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
Balancing Oversight and Autonomy on Behalf of Independent Schools
WFIS is committed to preserving the autonomy of Washington's private and independent schools while collaborating with state agencies and lawmakers to ensure fair, streamlined oversight. During the 2025 legislative session, WFIS advocated for regulations that respect...
WFIS Seeks Clarification on SB 5814 and Potential Impact on Schools
WFIS was alerted by member schools to concerns about SB 5814, a bill currently awaiting the Governor’s signature. The concern centers on how the bill could be interpreted to expand sales tax to a range of services that were previously exempt, including educational...
What we know about the Federal School Choice Bill (ECCA)
The Education Choice for Children Act (ECCA) would create a federal tax-credit scholarship program. This program would allow donors to receive a tax credit for contributions to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs). SGOs would then distribute scholarships to...
2025 Legislative Session Closes with Major Budget and Revenue Decisions Pending Governor’s Action
The 2025 Washington State legislative session officially concluded on schedule this past Sunday evening. Lawmakers faced steep challenges in addressing significant shortfalls—over $12 billion in the operating budget and $8 billion in the transportation budget. Despite...
DCYF Expands Fingerprinting Services in Rural Areas
As shared in comments to the Early Learning Advisory Council, the new Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) Secretary Tana Senn is improving support for early learning professionals. One of the first actions under her leadership is expanding access to...
2025 Legislative Update Week #15
WFIS worked successfully during the 2025 Legislative Session with the support of its lobbyists. Key legislative achievements include, but are not limited to: Extending the boarding school licensing timeline from 2025 to 2026. Securing language for private schools to...
Educational Choice for Children Act – Federal School Choice
WFIS and fellow state-CAPE leaders are discussing the newly released details of the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), which aims to provide financial support for private and religious education through tax credits. The bill has been introduced in both the...
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...
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