Yakima’s Recipe for Success: Student Voice, Board Efficiency, and Strategic Focus - WSSDA Empowering School Directors to Champion Student Success

Two key policies emerged from the www.ysd7.org School Board Student Voice Council and Fellowship. The Student Voice Policy formalizes students’ role in district governance, and the Equity Policy promotes fairness and justice across all the district’s educational practices. buff.ly/pJYFfIX #WAedu

Museum near Seattle solves the problem of math anxiety The Seattle Universal Math Museum — SUMM, get it? — welcomed families for a grand opening on Pi Day. The goal? Make "math problem" an oxymoron.

The Seattle Universal Math Museum - SUMM - get it?— welcomed families last Saturday at Kent Station for a Pi Day Community Math Festival and grand opening. Pi Day lands on March 14, a celebration of the irrational number that begins with 3.14. buff.ly/wopMIPm buff.ly/pJcZULt #WAedu

Parents get more time to review special ed evaluations with new law Families will have at least five days to review a crucial document school districts use to determine whether a child is eligible for special education services.

The law requires school districts to give parents or legal guardians whose children may need special education services at least five days to review their child’s evaluation report before meeting with the district to discuss their eligibility. buff.ly/9MTXFR3 seattletimes.com ospi.k12.wa.us #WAedu

SB6260, the Wellman bill which would make cuts to Running Start, Transitional Kindergarten, and other programs for our schools, is next up for a hearing in House Appropriations. 42 people are signed in to testify (41 con, one other), and the sign-ins are 26 pro, 2 other, 1,853 con. #waleg #waedu

Bill would ban some school isolation, restraint OLYMPIA — A proposed bill in the state Legislature would ban the creation of isolation rooms and the use of certain restraints unless a student’s behavior is to the point

House Bill 1795 establishes that restraint and isolation cannot be a planned response to escalated behavior, unless the parent or guardian has consented and a licensed physician has deemed it necessary. buff.ly/P07UrDQ www.aclu-wa.org disabilityrightswa.org www.ospi.org #WAedu

Kittitas school tech levy passes by 1 vote One down, one to go.

EVERY VOTE COUNTS. #waleg #waedu www.goskagit.com/apgstate/kit...

In this episode, League of Education Voters CEO Arik Korman interviews Michelle Whitney, the 2026 Washington state Superintendent of the Year, who has served as Superintendent of the Pasco School District for the past 10 years. bit.ly/superintende...
buff.ly/coEEkYP #WAedu www.psd1.org

Getting Students in the Door: Why Washington's New Attendance Challenge Matters Last month, Washington state joined a nationwide effort led by Attendance Works to change what attendance means in our schools. It's not about tracking who shows up—it's about recognizing that when…

The National Chronic Absence Challenge has set an ambitious goal: to cut chronic absenteeism in half over five years. For Washington, that means reducing chronic absence from 27% to 14% by 2029. School districts across psesd.org are meeting this challenge. buff.ly/WfDIt6l attendanceworks.org #WAedu

These WA colleges are drawing more students Community college enrollment in Washington has now exceeded where it was in 2020, outpacing public four-year universities.

New preliminary fall data from the Washington Student Achievement Council (wsac.wa.gov) show the number of students seeking a degree or credential at community colleges rose by 7.5% in just one year, between 2024 and 2025. buff.ly/0xUMGd8 highline.edu bellevuecollege.edu #WAedu

Legislature should keep WA Running Start summer program | Op-Ed Two proposals before the Legislature this year seek to eliminate the ability for Washington students to take 10 additional summer credits.

Low‑income students will be hit the hardest as these students use the income waivers most often during the summer. When the credits are not funded, those same students lose opportunities because paying out of pocket isn’t possible for many students. buff.ly/9pdQBhn #WAedu ospi.k12.wa.us sbctc.edu

Hundreds rally in favor of WA ‘millionaires tax’ The "Rally for Revenue" organized by several Washington labor unions and groups, drew government-funded workers from across the state to Olympia Tuesday.

Education emerged as a clear theme of yesterday's rally in Olympia, with speakers stressing that schools already shoulder responsibilities well beyond academics, including meals, mental health support and child safety. buff.ly/rvw9kia buff.ly/CepwnR2 #WAedu

February is Black History Month February is Black History Month, honoring and recognizing the vital and impactful achievements of African Americans and their central role in U.S. history.

Black History Month is an important opportunity to share and promote the histories, stories, and voices of the Black community so that they are honored, amplified, and uplifted as they deserve to be. buff.ly/bMgvYMH www.psesd.org #WAedu

If a rural WA school dissolves, students could go to Tri-Cities area “If the school’s gone, the town loses its identity.”

This could be one of those watershed moments in #waedu history, if an entire school district closes completely because the finances aren't working. www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/e... #waleg

‘Mourn today, act tomorrow.’ New Seattle Schools superintendent emphasizes safety following fatal shooting near South Shore It’s safe to say Ben Shuldiner’s first day as superintendent of Seattle Public Schools wasn’t what he’d expected.

New buff.ly/i95SaEQ Superintendent Ben Shuldiner said he’s more determined than ever to do his part to improve student safety and security, across the district and throughout the city. buff.ly/n3Xpx5J @kuow.org #WAedu

Local bonds and levies are essential to sustain schools ”Voting YES for school levies doesn’t mean you’re paying higher rates; it means you’re continuing to fund basic education.”

