Building a stronger, more just & transparent democracy
Building a stronger, more just & transparent democracy
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School districts are required to transition to zero emission school buses under a law recently approved by the state House and Senate. The bill received numerous amendments after districts voiced concerns over reliability, range and the time allowed to make the switch. Introduced by Rep. Tana Senn, D-Mercer Island, HB 1368 is an effort to not only reduce emissions, but to prioritize the health of children. Six other states have zero-emission school bus transitions already written into law. “We as a student body are exposed t...
On the last Monday morning of the 2024 legislative session, Washington State Sen. Lisa Wellman's office brimmed with sunlight, an early peek at spring, as she sipped tea from a white mug. Her office is full of her macro photography. As a creative outlet, Wellman likes to go to junkyards and photograph bolts and screws that have rusted. On her website she calls this: nature's revenge of rust. It is a hobby inspired by her career in technology and an embrace of creativity. "I...
The "Parent's right to know," a citizen-led initiative regarding parental authority over kids in public schools, will become law in June. While the measure won wide bipartisan support, some legislators say they are keeping a close eye on the way it is implemented. Sen. Jamie Pederson, D-Seattle, who ended up voting in favor for the initiative, said he has some concerns its passage will have on student access to things like birth control or mental health services. He said he...
Bus drivers, custodians, and cafeteria workers stood outside of the capitol with signs that read: “Living wages for ESP’S!” and “I’m a paraprofessional, my heart is full, but my wallet is empty.” Education Support Professionals (ESPs) mainly in the classroom with kids, supporting teachers. Two bills that would have increased wages and distributed paraeducators throughout school districts have already died in this year’s legislative session. Now, paraeducators are looking t...
An effort to make Holocaust and genocide education mandatory in Washington public schools has failed to win enough support to pass in this year's Legislature. "We've been trying diligently to reach out to stakeholders to get agreed upon wording that would make this workable and fundable," said Sen. Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island, Chair of the Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee. "This bill just needs more time to be worked through." Sponsored by Rep. Travis Couture,...
Schools across Washington state are developing new cellphone policies to stop under-the-desk texting for teens and game playing while at school. Some of these policies are already in use at Eastern Washington's Reardan-Edwall School District. Superintendent Eric Sobotta gave the screen time change rave reviews. "Middle school students actually have to talk to each other at lunch rather than be on their phones playing games," Sobotta said. Despite individual schools taking the initiative on these efforts, lawmakers want to...
People held hands between armrests as they waited to tell the stories of loved ones lost to genocide. Almost every seat in the hearing room was filled, and 67 people were scheduled to speak. Prime sponsor Sen. John Braun R-Centralia, and co-sponsor Sen. Jesse Salomon, D-Shoreline, approached the podium to introduce the bill. “For me and many in the Jewish community this is not just an academic matter. This is an intimate and deeply personal matter that has affected our families,” Salomon said, pausing to gather his emotions....
A mandatory process to guide school districts should be required when protests erupt over books that deal candidly with sexual preferences and gender identity. While proponents of that position argue a policy is crucial to protect LGBTQ+ authors, critics call the idea government overreach and argue "kids'' are the only class that needs protecting. HB 2331, now being debated in the state Legislature, prevents school districts from rejecting or censoring educational materials...
Concerned about drug overdoses among teenagers, Lake Washington High School seniors Theodore Meek, Joanna Lymberis, Olivia Milstein, Sophia Lymberis and Reilly Jones transformed a school assignment into a bill aimed at making opioid-reversal medication available in high schools. "The first conversation we had was, we're gonna get this passed," Sofia Lymberis said. Narcan, the commercial name for naloxone, is already available in Washington schools with student populations of...
Pigs are rumored to be quite intelligent, but did you know that they can learn to play video games by moving a joystick with their snout? That's one of the things that 11-year-old Paisley Esmiol learned when she raised a pig for the Okanogan County Fair. Paisley and her sisters, Olivia, 9, and Alice, 13, each raised a pig to show at the fair for the first time. Most kids start with chickens or rabbits, but the Esmiol sisters were ambitious, despite being new to the whole fair...
MV Elementary adopts phonics-based method to teach kids reading Most of us probably don't remember much about how we learned to read - mastering the association of shapes with sounds and ultimately linking them into words and sentences that unlocked compelling stories and ideas. Learning to read and write English - which is replete with exceptions and doesn't follow straightforward patterns - can be especially challenging. "There are 26 letters, but 44 different sounds,"...
Public schools must adopt a “Statement of Student Rights,” that includes freedom of speech and religion, the right to assemble, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness under legislation that has passed the Senate and is now in the House. Engrossed House Bill 1478, by Rep. Joe Timmons, D-Bellingham, passed the House with a 61-35 vote. “By having a consolidated statement of student rights that are available to students and by having that statement incorporated into civics education in K-12 schools, my hope...
A public-school grant program to help students evaluate news reports would be established if a bill passed by the state Senate makes its way through the House of Representatives. The amount of the grant program awarded to teachers and school districts proposed in Substitute Senate Bill 5626 by Sen. Marko Liias, D-Mukilteo, is unspecified. Funding would be subject to the final budget approved later in this year’s legislative session for the 2003-2005 biennium, The bill passed the Senate 44-4. Jen Ligot, Washington State C...
High school students could earn elective credit through paid work experience under a bill that has passed the state House of Representatives 93-4 and is now in the Senate. “Financial education is a priority for young adults and families,” said Rep. Clyde Shavers, D-Oak Harbor, who sponsored the bill. “That means how to open a checking account or a savings account, how to invest, how to take out a loan. Let’s make sure financial literacy is a part of every young adult’s life; let’s give them the financial knowledge and the too...
