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Retirement & Health Benefits- January 24, 2025
Since covering pension/retirement/health insurance issues on behalf of WASA and AWSP, there are a few important points we have learned. This is just a brief summary of selected retirement related topics. One needs to check with the Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) and the Health Care Authority (HCA) for definitive answers to questions about their…
Learn MoreProcess Change for Renewal Applications
This is a courtesy announcement from the OSPI Professional Certification Department to inform educators that a change has been adopted by the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) that affects how educators need to apply to renew their certificates.
Learn MoreLegislative Update 1.17.25
This week’s legislative update honors Martin Luther King Jr.’s reminder that meaningful change requires persistence and advocacy. Key highlights include debates on K-12 funding, student mental health, and financial literacy, alongside a focus on the "Big 3" funding issues of special education, MSOC, and transportation. Principals are making their voices heard, and you can too—join…
Learn MoreWeek One: Advocacy Insights from Casey Brown, AWSP’s Contract Lobbyist
The 2025 Legislative Session kicked off with familiar sights and surprises, from freshman legislators being sworn in to Governor Ferguson’s inaugural address, which featured unexpected bipartisan themes. His focus on fiscal responsibility, limiting emergency powers, and avoiding unsustainable spending has stirred optimism on the right and skepticism on the left, setting the stage for potential…
Learn MoreRetirement & Health Benefits- January 17, 2025
Since covering pension/retirement/health insurance issues on behalf of WASA and AWSP, there are a few important points we have learned. This is just a brief summary of selected retirement related topics. One needs to check with the Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) and the Health Care Authority (HCA) for definitive answers to questions about their…
Learn MoreUnited States Senate Youth Program Winners 2025
The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) is pleased to announce that high school students Ms. Ashlye Ruth Triebs and Ms. Ellie Xue will join Senator Patty Murray and Senator Maria Cantwell in representing Washington during the 63rd annual USSYP Washington Week, to be held March 1 - 8, 2025. Ashlye Triebs of Vancouver and…
Learn MoreSchool Celebration Newsletter | January – March 2025
According to Dr. Tina Boogren, a Solution Tree’s research expert, educators are now entering the season of “Finding Balance” – a time to focus on recalibration and renewal over the next 9–10 weeks. With this in mind, this quarter’s “School Celebration Newsletter” is packed with simple, actionable ideas to celebrate your staff while also prioritizing…
Learn MoreLegislative Update 1.10.25
The 2025 legislative session kicks off on Monday, January 13th and along with a new year, as usual, comes lots of changes. 2025 will be a long, 105-day session where over 2,000 bills will be introduced, and where the biennial operating, capital, and transportation budgets will be adopted by the Legislature and signed by Governor-Elect…
Learn MoreShould States Ban Cell Phone Use In Schools?
In the 22-23 school year, my Building Leadership Team decided cell phones were limiting students’ ability to access their education to the degree that we needed a schoolwide intervention. By June of 2023, a survey to all certificated teachers showed that 98% of staff wanted a more stringent cell phone policy and that 88% of…
Learn MoreAI: A Game-Changer for Students with Disabilities
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming education, especially for students with disabilities. A recent Associated Press article highlights how AI tools are helping students like 14-year-old Makenzie Gilkison, who struggled with dyslexia, succeed academically.
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