Local bonds and levies are essential to sustain schools

tumbleweird.org/local-bonds-and-levies/

By Miles Thomas

#SchoolLevy #tricitieswa #WAedu #EducationFunding #FactCheck #SupportOurStudents

Bill would require Washington high schools to teach kids to create a signature to help them vote OLYMPIA – High schools could soon be required to offer coursework teaching students how to write a signature in cursive under a bill heard in the House Education Committee on Thursday.

The bill would add lessons on making official cursive signatures to current mandatory high school civics classes. The proposal isn’t about crafting art or good penmanship. It’s focused on preparing teens to vote. buff.ly/UJl1muz www.spokesman.com #WAedu www.sos.wa.gov

Want to Improve Tweens' Social Skills? Enlist Older Adults' Help When a middle school was built adjacent to a retirement community, unlikely friendships grew.

Intergenerational partnerships, like the one between Timber Ridge at Talus and Cougar Mountain Middle School, provide a natural way to grow children’s social-emotional skills. buff.ly/8ktUATn Issaquah School District www.isd411.org www.edweek.org #WAedu

A critical chance to support homeless students | Op-Ed Funding cuts and policy changes threaten support for homeless students in Washington schools. Here’s why this legislative session matters.

This op-ed piece, written by @educationvoters.org Chief Policy Officer Jacob Vela, and buff.ly/XoFpmeL Director of Policy & Advocacy Aaron Yared, makes a strong case for restoring Homeless Student Stability Education Program (HSSeP) funding. buff.ly/qS1qP8v buff.ly/KnAnBGs #WAedu

In this episode, League of Education Voters CEO Arik Korman interviews Michelle Whitney, the 2026 Washington state Superintendent of the Year, who has served as Superintendent of the Pasco School District for the past 10 years. bit.ly/superintende...
buff.ly/coEEkYP #WAedu www.psd1.org

Washington state Legislative Issue Brief: Student Homelessness LEV and Building Changes explain the importance of the Homeless Student Stability Education Program (HSSeP) for Washington students experiencing homelessness.

Now more than ever, we need to invest in what works. The Homeless Student Stability's Education Program (HSSeP)’s approach—linking housing stability and academic achievement—has delivered results since the pandemic. buff.ly/hs5oZxM buff.ly/hXpY5Wl #WAedu

Lawmakers look to reverse financial aid cuts for students at WA’s private colleges • Washington State Standard Starting this fall, the Washington College Grant, hailed as one of the most generous financial aid programs in the country, will decrease by nearly a third for students attending private universities.

For students attending public universities, the grant covers full tuition. But for students attending private universities, the state pays a flat amount for tuition, about $9,700 a year. After the cuts, it would be reduced to around $6,500. www.wsac.wa.gov #WAedu @WashingtonStateStandard.com

You can watch last week's LEVinar about the preview of the 2026 Legislative session here: bit.ly/2026_session... #WAedu

You can watch this week's LEVinar about the preview of the 2026 Legislative session here: bit.ly/2026_session... #WAedu

Spending part of Christmas Eve going through the Governor's budget proposal, as one does, and while I know it's pretty meaningless in terms of what the #waleg will do, I sure hope they're not thinking these cuts to BEST and the leadership academy are good--they're both important for #waedu.

In case you missed yesterday's webinar: we spotlight the Washington State Board of Education's FutureReady initiative, a statewide effort to modernize high school graduation requirements. Watch now: bit.ly/future_ready... #WAedu #WAleg

We've released our 2026 Legislative Platform, informed by communities across the state outlining a path forward to protect students, strengthen our education system and center students most impacted by inequitable funding.
👉 Read the full platform: buff.ly/8kcRzNt
#WAEdu #Leagueofeducationvoters

State treasurer to again push for financial education requirement for high schoolers OLYMPIA — While State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti has been in office, he has spoken to thousands of people across the state. Not one, Pellicciotti said Thursday, has told him they feel adequately vers

WA is moving to make financial education a graduation requirement. Treasurer Pellicciotti: “Financial education is not required in our schools today — and that truly shocks Washingtonians.” #WaEdu #FinancialEducation

In case you missed yesterday's LEVinar - Learn about Science on Wheels, Pacific Science Center’s flagship outreach program and Washington’s largest provider of outreach science education! Watch now. bit.ly/pacsci_scien... #WAedu #WAleg #Science

Some colleges scrap diversity questions from admissions essays. Will it change how students talk about themselves? Starting this year, some colleges have changed or removed essay prompts that referenced diversity from their admissions applications.

The www.washington.edu (UW) is one of at least 19 colleges that changed essay prompts this year. UW removed a question this year that asked how a student might add to the school’s diversity. buff.ly/cmmqC01 @KUOW.org buff.ly/liwFhyt #WAedu

2026 Legislative Platform - League of Education Voters The following priorities will help us respond to the impacts of the pandemic and move us toward a more equitable and just education system.

In @educationvoters.org 2026 Legislative Platform, we assert that in this legislative session, we must prioritize student needs by ensuring equitable access to essential school supports, such as mental health resources and special education services. Read for more: bit.ly/lev_2026_pla... #WAedu