are already working on issues to advocate for during the interim as we work toward 2023, and we’ll share more on that soon. In the meantime, please reach out to me with any questions. Thank you!

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? Below are five strategies to consider when faced with a Hot Moment in the classroom.

Know that these are only a few ways to move through tense moments that arise. Each classroom is different, and every incident is different. However, being proactive is the best way to handle these moments. Students shared that their number one suggestion is for teachers and administrators to build relationships with students and create brave environments to share ideas and voice feelings. With collaborative guidelines developed ahead of time of how your class handles these moments, you can lean into those processes when emotions are running high. And always remember to lean on your support network after an incident because these tense moments are difficult for teachers, administrators, and students alike.

You don’t have to have all the answers. No one does. No one is perfect. It’s all about creating a brave space for you and your students to be themselves, struggle with ideas, grow and learn how to work across differences.

Keep being YOU! Keep being brave!

Five Strategies for Hot Moments

1. Remind students of your discussion or participation guidelines. If your class hasn’t already established them, collaboratively create a few key ones to guide the conversation moving forward out of the ‘hot moment.’ No personal attacks have an openness to hearing a range of perspectives and accountability for the effects of our words on others. Collaboratively define what respect means and looks like in your classroom

2. Change the energy of the room. Invite students to move around the room, write or sketch quietly, or take a few deep breaths before diving back in.

3. Clarify student comments. Sometimes simply naming and then breaking the tension by doing something different with our bodies or minds can be very helpful for moving forward productively with a difficult conversation.Students sometimes inadvertently say insulting or marginalizing things when they struggle to understand a new perspective or feel the intellectual discomfort of having their familiar views challenged. If you think a comment is coming from such a place of cognitive struggle, you might give the student a chance to explain the thought process behind their remark. “What do you mean by X?” or “I heard you saying Y; is that what you meant to say?” OR Ask them to rephrase if it’s evident they understand they made a misstep (“Do you want to try saying that differently?” And then maybe “Let’s talk about why that initial phrasing felt so problematic.”).

4. Guide students to reflect collectively or individually. Consider using a questionnaire, writing prompt, or other creative option where students can share what they appreciated about the conversation, what they learned from it, and what remains unresolved.

5. Interrupt the behavior right then and chat with individuals 1:1. Let the student(s) know that what they did/said is not okay and will not be acceptable in the school/classroom. Chat with them after class to hear their perspective. Lean on some of the above strategies. If another student was harmed by the behavior, check in with them 1:1 and ask how you can support them.

This post was originally published on the AWSL website. Check out their blog!

Hot off the email inbox, we’ve got some news and updates to pass along from one of Governor Inslee’s senior policy advisers.

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. 

In updating this guidance and discussions with health, education, and child care stakeholders, DOH lifted and balanced the priorities of keeping kids in school/care while preventing severe disease.

There are fewer requirements, which are outlined in Section 1 of the document and listed below:

• Employee vaccination
• Exclusion of people with symptoms
• Isolation of people with COVID
• Notifying groups or individuals of potential exposures
• Access to diagnostic testing
• Reporting of cases, outbreaks
• Responding to outbreaks

Masks are not required in general. However, masks are still required in the nurse/health room and isolation room as these are considered healthcare settings.

Most prior required layered prevention measures, like masks, screening tests, ventilation, and distancing, are now advisory, recognizing where we are and as we move into the next phase of the pandemic. The layered measures of prevention and mitigation appear in Section 2 with additional considerations in Section 3. Any individual or combination of these measures may be required by a school, district, program, or local government generally, for higher risk activities, and/or in response to an outbreak or high level of disease.

Section 4 and the Appendix include a variety of resources and additional information.

DOH also merged the Childcare, K–12 Schools Requirements, and Supplemental Considerations into one document. There are a handful of additional resource documents that DOH is updating and will post through the week.

