With another week wrapped up, lawmakers are approaching the last two weeks of the 2026 legislative session. Sine die is scheduled for Thursday, March 12. This time crunch creates increasing pressure on lawmakers who still need to balance the operating, transportation and capital supplemental budgets, on top of passing a variety of policy bills and still finding time to negotiate state and local revenue packages. So much to do and so little time. After last week’s house of origin cut-off, policy committee members had just over a week to hear and exec bills out of committee before this Wednesday’s (February 25) deadline. Bills that were not passed out of committees in the opposite house, do not move forward.
On Sunday, February 22nd, budget leaders released their supplementary budget proposals. These proposals dropped about a week after the release of the February Revenue Forecast. For an overview of the differences between the supplemental budget proposals on all fronts, this article from the Washington State Standard provides clear analysis. There just is not much good news to report regarding school funding and support, given the looming deficit in next year’s forecast. In fact, the Senate Democrats’ proposal makes the largest reduction in spending by cuts to the Working Connections Childcare Program, adjustments to K-12 transition-to-kindergarten programs and reductions to Local Effort Assistance to Schools.
On Monday, Washington’s State Superintendent of Public Schools, Chris Reykdal, weighed in on the budget proposals. Reykdal stated, “With so much talk of additional revenue, but zero commitment at this point to fund education with additional dollars, voters must wonder when education will be prioritized by the current governor and the current legislative majorities.” OSPI notes that while legislative leaders have proposed to collect new revenue through a “millionaires tax,” they have not made specific commitments for how the new revenue will, or will not, support public schools.
As the final weeks commence, it is up to legislators of both houses to negotiate the final plan. Lawmakers must settle on final budget and policy measures, including deciding whether to adopt the proposed income tax, and pass a final supplemental budget before March 12, the last day of the session. This remains quite a daunting “to do” list indeed.
Committee Meetings Next Week on tvw.org
House Education Committee:
- Wednesday, March 4th @ 8am
House Bills We’re Following
HB 1295: which would require public schools to implement a comprehensive literacy program that uses evidence-based instructional practices to promote the early literacy and reading and writing literacy of students in kindergarten through fourth grade. The bill also directs the PESB to adopt revised literacy endorsement standards and to require teacher preparation programs to implement the revised standards. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
E3SHB 1634: which establishes a network of statewide and regional partners to provide school districts and public schools with the technical assistance, resources, and training necessary to coordinate comprehensive student supports across the behavioral health continuum. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
HB 1795: This bill would prohibit specified interventions, including chemical and mechanical restraint, and prohibit the construction of isolation rooms, while allowing physical restraint and isolation of students under certain conditions. The bill would also prohibit the isolation of students in prekindergarten through fifth grade beginning August 1, 2027, except under specified conditions and modify requirements for incident notification, review, and reporting, behavioral intervention planning; and policies and procedures. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
SHB 2360: which would allow public and private schools to maintain and use a supply of albuterol at each school beginning in the 2027-28 school year. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
ESB 2534: which would make changes to school district requirements for enrolling children of military families, transferring their education records, and providing them with services and accommodations. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
HB 2557: which would require a school district to provide the student’s parent or guardian with a copy of the special education evaluation report at least five school days before the meeting at which the report will be reviewed or the student’s eligibility for services will be determined, unless the parent or guardian provides a written waiver of this timeline. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.
HB 2594: which establishes state-based requirements for ensuring that homeless children and youths have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education as is provided to other children and youths. The bill is in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.
E2SB 2636: which establishes the 15-member Public Education Review Advisory Council and directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee to examine policy requirements and funding provisions for public schools recommended for review by the Council. The bill is in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.
Senate Bills We’re Following
SSB 5240: which would allow 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. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
SSB 5346: which would revise the definition of digital citizenship so that the norms of appropriate, responsible, and healthy behavior related to current technology use include student use of mobile devices as well as directs OSPI to include research on student use of mobile devices and recommended best practice strategies for teaching students how to use their mobile devices responsibly. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
SSB 5841: which requires high school and beyond plans to contain evidence that the student has completed at least one state or federal financial aid application, or that their parent or legal guardian has opted the student out of this requirement. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
SSB 5956: which prohibits certain decisions related to student discipline and school safety based on automated decision systems, school surveillance technology, biometric data, and facial recognition services. This bill would direct OSPI to update its guidance on artificial intelligence in K-12 education to address automated decision systems and school surveillance technologies. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
2SSB 5969: which directs that the statewide online system for Individualized Education Programs (IEP) and High School and Beyond Plans be integrated to the greatest extent possible in order to relieve duplication between the plans. The bill has passed out of the House Appropriations Committee.
SSB 6222: which allows school districts and educational service districts to sell surplus computer laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices or equipment at depreciated cost to public school students. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
ESSB 6247: which directs educational service districts (ESDs) to provide additional budget oversight and support to school districts that are in binding conditions or showing indicators of financial distress. The bill also directs the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) to provide governance training regarding district budgeting, accounting, and financial health, and requires school directors to complete the training. The bill is in the House Appropriations Committee.
SSB 6268: which would require OSPI to maintain an online record of all final decisions issued in response to special education community complaints in the prior 20 years. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
SB 6278: which would require the PESB to conduct an ongoing review of approved educator preparation programs to include program standards, educator role standards, evidence submitted by programs, and input from community constituents such as classroom educators and administrators. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.
Odds and Ends
The goal? To embrace the inevitable? From The Olympian, WA Education Leaders are all in on Using AI in the Classroom. Why?
CSTP’s Legislative Update Coordinator
Samantha Miller returns as CSTP’s Legislative Updates Coordinator for the 2026 legislative session. She writes weekly emails during the legislative session focusing on bills that impact Washington educators.
Samantha has degrees in both Political Science and History, as well as a Master’s in Teaching. Samantha has worked in Elementary Education for 8 years, most recently as a 3rd Grade general education teacher. The majority of her time is spent chasing around her two children who keep her very busy. Samantha enjoys running, working in her yard, listening to political podcasts, and spending time with her family.