Tuesday, April 8 was the fiscal cut-off for the opposite chamber. Fiscal committees held marathon sessions over the weekend, hearing testimony on a slew of bills from policy committees. This part of the session can feel a bit tricky, with some bills being overlooked and others being categorized as, “necessary to implement the budget,” or NCIB, and kept alive through cut-off. The cut-off for the opposite house comes next Wednesday, April 16. By that date bills still sitting in rules committees will need to be scheduled and heard on the floor of their respective chamber in order to stay alive.
There were several casualties from Tuesday’s cut-off, but many of the big-ticket bills are still in play. One bill that failed to make it out of the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday was SSB 5123, that focused on inclusivity in schools. This bill was sponsored by Sen. T’wina Nobles, D-Fircrest, and would have added protections, “for ethnicity, homelessness, immigration status and neurodivergence. It also would have also established new classes to specifically defend against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender expression and gender identity,” reported the Washington State Standard.
As for the budget woes, and/or budget negotiations, a lot will happen behind closed doors over the upcoming weeks, which is usual protocol for budget writers. Last week, Governor Ferguson voiced his concerns with the proposed budgets from both the House and Senate, making it clear that the use of a “wealth tax,” was not an option he wanted to pursue. However, this viewpoint has left many unsettled and on Wednesday, hundreds of WA State workers rallied around the capitol protesting budget cuts and furloughs, chanting, “Tax the rich!”
State workers are not the only people confused as to what will happen next. “I would like direction from the governor on where we can find additional reductions,” said Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair June Robinson, D-Everett, the architect of the Senate’s spending plan. This was in response to the nine page letter that Ferguson’s Budget Director released on Tuesday, reiterating his call for maintaining strong reserves, restraining new spending and squeezing savings from state-funded programs before considering new revenue.
Lastly, on Tuesday, Washington’s State Supt. Chris Reykdal released a statement addressing the U.S. Department of Education’s letter requesting states to certify compliance with the Department’s interpretation of federal civil rights guidelines, or risk losing federal funding. You can read his statement here, or for further info, read The Seattle Times; WA Schools Superintendent Resists Trump’s DEI Order.
House Bills
SHB 1079: which allows school districts to provide all students enrolled in online school programs the option to take statewide standardized tests remotely, beginning in the 2027-28 school year. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
2SHB 1273: which directs ESDs to collaborate with specified entities to streamline regional efforts that support students’ dual credit access and directs the SBCTC to develop a plan for improving its online career and technical education (CTE) dual credit administrative data system. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
ESHB 1296: which would make changes to the delineated rights of parents and legal guardians of public school children, establish a statement of student rights and associated duties for school districts, and establish anti-retaliation protections for public school employees. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
ESHB 1393: which requires school districts, charter schools, and state-tribal education compact schools to permit students to wear one item or object of cultural significance at high school commencements and other official graduation ceremonies and events. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
ESHB 1414: which directs OSPI, in consultation with the Department of Labor, to establish a work group to recommend changes to state laws and practices affecting the training, certification, and employment of 16- and 17-year-olds enrolled in or who completed career and technical education programs. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
ESHB 1651: which establishes teacher residency programs, describes a teacher apprenticeship program and establishes requirements for teacher apprenticeship programs (and number of hours) and requires the PESB to establish a process to approve these programs. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
Senate Bills
ESSB 5004: which requires emergency response systems of school districts, charter schools, and state-tribal education compact schools to include specified technology and be developed in accordance with collaboration requirements. The bill has passed out of the House Rules Committee.
SSB 5025: which directs the PESB to establish full and limited certificates for deaf and deaf-blind educational interpreters and specifies that, by the beginning of the 2027-28 school year, educational interpreters employed by school districts must obtain a certificate; and provides that those without a certificate, but who demonstrate satisfactory efforts toward full certification, may provide educational interpreter services for up to 18 months after completing the assessment. The bill has passed out of the House Rules Committee.
ESSB 5181: which modifies certain rights of parents and guardians of children enrolled in public school, removes rights related to notification requirements regarding medical services and treatment, lists ten additional rights of parents and guardians, and includes cross references to existing state law for each. The bill adds that these rights do not create a private right of action. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
SB 5189: which requires OSPI to adopt rules to authorize funding for students enrolled in competency-based education (CBE) programs and to create competencies aligned with state learning standards, as well as requires the SBE to develop a process to identify schools and school districts that are implementing CBE, and identify costs associated with this process. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
ESSB 5192: which increases allocations for materials, supplies, and operating costs (MSOC) as well as provides that MSOC calculations must use a three-year rolling average for student enrollment and must be adjusted annually for inflation. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
SSB 5193: which allows school districts with online programs to provide students the ability to complete statewide assessments remotely beginning in the 2027-28 school year. The bill directs OSPI to develop assessment administration and security policies to support remote testing options by April 1, 2027. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
SSB 5253: which extends special education services to students with disabilities until the end of the school year in which the student turns 22. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
E2SSB 5263: which would increase the special education funding multipliers to 1.6381 for Pre-K students and 1.5289 for K-12 students and would eliminate multiplier tiers that provide different levels of funding based on time spent in a general education setting. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
2SSB 5358: which permits school districts to offer Career and Technical Education Program (CTE) courses to sixth graders in middle school and requires middle and high school CTE courses to be treated as a single program for accounting purposes. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
SB 5737: which reduces the annual bonuses for instructional staff with a National Board Certificate starting in the 2025-26 school year. The bill is in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.
ESB 5769: which would limit the annual average full-time equivalent eligible children enrolled in the Transition to Kindergarten Program. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
Odds and Ends
Banning cell phones in school, is that the answer? From The Seattle Times’ Education Lab; With Phones Banned, WA School District Keeps Busy with Real Life
Alabama High Schools and the “workforce diploma.” From The Olympian, A New Kind of High School Diploma Trades Chemistry for Carpentry.