Advocacy in Both Washingtons This Week

This week, Scott and I traveled with eight principals from Washington state to the “other” Washington to advocate for education issues on behalf of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

A huge thank you to these amazing school leaders who attended the national advocacy conferences on behalf of AWSP. We appreciate the time and effort you made to advocate for school principals and the staff and students they represent! Our delegation:

• Chris Visserman, Central Kitsap, AWSP President
• Cameron Grow, Pullman, AWSP Past President
• Lauri Landerholm, LaCenter, NASSP Middle Level Federal Relations
• Cari Trowbridge, Mead, NAESP Elementary Federal Relations
• Raquel Martinez, Pasco, NASSP Board of Directors
• Eric Anderson, Wenatchee, AWSP High School Leadership Committee Chair
• Dave Riddle, Mt. Vernon, AWSP Middle Level Leadership Committee Chair
• Tricia Kannberg, Spokane, AWSP Elementary Leadership Committee Chair

We met (mostly in-person) with eight members of Congress and had three additional meetings with staff members who represented their members of Congress. We focused on a few key points: the educator workforce shortage, student and staff mental health, school infrastructure, and urging members to finally pass the 2022 appropriations bill, which would increase federal education funding. Another important priority for our group was to establish relationships with our federal delegation and to share specific stories about how this school year has gone, how students and staff are faring, and how federal ESSER funding has been used (or how it potentially may be used in the next few years).

Back here in Olympia, the Legislature continued with some very long days and nights working on getting bills from the opposite house passed off the House and Senate floors by today’s cut-off. Today is the final significant deadline before Sine Die (the last day of the session) scheduled for next Thursday, March 10. The next few days will be spent reconciling different versions of bills and dealing with bills that are related to budgets.

Budget

Here is a look at how the amended budget bills stand at this point. Legislators will be working over the next few days to reach a final compromise budget that is traditionally the last bill passed before they adjourn.

• ESSB 5693 as amended by the House
• ESSB 5693 as passed the Senate Floor

Both budgets do these things, although with some differences:

• provide enrollment stability (Senate: $346.5 million/House: $314.7 million)
• provide a commitment to fund additional support positions such as nurses, counselors, social workers, and psychologists through an update to the prototypical funding model (Senate: $173.8/House: $107.9 million)
• increase salaries/benefits due to inflation (IPD, or implicit price deflator, Senate: 4.7% House: 5.5%)
• support Outdoor School for All (Senate: $10.0 million/House: $20.0 million)

Many other education-related budget items are being considered. OSPI and education advocates continue to work with legislators and their staff to shape the best outcomes for school districts. Superintendent Chris Reykdal sent a letter to budget writers urging them to “quickly phase-in support staff, focus on dual credit (lift the cap to 1.6 FTE for running start), stabilize LAP funding, support transitional kindergarten programs, fund seismic improvements, and suspend work not related to recovery”.

Bills

My bill tracking list is getting a little smaller as the days go by. For example, you might notice HB 1162 (performance exhibition pathway for graduation) is no longer on the list. Interestingly, funding for the State Board of Education to implement this bill was amended into the budget bill, so HB 1162 is now considered “necessary to implement the budget” so it may survive after all. You never know until the very end.

If you want to share your thoughts about any of these budget items or bills, please send your legislators an email. You can also invite them to meet with you via video conference or at your school so you can advocate on behalf of the principalship and your school’s needs.

Budget

• SB 5693 | Operating Budget
• HB 1590 | Enrollment Stability
• HB 1664 | Prototypical Support
• HB 1808 | Transportation Funding (close companion SB 5581)
• SB 5487 | Small District Consolidation
• SB 5933 | School Seismic Safety
• SB 5651 | Capital Budget

Students

• HB 1611 | Highly Capable Students
• HB 1723 | Telecommunication Access
• HB 1736 | State Student Loan Program
• HB 1833 | Electronic Option for School Meal Needs
• HB 1878 | Increasing Participation in Community Eligibility Provision
• HB 2068 | Creating the Imagination Library Program
• HB 2078 | Outdoor School for All
• SB 5497 | Student Board of Education Members

High School/Dual Credit

• HB 1805 | Opportunity Scholarship Program
• HB 1835 | Postsecondary Enrollment (FAFSA completion support)
• HB 1867 | Dual Credit Data
• SB 5498 | Awarding Diplomas Posthumously
• SB 5789 | Innovation Challenge Program (similar to HB 1835)
• SB 5878 | Arts Instruction

Health/Safety

• HB 1759 | Secure Storage Info on School Websites
• HB 1800 | Increasing Access to Behavioral Health Services for Minors
• HB 1834 | Student Mental Health Absences
• HB 1890 | Children and Behavioral Health Work Group
• HB 1941 | Active Shooter Drills

Workforce/Staff

• HB 1617 | School/State Holidays (Juneteenth)
• HB 1699 | Educators Working in Retirement
• HB 1942 | Paraeducator Training
• SB 5252 | School District Consultation with Tribes
• SB 5628 | Concerning Cyber Harassment

As usual, please reach out to me with any questions. Thank you!

