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.WFIS Legislative and Policy Updates
2025 Legislative Update Week #14
Legislature debates new taxes and changes to the Parental Rights Law Two major topics drew intense debate in Olympia this week: new taxes and proposed changes to the Parental Rights Law enacted last year. While tax legislation would affect all Washingtonians, the...
2025 Legislative Update Week #13
April 11 was day 89 of the 2025 regular session. There are 16 days left in this session April 16 is the Opposite House Cutoff. This is the last day to consider opposite house bills (5 pm) except initiatives and alternatives to initiatives, matters necessary to...
2025 Legislative Update Week #12
For those interested, the legislature is considering HB 2044, which would eliminate the requirement for school districts to file a truancy petition with the local juvenile court. Read the bill here. Bills WFIS remains focused on: SB 5506 extends the timeline for...
Federal Guidance to expand Education Choice through Title I Funds
The U.S. Department of Education has issued new guidance encouraging states to leverage existing flexibilities in Title I funding to expand educational choice. This move aligns with President Trump’s Executive Order Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for...
Federal Budget for Education: Insights for Private Schools
The Committee for Education Funding (CEF), in collaboration with the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO), has provided key updates on the federal education budget for fiscal year 2025 (FY25). Here’s what private school leaders in Washington need to know:...
2025 Legislative Update Week #11
With 31 days remaining in the legislative session, bills are now being heard in the opposite chamber. Key deadlines include the April 2 cutoff for policy bills, the April 8 fiscal cutoff, and concurrence efforts from April 17-27. The session is set to end on April 27,...
2025 Legislative Update Week #10
There is a huge debate over taxes underway in Olympia for how to balance the state budget shortfall. (Read more). And yesterday, President Trump signed an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the...
Guidance for schools on ICE access and student records
Yesterday, WFIS attended a Federal and Immigration Policy webinar with Zachary Lyons, an immigration lawyer with Barton Gilman Law, hosted by Montessori Public Policy Initiative (MPPI). With recent changes, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is no longer...
2025 Legislative Update Week #9
We have passed the halfway point of the 2025 legislative session, and the house-of-origin deadline in the Legislature means bills that haven’t passed the House or the Senate are considered dead unless they are part of the budgeting process. **ACTION NEEDED FOR...
Clock Hour Provider Application with PESB
The 2025-26 clock-hour provider application must be completed by May 31, 2025 for the year starting October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. The Professional Educators Standards Board will receive and process...
About Our Work