Category: Newsletter

Winter is setting in and as we look ahead to 2024, it’s clear that your community and partnership will be as important as ever before. Please enjoy our final newsletter of 2023, and have a happy holiday season! 

december highlights

NEW BRIEF: INCREASING ACCESS TO ADVANCED COURSEWORK IN WASHINGTON

In a new brief with EdTrust, we outline recommendations for ways to increase equitable enrollment in dual credit classes and increase the benefits of taking these classes, including saving students time and money by earning college credit. View the report! 

2023 ANNUAL REPORT

When we are united, our children prosper and our community thrives. Our team is incredibly grateful for this community and your contribution to the impact we’ve made in 2023. There’s true power in togetherness and we are better off for it.

This year alone we:

• Advocated to keep critical funding investments for the Ninth Grade Success Initiative
• Eliminated all remaining juvenile court fines and fees
• Removed fees for College in the High School and expanded access to summer Running Start

We couldn’t have done any of it without you:

• 13,480 community members digitally engaged with us by taking action and staying updated
• 547 community members signed our Ninth Grade Success petition
• 21 people stepped up to testify on our legislative priorities — including 8 youth, young adults, and community members with direct lived experience of the court system

NINTH GRADE SUCCESS ACTION NEEDED

Disappointing news: Gov. Inslee’s budget proposal released last week failed to invest crucial funds to sustain the Ninth Grade Success Initiative. Luckily – the legislature will convene in January to consider the proposal, so now is the time to take action so they know this is a community priority! 

Help us send a loud and clear message before the legislative session starts that we need to support the work in 53 schools, serving more than 13,000 students in Washington.

ICYMI

1. Our advocacy training recording is live! 
2. Missed a previous edition of Stargazing with Stand? We’ve got you covered! They’re all available on our website. Here are a few items for your holiday reading list:
   1. Perspectives: The state of Washington dual credit courses today
   2. ACLU WA Blog: Diversion in the Juvenile Justice System
   3. Treehouse Report: Ending the Foster Care-to-Prison Pipeline 
   4. Washington Roundtable Report: Projected Decline in Credential Attainment Demands Bold Action 

Do you know any 9th graders? We want to hear from you! 

Help us end 2023 strong by making a tax-deductible donation before the year ends. Every dollar counts!

MESSAGE FROM KIA FRANKLIN

It’s been almost a month since I returned to work from maternity leave, and I’m still quite sleep-deprived and missing the long stretches of time with the baby. That said, alongside copious amounts of coffee, I’ve received daily energizers from Stand’s community of changemakers who are committed to building more equitable and affirming systems for children and youth statewide.

While current events have brought on a sense of heaviness and grief for so many of us, I count joy in the dedicated leadership and service orientation of the Stand WA team (pictured below during our November strategy meeting). I’m humbled and emboldened by the dynamic and brilliant youth advocates we collaborated with this month at CHOOSE 180, LYAC, and the NAACP Youth Council. And I’m filled with gratitude for fierce education leaders like Doug Judge and Natasha Fecteau Minger, whose commitment to serving students is unrelenting and inspiring. These folks, and many more, give us a renewed sense of community, connection, and collective purpose to carry ahead as we prepare for a busy legislative session in just over a month.

Last but absolutely not least, this generous community affirmed our efforts last week by participating in Giving Tuesday. Thank you for the collective act of generosity! It is a gift that will lead to collective impact for children and youth across our state. 

Stay Stargazing! 
Kia    

NOVEMBER highlights

RECAP: COMMUNITY TOWN HALL

Last week’s Community Town Hall was incredibly honest and inspiring! Hearing from the panelists and community members who shared their sincere concerns for Washington’s youth gave us a renewed sense of community, connection, and collective purpose. Even though 2023 is coming to a close in a month, this is only a starting point for the work we’ll do together. 

UPCOMING EVENT: ADVOCACY TRAINING

Would you like to learn about becoming an advocate who can influence legislators and push for change? The advocacy training THIS Wednesday, December 6 at 4pm will teach you everything you need to know! Can’t attend? We encourage you to register so you’ll be able to receive a recording of the training and receive upcoming advocacy opportunities.

What We’ve Been Reading: 

• Treehouse Report: Ending the Foster Care-to-Prison Pipeline 
• ACLU WA Blog: Diversion in the Juvenile Justice System
• Ready WA Student Story: Tips for First-Gen College Students: Exploring Majors
• Building Changes Report: Students Experiencing Homelessness in Washington’s K–12 Public Schools: Trends, Characteristics, and Academic Outcomes, 2015-2022

Do you know any 9th graders? We want to hear from you! 