For more information, contact Abby Bowers, Capital Region ESD 113's Director of Special Programs.

OSPI Bulletin 012–22

Purpose/Background

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.

Timeline for Implementation

Recognizing that this school year has proven a tremendously challenging one, OSPI and the Teacher and Principal Evaluation Program (TPEP) Steering Committee have determined that the 2022–23 school year will be a “Year of Preparation” for school districts to plan and prepare for the required use of the revised rubrics in the 2023–24 school year. During the year of preparation, districts have flexibility to use the revised rubrics in ways that make sense for their context and capacity. Both the current rubrics and the revised rubrics will be available for use during the 2022–23 school year. The revised rubrics would be required for use in the Student Growth Goal process during the 2023–24 school year, at which time the old rubrics would be retired.

Resources for Implementation

There are several resources available now on the Student Growth section of the OSPI-TPEP website including:

• Videos that provide an overview of the changes to the rubrics
• Vignettes that illustrate the kind of instruction supported by the revised Student Growth Goal process
• Modules that can be used for professional learning about the revised Student GrowthGoal rubrics

Additional tools and resources will be continually added as they are developed. The Educator Effectiveness Office is also hosting weekly “Office Hours” to answer any TPEP questions. These drop-in sessions are every Thursday from 10:00–11:00 am with no prior registration required. To attend, use this link.

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Information And Assistance

For questions regarding this bulletin, please contact Sue Anderson, Director, at 360–725–6116 or email. The OSPI TTY number is 360–664–3631.

This bulletin is also available on the Bulletins page of the OSPI website.

“Hope springs eternal…” ~ Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man

“Tick-tock. Tick-tock”. Bills are dying in greater numbers than are passing.

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.

But remember, no bill is ever ‘dead’ until Sine Die, and any bill deemed ‘necessary to implement the budget’ (NTIB) remains alive until the bitter end. So, one can still hope that his/her cherished bill(s) is (are) still ‘alive’. See end of report for brief opinion on “Why bills die?”

Below is a brief report on selected bills with an educated guess as to status if they have not passed the chamber. As this report is being written, bills still in Rules will likely ‘die’. But remember, Casey Stengel says, “Never make predictions; especially about the future.”

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Retirement Related Proposals

ESHB 1699 | Permitting individuals retired from the public employees’ retirement system, the teachers’ retirement system, and the school employees’ retirement system additional opportunities to work for a school district.

Comment: This bill remains in Senate Rules and has not been moved to the floor calendar. Given the time remaining, it is likely ‘dead’.

EHB 1752 | Adding a Roth option to deferred compensation plans.

Comment: This bill passed the Senate. It will be forwarded to the Governor.

SHB 1759 | An act relating to requiring school districts and other public education entities to make information from the department of health about substance use trends, overdose symptoms and response, and the secure storage of prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and firearms and ammunition, available through their websites and other communication resources.

Comment: Because this bill is in Senate Rules awaiting further action, it is likely ‘dead’.

HB 1804 | Concerning interruptive military service credit for members of the state retirement systems.

Comment: It is before Senate Rules awaiting a pull to the floor calendar; likely ‘dead’.

SB 5676 | Providing a benefit increase to certain retirees of the public employees’ retirement system plan 1 and the teachers’ retirement system plan 1.

Summary: This bill would provide a 3% increase (COLA) not to exceed $110/month for TRS1/PERS1 Plan retirees.

Comment: This bill passed House 95/0/1/2 and will be sent to the Governor.

Other Areas Of Potential Fiscal Impact (Often, Unfunded) To Districts:

HB 1613 | Concerning shared reporting responsibilities for both the paid family and medical leave and the long-term services and supports trust programs to clarify that information collected from employer reports shall remain private.

Comment: This bill remains in Senate Rules and is likely ‘dead’.

SHB 1617 | Aligning state and school holidays. The legislature intends to clarify that Juneteenth, like all other state legal holidays, is a school holiday on which school may not be taught.

Comment: This bill remains in Senate Rules waiting to be moved to floor calendar.

SHB 1644 | Expands allowable uses of school districts’ transportation vehicle funds to include purchase, installation, and repair of electric vehicle charging stations and other zero-emission fueling stations for pupil transportation vehicles; completing feasibility plans to transition gas or diesel pupil transportation vehicles to electric or zero-emission; and converting or repowering gas or diesel pupil transportation vehicles to electric or zero emission.

