AWSP
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Advocacy & Legislation

AWSP provides a strong and respected voice on state and nationwide issues affecting K–12 schools and principals. We vigilantly monitor and research trends impacting our members’ profession, reputation, and practice. We value our members who travel to Olympia and Washington, D.C. to provide the principal’s perspective. 

We offer several ways to help you keep pace with the legislative arena, including Legislative Update (our a weekly e-newsletter during session), how to find your state legislator, how to track the status of bills and find out how your lawmaker voted, and practical tips for talking with legislators.

We focus our governmental relations efforts and legislative platform through a statewide, grassroots Legislation Committee. This collaboration identifies and prioritizes issues critical to our members, so we can work smarter on your behalf in Olympia and around the state.

Every voice matters, and it’s important for all of us to stay informed and connected.

2025 Legislative Platform



“It is difficult to envision a higher return on investment in K-12 education than the cultivation of high-quality school leadership.” ~ Wallace Foundation, 2021

The 2025 AWSP Legislative Platform focuses on leadership development, fully funding basic education, and increasing student support to ensure all students succeed, with priorities for principals and school staff.

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Connecting with our legislators at both the local and national level is critical to ensure our legislators recognize the importance of supporting educators in their efforts to keep students safe and reach every student in their classrooms and buildings.
- Erika Burden, 2020 NASSP Advocacy Champion of the Year

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Legislative News

Retirement & Health Benefits for February 23, 2024

Feb 23, 2024, 11:31 AM by Caroline Brumfield
Both the Senate and the House have been busy with committee hearings as the Feb. 21st deadline for policy bills to be released from committees and the Feb. 26th deadline for fiscal bills approaches. There has been little floor action. Next week debate and floor passage will begin anew and at a rapid pace given the March 1 deadline for bills to clear their respective houses. Little has changed since last week’s report. An up-to-date summary will come next week after the deadline dust has settled.

Retirement Blog

  "People who love sausage and people who believe in justice (politics) should never watch either of them being made." - Otto Bismark

Both the Senate and the House have been busy with committee hearings as the Feb. 21st deadline for policy bills to be released from committees just passed and the Feb. 26th deadline for fiscal bills approaches. 

There has been little floor action. Next week debate and floor passage will begin anew and at a rapid pace given the March 1 deadline for bills to clear their respective houses.

Little has changed since last week’s report. An up-to-date summary will come next week after the deadline dust has settled. 

There are unknown actions yet to come, particularly amendments to proposals, as the deadlines approach. However, one bill has been singled out by the Washington State School Retirees’ Association (WSSRA) for aggressive lobbying. 

Retirement Related Proposals

SHB 1985: Providing a benefit increase to certain retirees of the public employees' retirement system plan 1 and the teachers' retirement system plan 1.

Comment: This bill passed House 97/0. It was unanimously approved as request legislation by the Select Committee on Penson Policy. It would provide an ad-hoc 3% pension increase in 2024 not to exceed $110/month for TRS1/PERS1 Plan retirees. (The original bill was set at $125/month.) It had a public hearing Feb. 20th before WM and has been scheduled for executive session. If it passes the committee it will go to Rules. Complicating this, however, is the fact that the proposed Senate Budget (PSSSB 5950) does not fund the COLA unlike the House proposal (PSHB 2104) which does. 

WSSRA members/constituents are working with the legislators who sit on the WM, the Rules’ Committee and party leaders urging passage of the bill. It needs to come out of committee and out of the Senate. The appropriation cannot take effect unless a bill authorizes it. The bill is NTIB so there is some flexibility regarding deadlines, but with a March 1 deadline, WSSRA is taking no chances. 

Fred Yancey
The Nexus Group LLC 

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Legislative Update E-Newsletter

Want updates on what's going on? Trying to understand the process and learn how to make an impact?  Follow us on social media, check out our blog or this page for the latest legislative news page, and read our Legislative Update email newsletter every Friday during session.

Questions? Reach out to Roz.

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Join Our PAC

School leaders in Washington state can take an active role in the political process by joining AWSP’s political action committee or PAC, the Washington School Principals Legislative Effectiveness Association.

AWSP-WSPLEA supports AWSP’s governmental relations efforts at both the state and national levels. It also raises and spends money to support candidates and issues that are important to the principalship and to K–12 education. Make a difference — join the PAC today!

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School Funding Coalition

The School Funding Coalition represents the voices of nearly 8,000 school district leaders from our state’s 295 school districts. We bring a front-line understanding of school district financing and the education funding issues the Legislature continues to grapple with—especially as state budget decisions are contemplated in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Coalition includes AEA, AESD, AWSP, WASA, WASBO, WSPA, and WSSDA. We believe that each and every student needs stable support, safety, access to learning, and well-equipped staff. Learn more in our Immediate Student Needs document below.

2024 Legislative Priorities