WFIS school leaders were in Olympia last week, engaging legislators during our annual WFIS Advocacy Day on the priority needs, concerns, and bills affecting private schools during this legislative session. A summary of some the bills is provided below.
HB1618 would give private school students the same access to free college credits through the CiHS program outlined for public, charter, and tribal school students in 2023. School leaders can contact their legislators to help gain support for this bill, introduced by Rep. Sam Low, District 39 (Lake Stevens). It is impactful to have parents with this priority do the same.
SSB 5190 will allow a Tier 1 public school, private school, or school district to request an extension to meet state energy performance standards in their K-12 school buildings. The bill acknowledges the financial and logistical challenges that private schools, like public schools, face in complying with these standards and provides a mechanism to apply for a deadline extension. Please urge your representatives to support the passage of this bill into law.
SB 5062 and HB 1128 are concurrent bills promoted by the state labor council that require teachers to join the new Child Care Workforce Union or provide the union with their personal contact information. It permits the board to conduct investigations of program facilities, set pay scales above those already outlined by state law, and directly conflict with independent schools’ ability to design early learning programs aligned with their mission and values. Being against this legislation is not anti-union but is pro-private school independence and autonomy. WFIS is working to exclude private K12 schools and religious programs from this legislation. Go HERE to look up your legislative district representatives.
HB 1140 This School Choice bill would establish scholarships using educational savings accounts. At yesterday’s hearing, over 2000 people signed up “Pro” for this program. WFIS signed in “Other” and provided testimony questioning much of the standard rhetoric around this topic. WFIS represents a diverse set of opinions about school choice. We want this discussion to be about students, not politics.
- Public education is the backbone of the education system.
- In other states and our own, we’ve seen that families with choices often choose public schools.
- If there are students who would benefit from a different educational setting, the state should not be limiting their options.
- Giving students the freedom to choose could help address some persistent challenges expressed by public schools, such as poor attendance, post-secondary outcomes, and mental health.
House Bill 1648 helps early learning teachers in many ways. It modifies childcare provider qualifications, requires that DCYF implement the community-based pathway with an online format by August 2025, and extends the timeline for complete staff qualification requirements to at least August 1, 2035, or until at least 10 years following the full implementation of all components of the community-based training pathway, whichever is later. Please sign in to support this bill! Your message can be, “We need this bill to support our teachers.”
HB 1184 changes overtime exemption rules by “creating a narrow exemption from overtime provisions for certain nonprofits and small businesses.” WFIS is working with non-profit advocates and business groups to convey the importance of this for non-profit schools.
SB 5240 allows only nurses to administer an EpiPen to a student having an anaphylaxis reaction but without previously prescribed medication. WFIS is asking for nurses AND trained personnel to have the ability to save a student’s life. Bee stings and other allergic reactions may occur on a field trip, when the nurse is away from the building, or to a child without any history of reaction.
SB 5506 extends the start date of licensing living accommodations for boarding schools. WFIS worked with DCYF and SBE to garner support for the extension, allowing DCYF time to finish their work and giving accreditation organizations the time necessary to align protocols to use accreditation instead of licensing.
SB 5009 modifies the student transportation allocation to accommodate multiple vehicle types for transporting students to public schools. It also changes the school bus definition to better define when a Commercial Driver’s License is needed. WFIS is working with the sponsors to try to include clarity of CDL rules for private schools.
