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Whew! Session is in full swing with more bills introduced in the last two weeks. Committees are engaging in hybrid hearings and getting smoother at switching back and forth between remote and in-person testimony.

We’ve got updates on Stand’s priority bills!

• Debt Free Youth Justice – bills have been introduced in the House and Senate and both are scheduled for hearings next week!
  – SB 5474 (Bill sponsor: Senator Frame) will be heard Monday, 1/30 at  10:30 am in the Senate Human Services committee
  – HB 1432 (Bill sponsor: Representative Farivar) will be heard Wednesday, 2/1 at 1:30 pm in the House Human Services, Youth, and Early Learning committee 
• Ninth Grade Success Teams – SB 5408 (Bill sponsor: Senator Liias) was introduced last week and is scheduled for public hearing on Thursday, 2/2 at 1:30 pm. 

Take action on these priorities by signing in pro for our Debt Free Youth Justice bill SB 5474.

There were several recent hearings on House bills aimed at improving dual credit equity and helping students accelerate their learning after pandemic learning loss. Here are a few we’re watching closely:

• Dual credit equity – Washington lawmakers are considering two approaches to increasing the number of low-income students and students furthest from educational justice in dual credit programs which allow them to earn college credit while in high school. HB 1003 and HB 1316 focus on subsidies in all or most dual credit programs for students who qualify for free or reduced price lunch, and SB 5048 would subsidize costs for all students in the College in the High School Program. 
• Pandemic learning loss – SB 5248 targets federal pandemic relief dollars toward intensive tutoring and extended learning time, two interventions well-supported by evidence of effectiveness. A crucial topic for this session is to ensure that resources are targeted towards those evidence-based or promising strategies to help students recover from pandemic-related learning loss. 
• Justice system reform – Stand supports HB 1169 which would eliminate the remaining mandatory court fees that judges do not have discretion to waive. We are also supportive of bills to address juvenile court jurisdiction (HB 1324) and end the practice of isolation in schools (HB 1479). 

Last week we called attention to HB 1071, and thanks to you, this bill received a lot of community attention and feedback on both sides of the issue, with over 1300 individuals registering their position on the bill. Some of our subscribers disagree with Stand’s position. We stand by our analysis that fully funding school resource officers in every school, particularly before we’ve even fully funded guidance counselors, nurses, and mental health professionals, is an irresponsible use of state funds and not backed by research to support student safety and well-being. That said, we sincerely appreciated hearing from this diverse community. 

Thank you for reaching out and taking action. We’re looking forward to another busy few weeks of continued advocacy for educational equity and racial justice!

In advocacy, 

Liz

Happy first week of session! I started as the Government Affairs Director with Stand for Children in August, so this is my first legislative session with Stand, and I’m excited to move forward our collective priorities together! I’m also excited to be coming into a hybrid legislative session, with more ways to participate than ever – legislators and lobbyists are back in Olympia, and members of the public can participate in person or via zoom. 

I was able to attend the opening of the House of Representatives on Monday, and it was a really nice way to kick the session off. It definitely has a “back to school” feel in Olympia. Watching the swearing in ceremony was also a nice reminder that legislators are humans too – they were cheered on by family and friends, and are excited to be back in person and building new relationships and strengthening old ones. 

A few updates on where we are one week in: 

• More than 1000 bills have been introduced so far! 
• The Governor’s proposed operating budget was heard in the House Appropriations Committee & Senate Ways and Means Committee this week.
  • Stand testified in support of K-12 budget investments, urging final budget to include funding for ninth grade success team approach, dual credit equity, and learning acceleration 
• Stand’s lead priority bills are expected to drop today, and we’ll update you with bill numbers as soon as we can!
  • Ninth Grade Success Team Approach – Sen Liias is sponsoring this bill to sustain and expand a proven approach to improving the “ninth grade on track rate” for high schools around the state. Ninth grade is a pivotal year, and being “on track” in ninth grade is a strong predictor of on-time high school graduation. 
  • Debt Free Youth Justice – Sen Frame and Rep Farivar are sponsoring a bill that would eliminate harmful and ineffective fines and fees in juvenile court, and better serve those harmed by juvenile offenses with a Community Compensation Fund in lieu of victim restitution. 
  • As always, we are working with a coalition of partners in the High School Success Coalition to advance important priorities. This year our priorities include:
    • Promoting learning acceleration & recovery efforts 
    • Improving Dual Credit equity
    • Supporting effective transitions 

I hope you’ll join us in our advocacy this session – with so many bills introduced, we will need EVERY voice raised in support of educational equity and racial justice. Sign up here to join us as an advocate this session!

Best, 

Liz

As a nonprofit advocacy organization active in Washington since 2007, Stand for Children is a unique catalyst for education equity and racial justice, to create a brighter future for us all.

To achieve our mission, Stand’s legislative advocacy seeks to:

• Lead with the goal of racial equity by targeting policies that prioritize students and families who are Black, Indigenous and
  people of color.
• Promote proven solutions that are already working in schools and communities

In the 2023 legislative session, Stand urges lawmakers to:

Build a debt-free youth justice system that reduces harm and promotes community healing by:

• eliminating the ineffective and inefficient practice of imposing financial restitution in juvenile cases;
• improving access to compensation for victims of crime;
• eliminating remaining juvenile legal financial obligations (LFOs), and;
• discharging outstanding juvenile court debt.

We are proud to work alongside our partners in the Debt Free Youth Justice Washington Coalition in this effort. Learn more at dfyjwa.org

Increase on-time high school graduation rates and support students through the critical ninth-grade transition year by equipping educators with the proven Ninth Grade Success Team Approach

With a framework that is uniquely suited to improve student success, the NGST Approach:

• prioritizes relationship-building;
• focuses on equity, and;
• makes data immediately actionable.

We are proud to work alongside our partners in the High School Success Coalition in this effort. Learn more at highschoolsuccesswa.org.

To read our support agenda items for 2023, you may download a PDF copy of our legislative priorities at this link.