Legislative and Policy Advocacy
We work with legislators and policy makers to ensure that legislation in Olympia affecting schools and education is crafted with the particular needs of private and independent schools in mind.Legislation and Policy Updates
WFIS Advocacy Efforts Continue
Each week of this unique session has generated an incredible amount of new information, bold ideas and conversations related to education policy and funding, as well as health and safety practices for reopening schools. School leaders have come together through WFIS...
California adopts 3-foot distancing rule for classrooms
We want all students to have equitable access to in-person learning and the only way to do this safely is to continue to abide by the countermeasures and reduce the distance between students.
Inslee signs bill allowing COVID-19-related waivers of some graduation requirements
The new law allows for individual students to waive credit or testing requirements if their ability to complete them was disrupted by the pandemic. Schools are still expected to help students meet requirements as normal before falling back on the emergency waiver as a last resort.
Biden announces teachers are essential workers, urges all states to vaccinate educators ASAP
President Biden wants K-12 back open for in-person learning as a vaccinated workforce. He wants State’s to treat in-person learning like the essential service that it is, including child care. Today he is directing every state to prioritize vaccination of educational workforce.
House Bill 1139 Lead Screening in Public and Private Schools
HB 1139 is scheduled for an executive session in the House Education Committee on Friday, February 12 at 10:00am. WFIS is seeking to strike private schools from this bill.
Private schools care about the health and safety of students. However, this bill mandates the same expectation for private schools as public schools without access to the infrastructure or funding to support the requirements.
Two School Choice Bills make it to the Washington State Legislature 2021
Families around the country have expressed immense increase in school choice due to the limitations of the public school systems to provide in person learning during Covid. The following bills in WA State are related to advancing school choice:
Congress Passes Aid for Private Schools
The bill is written such that a public agency will maintain control of funds in much the same way as occurs with existing equitable services programs. This should in theory insulate private schools from becoming recipients of federal financial assistance.
The Chasm Spanning Public and Private Schools Continues in a COVID-19 Era
The gulf separating public and private school COVID-19 responses center on one distinct factor — private schools view their school families as valuable customers, as opposed to public schools, the majority of which strongly prioritize teacher preferences over student needs.
Early Ed advocacy for programs in our private schools
WFIS is partnering with many early learning advocates to ensure our school’s programs are also supported. The information below is from Erica Hallock on behalf of Start Early WA, a non-profit that works with public and private partners to promote comprehensive...
Schumacher directs state agencies to identify operating budget savings options
Michael Goldberg for the WA State Wire May 15, 2020 David Schumacher, Director of the Washington Office of Financial Management (OFM) sent a memo to state agency directors this week asking that they identify options for savings from their FY 2021 operating budget...
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