The Advocate
The Advocate is updated in the first week of every other month September through May, containing articles relating to private school issues, representation, and local-to-national news relevant to independent schools.
2025 Legislative Update Weeks #3 & #4
WFIS school leaders were in Olympia last week, engaging legislators during our annual WFIS Advocacy Day on the priority needs, concerns, and bills affecting private schools during this legislative session. A summary of some the bills is provided below. HB1618 would...
WFIS Board of Directors Meeting – Jan 30, 2025
The Washington Federation of Independent Schools Board of Directors met at Evergreen Christian School in Olympia, WA, for its winter board meeting. Directors addressed governance updates, focusing on bylaw revisions, strategic plan tactics, and administrative...
Protect Independent Schools from Unionization required by the Workforce Standards Board Bill
The Workforce Standards Board bill (House Bill 1128, Senate Bill 5062) threatens the very foundation of private and independent schools by giving unions and the government excessive power over staffing, curriculum, and operations. Here’s why this bill is so dangerous:...
Private Schools’ participation in the William D. Ruckelshaus Center’s project
This report comes from the Ruckelshaus Center team, which met with our school leaders to discuss the COVID-19 response and explore ways to assist students struggling with the aftermath of being out of school. This preliminary summary's findings and recommendations are...
2025 Legislative Session
This week, legislators kicked off the 2025 Legislative Session with committee assembly days. These include committee hearings, caucus discussions, and other meetings. The House met on Monday and Tuesday, and the Senate met on Thursday and Friday. WFIS is in Olympia...
Clean Buildings environmental requirements vs. safe school spaces
The Washington Clean Buildings Act introduced Clean Buildings Performance Standards, which aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency in buildings, including schools. While resources and support are available to help building owners meet...
Facility parity for Pre-K: public and private schools
Public schools offer early learning programs without being subject to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) licensing requirements. This exempts them from DCYF’s costly, labor-intensive licensing processes and facility mandates, creating a significant...
Accreditation comparability to licensing of boarding schools
Washington State has about a dozen traditional boarding schools that educate local students and offer residential programs to some of its community. These schools are Washington State-approved and inspected by the local health jurisdiction (LHJ). The State Board of...
CCDEI clock hours are still a hurdle for private school educators
The Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) has yet to create an approval process for private schools and their supporting organizations to offer Cultural Competency, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (CCDEI) clock hours. While the Cultural Competence...
Free dual credit access for all Washington students
In Washington, dual credit programs allow high school students to earn both high school and college credits simultaneously, providing a head start on college education and potentially reducing the time and cost of a college degree. While public school students have...
Join the Professional Educator Standards Board
Private schools have not had a representative on the PESB since its reorganization in 2009, despite educating 8% of the state's enrolled K12 students. With recent critical decisions about clock hours and other issues impacting private schools, it is important that a...