This was another full week in the Legislature with jam-packed agendas in committee hearings, a bit of floor action sprinkled here and there, and plenty of attention on the Senate as they released their budgets. One of my personal highlights of the week was listening to our very own Tricia Kannberg, principal at Deer Park Elementary, share how her Classroom Support App (CSA) works during a work session with members of the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Committee. Tricia and her team created the CSA to provide an immediate response to the needs of students and staff. It has been extremely effective, and the app is now used in 35 different schools. For more information, check out the video of Tricia walking through her app.

SB 5175 was heard this week in the House Education Committee. Dr. Scott Seaman and I testified in support of the option to allow districts to offer principals up to three-year contracts. We were joined by two of our amazing members, Carlos Gonzalez, principal at McFarland Middle School in Othello, and Gerrit Kischner, principal at Thornton Creek Elementary in Seattle. Dr. Ken Bergevin from Heritage University also testified in support, and we appreciate their time and expertise very much. Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos, Chair of the House Education Committee, has included SB 5175 on her list of bills for executive action next Monday, March 27. You can watch all the testimony on SB 5175 on TVW.

---

Budget

Here are some of the major K-12 public school funding increases in the Senate operating budget, which was released yesterday. OSPI and our colleagues at WASA (and others) are combing through over 1,200 pages looking at the details. The House will release its operating budget next Monday, March 27, and then negotiations will begin to hammer out a final budget.

SPECIAL EDUCATION – $372 million NGF-O (2023-25); $447 million NGF-O (2025-27) Funding is provided to increase the enrollment cap used to calculate the excess cost allocation for state special education programs and increase the excess cost multiplier for 3 to 5-year-old students not yet enrolled in kindergarten and students in grades K-12 eligible for and receiving special education services pursuant to ESSB 5311.

K-12 SALARY INFLATION – $264 million NGF-O (2023-25); $630 million NGF-O (2025-27) Funding is provided to change the inflationary adjustment applied to educator salaries pursuant to ESB 5650. IPD is 3.7% for the 2023-24 school year and is estimated at 3.9% in 2024-25.

PASSENGER REIMBURSEMENT (Transportation) – $100 million NGF-O (2023-25); $100 million NGF-O (2025- 27) Funding is provided for the special passenger safety net program created in ESSB 5174, which provides reimbursement for school districts for excess costs associated with the transportation of passengers eligible for and receiving special education that require transportation as a related service of their individualized education program, homeless students requiring transportation under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and foster students receiving transportation as required under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.

COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY PROVISION EXPANSION – $26.5 million NGF-O (2023 SUPPLEMENTAL); $59 million NGF-O (2023- 25); $61 million NGF-O (2025-27) Funding is provided to reimburse additional school districts required to participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for school meals. The funding will support schools not eligible for the full federal reimbursement rate.

In addition to these programs, funding is provided by the Senate to cover the cost of College in the High School courses, which is tremendous, as well as to continue funding for Outdoor Education. There is no increase in funding for principal internships or mentorships, so I will be asking for additional investment for both of these important programs in today’s budget hearing in Senate Ways and Means.

---

Bills That Keep Moving

Both of the special education funding bills are still alive. The Senate bill, SB 5311, would raise the special education cap from 13.5% to 15% and increase the multiplier at a greater rate than the House. The House version, HB 1436, funds special education at a lower level.

SB 5174 is the transportation funding bill. This bill was narrowed from its original version and would create the Transportation Safety Net. Safety net awards would be provided to school districts with a demonstrated need for additional transportation funding for special passengers, as mentioned above.

HB 1479, the restraint and isolation bill, would prohibit chemical restraint and mechanical restraint, and prohibit isolation beginning August 2, 2025. It prohibits the creation of isolation rooms and requires isolation rooms to be removed or repurposed by January 1, 2026. It also adds training and professional development requirements. Building administrators are added to this list of people who would be prioritized for this training. We are hearing this bill may not move out of the Senate Education Committee.

HB 1550 is the Transition to Kindergarten bill. The current version is much improved, and it would rename Transitional Kindergarten as the Transition to Kindergarten program, and state that this program is not part of the state's program of basic education. It directs OSPI to adopt rules for the administration and the allocation of state funding for this program and specifies minimum requirements for these rules. And it provides a funding formula for the program using certain portions of the prototypical school funding model and requires certain data to be reported. Current TK programs will remain in place for the 2023-24 school year, but changes would come in the following school year.

HB 1658 would authorize high school students to earn up to two elective credits for paid work experience.

If you are interested in small school construction, SB 5126 (common school trust revenue to the small school modernization program) and HB 1044 (capital financial assistance to small districts with demonstrated funding challenges) were heard this week, and the Senate Capital budget gets a good review by OSPI for its attention to public schools small schools.

SB 5048 is a fantastic bill that passed the Senate. This bill will require institutions of higher education to provide enrollment and registration in College in the High School courses at no cost to students in grades 9 through 12 at public high schools.

HB 1207 is now in the Senate, and it would change the term "emergency expulsion" to "emergency removal" and permit certain students to request that their records use the new term. It would also require OSPI to develop a model student handbook that includes, among other things, a complaint procedure related to harassment, intimidation, bullying, and discrimination.

HB 1478 establishes student rights and is in the Senate. It requires each public school to develop student-focused educational and promotional materials that incorporate the statement and to include the materials into required civics instruction. It directs OSPI to make the statement available on its website.

HB 1308 passed out of Senate Education yesterday. This bill says that school districts may offer students the opportunity to meet graduation pathway requirements by completing a performance-based learning experience through which the student applies knowledge and skills in a real-world context, providing evidence of applying state learning standards to ELA and math standards (this was amended from the original version that allowed students to choose two of the core areas).

SB 5243 passed the Senate, and it would revise high school and beyond plan (HSBP) requirements and require OSPI to facilitate the transition to and adoption of a common online platform for HSBPs. It would require school districts to provide access to an adopted universal platform within two years of platform development. I don’t see this bill on the House Education Committee agenda for executive action next week so I’m not sure this bill will keep moving.

The recess bill, SB 5257 has now passed both the House and the Senate and requires 30 minutes of recess and encourages recess before lunch. It also includes language that discourages withholding recess for disciplinary or academic reasons.

HB 1316 is another dual credit bill that would allow Running Start students to be funded up to a combined maximum enrollment of 1.6 FTE. It would also allow high school graduates with 15 or fewer college credits to earn before meeting associate degree requirements to continue participation in the summer academic term following graduation. Senator Hawkins intends to add a floor amendment to this to add 10th grade Running Start (one online class only per quarter).

HB 1565 has a short title of the “Educator Workforce Act.” This bill establishes a teacher residency program and continues work to identify the quality and effectiveness of educator preparation and workforce programs. It has been amended to focus on establishing residency programs for special education teachers only.

---

Next Week

There will be lots more news coming next week regarding the bills that make it out (or don’t) from each policy committee. Wednesday, March 29, is the cutoff date for this to happen. As I mentioned earlier, the House will release its budget on Monday, March 27. I’m off to Washington, D.C., tomorrow morning with a group of 12 of our amazing principals and assistant principals. I look forward to sharing more with all of you next week about that adventure and the conversations we have with our Members of Congress on our Day on the Hill in D.C. on Wednesday, March 29.

---

Bill Tracking

For a quick look at the bills being acted upon next week and a list of the bills that are still moving through the Legislature, check out my bill tracking list.

---

Get Involved

Our advocacy efforts need all of our voices to contribute to the process. There are many different ways (big and small) that you can get involved in these efforts. If you have questions or comments or want to get involved, please reach out to me.

Thank you so much!