Comment: This bill has passed the Senate but was amended so will be sent back to House for their reaction. (See previous discussion above regarding process.)

SHB 1759 | Requiring school districts and other public education entities to make information from the department of health about substance use trends, overdose symptoms and response, and the secure storage of prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and firearms and ammunition, available through their websites and other communication resources.

Comment: This bill remains in Senate Rules waiting to be moved to floor calendar; likely ‘dead’.

ESHB 1795 | Makes void and unenforceable provisions in agreements between an employer and employee that prohibit the disclosure of conduct that is illegal discrimination, harassment, retaliation, a wage and hour violation, or sexual assault, or that is against a clear mandate of public policy, occurring in the workplace.

Comment: This bill passed the Senate 29/20 and will be sent to the Governor.

HB 1833 | Establishing an electronic option for the submission of household income information required for participation in school meals and programs.

Comment: This bill passed the Senate and will be sent to the Governor.

EHB 1837 | This bill repeals the restriction on the regulation of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and ergonomics, overturning a 2003 voter approved initiative barring L & I from developing ergonomic regulations.

Comment: This bill is on the Senate floor calendar with 20 proposed Republican sponsored amendments. This is a clear example of a bill that if the D’s bring to the floor for debate will eat up precious time. Stay tuned. Likely ‘dead’.

SHB 1902 | This bill provides for reopening a workers’ compensation claim when the provider fails to submit the application in a timely manner. The proposed striker limits the maximum days for allowance of compensation and other benefits in a reopened claim under certain circumstances to 120 days prior to the receipt of the application.

Comment: This bill is on the Senate floor calendar awaiting action.

E2SSB 5155 | Modifies the accrual date for interest on judgments founded on the tortious conduct of individuals and entities other than public agencies from the date of entry of judgment to the date the cause of action accrues.

Comment: This bill is on House floor calendar with multiple amendments proposed. Initial debate was halted and bill was tabled.

Effect: Applies prejudgment interest to judgments founded on the tortious conduct of public agencies; Removes exemption from prejudgment interest for medical malpractice claims and thereby applies prejudgment interest to all judgments founded on the tortious conduct of individuals and other entities; and Provides that judgments founded on tortious conduct that occurred while the plaintiff was a minor bear interest from the date the action is commenced or the date the minor turns 18 years of age, whichever is earlier.

SB 5539 | Concerning state funding for educational service districts. This bill requires that state funding be provided to each educational service district (ESD) for the employer cost of school employees’ benefits for employees of the ESD that are covered by collective bargaining.

Comment: This bill passed the House and will sent to the Governor.

SSB 5564 | Protecting the confidentiality of employees using employee assistance programs.

Comment: This bill is now before the Governor having passed both houses.

ESSB 5628 | Concerning cyber harassment, addressing concerns in the case of Rynearson v. Ferguson, and adding a crime of cyberstalking.

Comment: This bill is on the House calendar awaiting further action.

2SSB 5649 | This bill modifies the Washington state paid family and medical leave act.

Comment: This bill passed the House and will sent back to the Senate for reaction. An amendment adding a ‘null and void’ clause subject to funding was added as were a few technical changes.

ESSB 5761 | Concerning employer requirements for providing wage and salary information to applicants for employment. It modifies the requirements to provide wage information to require employers to provide the wage scale or salary range in job postings and to include a general description of all benefits and other compensation, rather than providing wage and salary information only upon request of an applicant after the initial job offer. Removes the requirement that if no wage scale or salary range exists, the employer must provide the minimum wage or salary expectation prior to posting the position, making a position transfer, or making the promotion. Limits the persons who are entitled to remedies to a job applicant or an employee.

Comment: This amended bill passed the House 51/46 and has been sent back to the Senate for action. The amendment changes the effective date to 1/1/2023.

ESSB 5873 | Concerning unemployment insurance, family leave, and medical leave premiums. This bill decreases the maximum Unemployment Insurance (UI) social cost factor for 2022 and 2023 and sets a maximum UI rate class for the purposes of the percentage of the social cost factor to be paid by small businesses in 2023.

Comment: This bill passed both houses and will sent to the Governor.

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Addendum

Question: “Why do good bills die?”

The answer to this question could be a mini-novel. This is only a brief answer.

There are many obstacles to overcome in order for bills to advance. The first obstacle is volume. Too many bills create overwhelm legislators. There is too much candy in the candy shop and it’s hard to choose. Fortunately, there is a calendar that forces choices. Timelines with cutoffs mandate making tough choices on what to advance. Bills begin to fall off any list. Meanwhile the session calendar continues running.