Sex traffickers often manipulate their victims with lies or threats and force them to participate in sexual acts, and the most vulnerable victims are between the ages of 12 and 18. “Sex trafficking is rampant, indiscriminate and insidious, especially among youth, but it’s rarely thought as (of as) such,” said Ria Bahadur, a member of the Legislative Youth Advisory Council at Eastside Preparatory School. “I like to believe humans are good people, and I like to believe when given the right education, we’re stronger and smarter...
Driver’s education courses will include guidance about sharing the road with big trucks and buses if a bill approved by the House gets an OK from the Senate. House Bill 1540 is sponsored by Rep. Spencer Hutchins, R-Gig Harbor. Hutchins said we share the road with these large commercial vehicles and buses, and it is important for new drivers to learn how to share the road safely. “It would be a great disruption to life, to commerce, to have unnecessary accidents with our large commercial vehicles,” he said. “This bill does a...
School districts should be required to test all students to see if they qualify for more challenging classes. That is the message behind Substitute Senate Bill 5072, proposed by T’wina Nobles, D-Fircrest. It requires districts to screen all students during the school day for participation in a “Highly Capable Program (HCP). “With this model, every student in a grade level gets to be considered, and no student is overlooked.” Nobles said. “Districts that have implemented universal screening are seeing the results improve e...
People 18 to 22 will be required to pass a driver’s education course before getting their license, if a bill that passed the state Senate becomes law. Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5583, which passed 41-7 on March 1, also includes fee increases. The measure now moves to the state House of Representatives. Sponsored by Sen. Marko Liias, D-Everett, the bill would require people between the ages of 18 and 22 to take a full driver’s education course by a licensed, private driving school or a school district before rec...
Elementary schools will be required to give students 30 minutes of recess every day and teachers would be prohibited from denying recess as a disciplinary measure, under a bill that passed the Senate despite objections. The bill, ESSB 5257, is sponsored by Sen. T’wina Nobles, D-Fircrest, and passed with a vote of 28-21. “Play is critical to positive youth development. What we know about recess is it can lower cortisol levels. It can increase problem-solving, and it can help our students build relationships with each oth...
A national test given to people who want to be paraeducators in public schools often slows the process and presents roadblocks for bilingual applicants, some educators say. Substitute House Bill 1015, sponsored by Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Seattle, attempts to solve these problems. “As many of you are aware, school districts are not only dealing with a significant shortage of teacher applicants but also struggling to fill their para-pro positions,” said Rural Education Center Director Jim Kowalkowski. “While this bill...
The Running Start program, which allows high school juniors and seniors to earn college level credits, will expand to include sophomores, if a proposal in the state Legislature is approved. “It’s a heavy lift when you’re a junior and senior to try to accomplish your two-year degree in those two years,” said Sen. Brad Hawkins, R-Wenatchee. “A little running start to Running Start might be good to actually accomplish some of the two-year attainment that we’re seeking in the state.” Running Start allows high school studen...
Students should spend more time in school and less time on break so they retain the learning they acquire during the school year. That’s the opinion of Sen. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, who has introduced a bill in the state Legislature that adds five days to the school calendar. “SB 5505 takes swift and decisive action to support learning recovery with a simple solution -- providing our students with additional access to their teachers, their peers, and to dedicated support staff,” Hawkins said. Under current law, schools...
Low-income families struggling to afford childcare will get some help thanks to a big bump in federal spending. U.S. Senator Patty Murray, D-Washington, was in Olympia Jan. 18 to promote passage of a $1.85 billion increase in federal funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant which will help improve childcare programs across the nation. "It will help our struggling providers to keep the lights on and it will make a world of difference," Murray said. "But let me be...
Cosmetology students will be able to register for their final exam before they have completed their course work if a bill under consideration by the state Legislature is approved. House Bill 1017, by Cindy Ryu, D-Shoreline, allows cosmetology students to sign up for and take their final exam within 100 hours of completing their total required hours. The bill had a hearing Jan. 13 in the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee. Hannah Govea is a cosmetology student set to graduate in March this year, but said she is...
GRANGER - Stephanie King, English teacher at Granger High School, has recently been awarded the prestigious Fulbright Award presented by the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. According to King, 62 applicants were selected out of a pool of close to 400. "I knew it was prestigious but when I learned the numbers, it just made it that much more important to me," she said. Prior to this cohort, only nine educators from Washington have been...
In an address to Western Washington University, president Sabah Randhawa reflected on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, discussed the university's strategic plan and looked to the future and its impending budget shortfalls. "The COVID-19 pandemic has also shown how we can adapt and come together in new and innovative ways to advance the mission of the university and public education at a time when it is needed more than ever," he said. Randhawa reported that students of...
One hundred and thirty-four graduating Peninsula High School seniors received $366,800 in scholarships at the Peninsula Hawks Scholarship Fund award ceremony May 18. Fifty scholarship winners were from the Key Peninsula. "It's more money than we've ever awarded," said Hayley Nichols, scholarship donor chair and Evergreen Elementary School alumna. The scholarship fund is one of the largest in the state, according to the Peninsula School District. The fund was founded in 1984...
Wahkiakum School District's lawsuit against the State of Washington was heard for the first time on Monday, in Cathlamet before Wahkiakum Superior Court Judge Donald Richter, following a motion to dismiss the case. The district claims that the state is failing to meet the standard set by Article 9 Section 1 of Washington State's constitution, which says "It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its...
