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
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...
Frontlines of Early Learning in Washington State
WFIS is on the complex and often redrawn front lines of early learning. This front line includes but is not limited to: the Early Learning Advisory Committee (ELAC) which is the official 'catch all' advisory committee established through legislation to advise the...
Superintendent Reykdal announces Washington will not arm its teachers
WA State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal made the following announcement in response to US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos statement that she is considering allowing schools to use federal funds to buy guns. It has been reported that...
OSPI School Safety and Security Committee
Andrew Rauch is the Facilities Manager for Epiphany School and the WFIS Representative on the OSPI School Safety Advisory Committee. Below Andrew shares his thoughts following the committee's Annual Summit and Retreat held August 6 and 7, 2018. The annual school...
Licensed Center Advisory Subcommittee (LCAS)
The Licensed Center Advisory Subcommittee of the Early Learning Advisory Council was created in 2017 within the Departent of Early Learning (now Department of Children, Youth, and Families). Tasked with providing input on licensing and subsidy rules and...
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.