After last week’s exhausting end, week 8 of session struck a different tone. With only the House Education Committee meeting on Wednesday to hear two bills from the senate, nearly all of the attention was on the floor and on the respective Rules Committees of both chambers. It is the job of the Rules Committees to consider all bills reported from policy and fiscal committees and determine whether, and in what order, to schedule their consideration on the floor of the chamber. The Rules Committee also reviews, adopts and schedules consideration of floor resolutions.
Last week, on the very last day of the fiscal deadline, many anxiously awaited the fate of several major bills. At the last minute, the House Appropriations Committee amended and passed SSB 1357, which will increase special education funding and support grant funding for pilot schools centered on inclusionary practices, as well as increase the special education excess cost multiplier for kindergarten through age 21.
That being said, there were several major bills that did not share that outcome. HB 1404, which would have provided Washington public school students with free school meals, and HB 1795, which focused on the use of isolation and restraint in our public schools, both died in fiscal. The next deadline lawmakers will face occurs next Wednesday, March 12, and will be the last day for bills to be considered and passed out of their house of origin.
Education Committee Schedules for next week on tvw.org
House Education Committee:
- Thursday, March 13 @ 1030am
Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee:
- Thursday, March 13 @ 1030am
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 has passed the House Rules Committee.
SHB 1085: which expands the school-related crimes of Interference by Force or Violence and Intimidation by Threat of Force or Violence and increases the penalties. The bill requires the OSPI to develop a standard signage form notifying the public of the offenses of Interference by Force or Violence and Intimidation by Threat of Force or Violence and possible penalties and requires signage to be displayed at public school gymnasiums, auditoriums, and athletic fields. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
HB 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 House Rules Committee.
2HB 1285: which requires public school students, beginning with the graduating class of 2031, to meet the high school state financial education learning standards to graduate. The bill requires school districts, charter schools, and state-tribal education compact schools to provide all high school students with instruction in the state financial education learning standards, beginning in or before the 2027-28 school year. The bill has passed the House Rules Committee. From The Seattle Times, WA Could Reform High School Graduation Requirements.
SHB 1296: which would make changes to delineated rights of parents and legal guardians of public school children, establish a statement of student rights and associated duties for school districts, and would establish anti-retaliation protections for public school employees. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
HB 1338: which increases per pupil amounts for several materials, supplies, and operating costs (MSOC) categories in state prototypical school funding formulas, lowers class sizes for skill centers from 19 to 16.67 and requires a review and rebase of MSOC every four years beginning the 2029-30 school year. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
HB 1357: which increases special education excess cost multipliers for kindergarten through age 21 to 1.18 for students who spend at least 80 percent of the school day in a general education setting, and 1.09 for those who spend less than 80 percent. The bill also establishes grants for pilot schools to establish school-wide centers of excellence for inclusionary practices. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
HB 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 House Rules Committee.
HB 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 House Rules Committee.
SHB 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 House Rules Committee.
HB 1817: directs OSPI to post staff training materials on trauma-informed, survivor-centered responses to disclosures of sexual abuse, misconduct, and assault and to develop a student and family guide on laws, policies, and procedures related to this topic and mandatory reporting as well as requires mandatory reporter training for school employees. The bill is in the House 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 (House hearing time: 5:04). Testifying in support: representatives from Make Our Schools Safe and several concerned citizens. Testifying with amendment suggestion: representatives from the Puget Sound School Coalition. The bill is in the House Education 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 (House hearing time: 00:29). Testifying in support: representatives from the PESB and CDHY. The bill is in the House Education Committee.
SSB 5123: which would add protected classes to the nondiscrimination provisions that apply to Washington public schools: ethnicity, homelessness, immigration status, and neurodivergence. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
SB 5177: which would require OSPI to specify that the professional development resources that are provided on certain topics must consider the experiences of historically marginalized and underrepresented groups. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
SB 5179: which directs OSPI to establish a process to investigate and address complaints alleging noncompliance with state laws concerning civil rights; harassment, intimidation, and bullying; certain curriculum requirements; the use of restraint or isolation on a student; and student discipline. The bill is in the Senate 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 Education Committee. From The Seattle Times, New Initiative Aims to Shield WA Parents’ Bill of Rights from Revision.
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 has passed the Senate Rules Committee.
SB 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 Senate Rules Committee.
SB 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 Senate Rules Committee.
SB 5240: which allows a school nurse or designated trained school personnel to use any available epinephrine on school property to respond to an anaphylactic reaction when certain requirements are met as well as provides liability protections when epinephrine is administered in substantial compliance with the written policies of the school district. Testifying as “other:” representatives from SNOW and WFIS. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
SB 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 Senate Rules Committee.
SSB 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 Senate Rules Committee.
SB 5272: which expands the school-related crimes of Interference by Force or Violence and Intimidation by Threat of Force or Violence and increases the penalties for Interference by Force or Violence. The bill also requires standard signage notifying the public of these offenses and possible penalties to be displayed at public school gymnasiums, auditoriums, and public school athletic fields. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
SSB 5327: which directs the SBE to develop recommendations for students to have the opportunity to demonstrate competency of the high school computer science state learning standards and consider how to incorporate the competencies into the framework of graduation requirements. The bill has passed the Senate Rules Committee.
SB 5358: which provides prototypical school funding for 6th grade Career and Technical Education Program (CTE) courses offered in a middle school. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
SB 5369: which amends the statutory definition of school social worker and grants authority for ESDs to coordinate with local mental health agencies to arrange for in-school placements of licensed social worker associates and Master of Social Work candidates. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
SB 5386: which directs YLAC to lead a discussion about the requirements for mandatory reporting of child abuse or neglect and directs OSPI to post staff training materials on trauma-informed, survivor-centered responses to disclosures of sexual abuse, including best practices for working with local community experts, and to develop a student and family guide on laws/policies related to this topic by November 1, 2026. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
SSB 5418: which designates that charter schools must provide a program of basic education unless an exemption has been authorized pursuant to a charter contract. As well as provides that charter contracts may allow charter schools to seek exemptions to basic education requirements and directs a charter school authorizer to consult with the State Board of Education. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
SB 5570: which requires school districts to incorporate curricula about the nearest federally recognized Indian tribe or tribes into their social studies curricula no later than September 1, 2026, and requires districts to collaborate with neighboring tribes on coordinating curricula. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
SB 5596: which states that every person employed by a school district in a teaching or other nonsupervisory certificated position shall be subject to nonrenewal of employment contract during the first three years of employment by such district, unless, the employee has previously completed at least two years of certificated employment in another school district in the state of Washington. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
SB 5637: which requires school districts that operate a high school provide a mandatory one-half credit stand-alone course in civics for each high school student. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
SB 5769: which renames “Transitional Kindergarten,” to “Transition to Kindergarten,” classes, as well as requests OSPI to administer the TTK Program and determine allocation of state funding for, and minimum standards and requirements for the TTK Program. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
Odds and Ends
“Can is a mix of knowledge and self-efficacy, that has been nurtured through experience.” From teachthought.com, Establishing a Culture of Can in Your Classroom.
In the world of higher-ed, Students Press WA Lawmakers for Campus Sexual Assault Policy Reform.