October has kept our team quite busy. We’re pushing hard to fight back against extremists who aim to take over school boards to bank books and harm queer students. However, it’s been reassuring to have supporters reach out and volunteer their time to help and keep our schools safe! Working together has given us the strength and energy to keep striving for positive change. We hope you’ll continue to stay connected and lend us your voice as we shift to legislative advocacy later this fall! 

OCTOBER highlights

Save The Date: Stand WA Community Town Hall on Nov. 29th!

In preparation for the 2024 legislative session, we’re holding a virtual Community Town Hall to premiere our legislative agenda. We want to hear from you about the education issues you’re seeing in your community. Early registration is available. More information is coming soon!

State Funding Update: 9th Grade Success Initiative

State Funding Update: 9th Grade Success Initiative

9th grade is a make-or-break year and how well a 9th grader performs this first year can impact whether they graduate or not. So we’re thrilled to share with you that The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) included a request for $2.9 million for the 9th Grade Success Initiative in their 2024 supplemental budget priorities! This means OSPI believes this initiative is a priority.

Governor Inslee is reviewing all agency budget requests and will release a proposed budget in December. Tell Gov. Inslee 9th grade matters! Lawmakers will consider the Governor’s budget during the 2024 legislative session in January.

• What We’ve Been Reading: WA Board of Education sets its priorities for next legislative session (Columbian)

Do you know any 9th graders? We want to hear from you! 

Many of your neighbors have already voted, have you?

With school boards as targets for extremist takeovers, we’re expecting record turnout in school board races this year, so turn in your ballot soon! It takes less than 10 minutes to vote and our kids need you to protect their futures. Share our endorsed candidate list with friends and family in Ferndale, North Kitsap, Central Kitsap, South Kitsap, Mead, Richland and Wenatchee school districts!

• What We’ve Been Reading: National culture wars on race, LGBTQ+ rights come to WA schools (Crosscut)

September marks a new school year, and the start of a new fiscal year at Stand, so we’re extending a momentous thank you to all of our supporters. Whether you’re a volunteer, community member, donor or partner organization, your commitment to education equity inspires us everyday and we couldn’t do our work without you. For a recap of our work from the past year, view our FY 23 report!

september highlights

Are you a superintendent, school administrator, school board member, or educator who is interested in supporting equity in advanced coursework? Join us to kickoff our newest cohort on driving equitable enrollment. Registration is free and open now! Register by October 13th to enter to win a $100 gift card!

School Board Elections Update

ICYMI: Through our Stand for Children Washington PAC, our endorsements are live! You can view and share the announcements on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).

We are hosting volunteer phone banks on October 4 and 11 and need your help! Join us to call voters and get the word out about pro-equity, student-centered candidates who are pushing back against an extremist agenda. Learn more and sign up for your spot to make a positive impact.

Updates From Partners

1. October 8th – League of Education Voters: Youth Advocacy Summit & Fall Fest at Highline College. Register Online. 
2. Our partners at TeamChild have back to school legal support available. If you or a student you know needs additional education support or advocacy, you can access the Youth Education Law Collaborative (YELC) hotline.

What We’re Reading

• A new report from the Washington Roundtable: Projected Decline in Credential Attainment Demands Bold Action and media coverage from The Seattle Times
• A new blog series from ACLU WA “Home Safe” and their first piece: Moving away from being tough on crime: How do we build resilient, safe communities?
• ICYMI: Our high school Communications Intern published Perspectives: The state of Washington dual credit courses today

With this month’s heatwave and families preparing for back to school– I can imagine you’ve been busy staying cool, foraging for school supplies, designing college dorm rooms, or all of the above! In this month’s edition of Stargazing with Stand, we’re sharing volunteer opportunities and a new blog article.

AUGUST highlights

Staff Spotlight: Carolina

What We’ve Been Up To

• Our high school Communications Intern published Perspectives: The state of Washington dual credit courses today – a great read for students and parents!
• Legal financial obligation changes went into effect July 1, 2023. Check out our 1-pager to learn how the law impacts fines and fees. 

Volunteering: School Board Elections

Last week, we launched our candidate endorsement process through our Stand for Children Washington PAC. We look forward to sharing the endorsements with you next month, but right now we still need your help! It is our responsibility as parents, community members, and school board members to come together to safeguard our children’s freedom to learn and thrive.

Ways to Get Involved:

1. Are you registered to vote?
2. Volunteer with us! Opportunities include: participating in endorsement interviews, making phone calls or sending texts to voters in support of endorsed candidates!

Cheers,

Ciarra Crowe
Marketing and Communications Manager
Stand for Children Washington