AWSP Blog

My husband and I both graduated college and landed our first teaching jobs in a rural Eastern Washington school district. After teaching for five years, we both completed our master’s programs and secured our continuing education certification. To make a long story short…in very short turn-around we added our first child to the family. Now, we were faced with the very interesting challenge of finding daycare for a 2-month-old colicky baby, which there was none of! Our solution was to have me stay home for those first few months. I quickly realized that being a “stay-at-home” parent was unbelievably challenging and to be honest, I wasn’t all that good at it! We engaged with the MOPS groups and had mommy and me dates, but I could never really figure out a schedule that worked for us and thankfully at the end of winter break, baby went to daycare, and I went back to the classroom.

January is Mentoring Month!! I want to thank all the AWSP-trained mentors who have willingly accepted the assignment to walk with a new/newly assigned school leader in our state. Although the 2021-22 school year has thrown all of us in K-12 education a few wrinkles, we greatly appreciate all mentors who have added additional responsibility to their plate by being a mentor to our amazing AWSP school leaders!

“I don’t get political” ~ Betty White. We all can’t be Ms. White because the Washington State Legislature is in session and working hard at proposing and moving legislature of import and educators need to be involved.

The second week of this nine-week legislative session ends today. Things are moving fast. The education committees in both the House and the Senate continued to hear bills and take executive action this week. The first major deadline of this year is February 3rd. That’s when policy bills must pass out of their original committees. The first deadline for fiscal committees to pass their bills out of committee is February 7th.

This content is emailed weekly to leaders in special education and Section 504. Each newsletter contains tips and resources on a variety of topics that are meant to keep you informed and up to date. Please consult your district attorney if you are looking for legal advice.

January is Mentoring Month! Thank you to the host of AWSP trained mentors who have willingly accepted the assignment to walk with a new/newly assigned school leader in our state. Although the 2021-22 school year has thrown all of us in K-12 education a few wrinkles, we greatly appreciate all mentors who have added an additional responsibility to their plate by being a mentor to our amazing AWSP school leaders!

There was a big hearing the morning of January 18th in the House Education Committee on HB 1226 and HJR (House Joint Resolution) 4200 for passing bonds with simple majority.Both the bill and resolutionneed to pass for the issue to go to the ballot for the general election in November, but there is momentum once again around the need for school construction bonds to pass with a simple majority so students can have safe and healthy schools.

Alexandria Haas, principal at McMicken Elementary in the Highline Public Schools, was named this year’s Washington State National Distinguished Principal. Every year, the National Association of Elementary School Principals recognizes one winner from each state. After reviewing nominations, Ms. Haas has been chosen to represent our state by the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP).

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.. Please consult your district attorney if you are looking for legal advice, as that is out of my realm.

The 2022 Session began virtually on January 10th. It will be 60-day, mad dash to a March 10th finish line. Numerous bills were pre-filed. In fact, in excess of 600, a record. Being introduced, however, being heard, and then advanced in committee are three different processes. One does not guarantee the others. Meanwhile, below is a brief report on these bills by title. Some titles are self-explanatory; others have a brief summary. And as a reminder to be involved, know that “If you are not at the table; you’re on the menu.”