There are other factors. Friction within each caucus over various bills especially among members worried about re-election (given that 2022 is an election year) makes for extended recesses decreasing floor time to act on bills. The choices to limit the length of daily floor sessions and not have action on weekends means less time devoted to advancing legislation.

Once bills make it to the floor, the R’s, (this Session) exert the power of the minority. They will offer many amendments especially on controversial bills like gun control and through debate take up floor time. They can threaten to add amendments to bills to force D’s to move on to other bills in order to avoid debate. Ultimately, session ends. Thus, bills that are left die. End of story.

March 2022 School Safety Blog

“[T]he Legislature recognizes that comprehensive safe school plans…are of paramount importance… to assure students, parents, guardians, school employees, and school administrators that our schools provide the safest possible learning environment."

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.

How do we ensure that we are planning and providing a safe environment for all though? Let’s step back for a second and consider some of the information you have at hand: your student population and its ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity. Do you have students with special needs? Is there gender diversity? Compare that to your school staff: educational, administrative, and support. How do student progress and discipline data look?

You have probably been studying all of this in your efforts to address diversity, equity, and inclusion. Now, look at your campus. Where do you sit within your community? What does your neighboring community look like? Feel like? Is your school easily accessible? Are entrances and exits clearly marked? How close or how far are you from your families? Do you have outside agencies providing support of one kind or another for your school? Where are they coming to you from?

Let’s apply this to comprehensive school safety. We might look at just about any aspect of safety and safety planning, but for the moment, let’s consider another aspect of safety called out in RCW: reunification planning.

Imagine this scenario. There’s a fire at the school. The fire department responded and the school was evacuated. Due to the extent of the damage, the time of day, and the weather, your students are being evacuated to an off-campus reunification location.

• How are you notifying families? Do all your families have access to the tech you use so they can receive the message in a timely manner?
• Will all your language-diverse families comprehend the message? Will they know where to go – and why?
• Your school population is quite diverse, but the neighborhood around your school is not. Will your students feel safe walking from their school to the site?
• Considering your surroundings, will your students be safe moving to the reunification site?
• You have several students who are physically handicapped. Are you able to move all of them safely to the site?
• Your reunification site is a house of worship. Will students and staff enter and know how to act in a way that is not disrespectful to the site?
• Is the reunification site capable of accommodating both a major influx of traffic and diversity of people coming to it?
• Bottom line, does your reunification plan take into account all students?

We could go on. We could change up the scenario. We could step back at look at the planning process and planning team, itself. That bottom line is the same: school safety is foundational to creating a successful learning environment for all. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are critically important aspects of creating and ensuring a safe environment.

Before I applied for my job, I had never heard of AWSP and knew nothing about it, even though I had driven and ran past the building hundreds of times. I had no idea what was happening behind these obscure walls. After interviewing and receiving a second interview, I still did not truly understand the scope of the job I was interested in, but now I do.

I started as the Professional Learning Service Specialist on January 10^th. 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. 

What I witnessed in the first month has been nothing short of amazing, eye-opening, and sobering. From my first Equity Centered Leadership Network event, I saw enthusiastic and motivated elementary principals and assistant principals well on their journey to eliminate inequities. Lofty goals, but I have complete faith this cohort of professionals can get it done. My second event was at PLU with interns willing to step into the principalship — a display of courage considering the current environment all our schools find themselves in now. It has always been challenging, but these last two years have nearly broken the system. 

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) event I attended was a group of seasoned, well-respected principals from all over the state. We came together to discuss ways to improve the position, school systems, and find methods to share that may stop our school leaders’ current catastrophic attrition rate. It was powerful, depressing, and bleak. The meeting felt like a much-needed group therapy session. Although there were some great takeaways and a few principals felt slight rejuvenation, we had three incredible administrators admit they were resigning at the end of the school year. Hearing their stories motivated me to do everything in my power, both personally and professionally, to help assist these wonderful but depleted principals. 

Reach was one of my takeaways from the event. How many principals are suffering in silence, unaware of our mission and what we can provide? Every principal and assistant principal should know about our in-person workshops and amazing virtual classes in our Learning Management System (Path). They should feel like they can reach out to our Professional Learning team or our executive director at any time. 

I am new, energetic, and I will not rest until EVERY school administrator in the state knows who we are, what we offer, and are willing to remain in their positions longer with the understanding that we support them 100% in whatever way they need.