Agencies and Committees
WFIS represents the interests of private schools on agency boards and working groups and serves as the official liaison organization for independent schools with OSPI and the Department of Early Learning.WFIS Agency and Committee News
Chelle Downey-Magee, the WFIS Representative on ELAC, shares her recap of the February meeting.
Though virtual, the February 5 Early Learning Advisory Council, meeting was typical in presenters and topics covered. The scheduling of a virtual meeting was quite fortuitous, as it occurred on the second consecutive no-school-snow-day in our district and provided a welcome distraction and excuse not to shovel snow off the sidewalk.
Final ELAC Report of 2018
Chelle Downey-Magee is the WFIS Representative on ELAC, Washington's Early Learning Advisory Council. Her report on the final ELAC meeting of 2018 follows: The agenda for this meeting was quite forward looking--to the next legislative session, to...
Fall 2018 Constituency Group Leaders Meeting
On Friday October 26th, WFIS convened the Constituency Leader annual fall meeting. Directors from the different education and accrediting organizations met to get updated by WFIS and one another on the issues facing schools, exchange information, and...
WIAA crafts NEW reclassification amendment
The overarching principal that guided the discussion is that all of the schools that are members of the WIAA should be treated as just that—members of the WIAA. Private / public isn’t as important as supporting all of the athletes no matter where they attend school.
State Board of Ed Bulletin for Private School Enrollment and Staff Reporting
As of September 1, SBE staff have taken over the role that OSPI staff held for private school approvals and inquiries. State Board of Education staff will also be responding to inquiries sent to the private school email address (private.schools@k12.wa.us) and the...
St. Madeleine Sophie School presents at National Private School Leadership Conference
At the National Private School Leadership Conference, an annual gathering of educational practitioners and policy directors at the Dept. of Education in Washington, DC hosted by the Office of Non Public Schools, St. Madeleine Sophie School from Bellevue...
Early Learning Equivalents Workgroup
WFIS and other workgroups committed to honing the Early Learning Equivalents met on September 19th from 9:30-3:30pm. Early learning providers are very anxious about the upcoming changes in the professional requirements for teachers and administrators. The current...
Early Learning Action Alliance (ELAA) fall retreat
The Early Learning Action Alliance retreat took place Monday, September 17th through Tuesday, September 18th at Cedarbrook Lodge in SeaTac. The Early Learning Action Alliance (ELAA) collaboratively convenes a range of nonprofits which all support children ages 0-5...
New Roles for the State Board of Education
Monday September 17th, Private School leaders met with State Board of Education leaders to discuss the transition of the approval process for private schools from OSPI to the SBE. Don Johnson, Chair of the Private School Advisory Committee; Suzie Hanson, Executive...
ELAC Meeting August 14th in Spokane
WFIS' ELAC Representative and Issaquah Montessori Director Chelle Downey-Magee graciously shares her insights from all ELAC and Licensed Center Advisory Subcommittee (LCAS) meetings. The August 14th Early Learning Advisory Council (ELAC) meeting was held at The...
About our work
WFIS representatives work with State Agencies, including the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), The Department of Early Learning (DEL), The Department of Health and others to advocate for the particular needs of private schools.
WFIS representatives at OSPI, DEL and on the State Board of Education communicate regularly with WFIS to help guide and change policy to reflect private school needs.
WFIS works directly with the executive directors of the accreditation organizations in Washington to protect the integrity of accreditation and our schools. We call these leaders “Constituency Leaders” and rely on their in depth understanding of their schools to guide WFIS’ policy decisions.
WFIS is in Olympia during the legislative session, building relationships with Legislators and their staff, collaborating with lobbying organizations with similar goals, as well as reading and contributing to legislation to be sure private schools are considered when law is crafted and when it is passed.