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Taking Action in Olympia - March 19, 2021

03/19/2021
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Session Week 10, March 19, 2021

Making Our Voices Heard at Caucus 2 Caucus Lobby Day

Our first ever Caucus 2 Caucus lobby day was an incredible success. This week, leaders from the WEA Black Caucus, Latinx Caucus, Asian, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern (APIM) Caucus, Native American and Alaskan Native Caucus, and LGBTQ Caucus met virtually with members the state legislative Members of Color and LGBTQ Caucuses.  Educators had more than 20 meetings with legislators from our communities and shared our experiences of teaching and supporting students.  The event culminated with a virtual reception with several lawmakers and keynote speaker April Sims, vice president of the Washington State Labor Council. 

Taking Action to Eliminate the edTPA

WEA members are speaking out to eliminate barriers to student teachers of color and low-income student teachers getting their certification.  Nearly 1,000 of us sent emails to Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee members calling for passage of SBH 1028 to eliminate the edTPA and it made a difference.  This morning, the committee passed the bill and sent it on to the Senate Rules committee.  Stay tuned as we support its passage through the Senate.

What happened this week?

Fully fund schools

  • Student transportation funding – E2SSB 5128 – The original bill would have amended the basic education pupil transportation funding formula to adjust for the effects of the pandemic.  The current funding formula is based on efficiency, not safety.  The bill was amended in the House Education committee to remove all provisions adjusting the funding formula to respond to the pandemic with intent language that those portions would be addressed in the budget. It has been referred to the House Appropriations committee. 
  • Gov. Inslee’s capital gains proposal – ESSB 5096 -- Washington has the nation’s most unbalanced tax code, with the wealthiest few paying the least and low-income people paying the most. We can make progress to fix the upside-down tax code by passing ESSB 5096. Last Monday, ESSB 5096, the capital gains bill passed by the Senate, was heard in the House Finance Committee. More than 2,300 people signed in PRO for the hearing.

Improve equity, dismantle racism, meet the needs of all students

  • Eliminate the edTPA – 2SHB 1028 – The edTPA is a barrier to creating a more diverse and inclusive educator workforce. It’s a WEA priority to pass this bill to eliminate the edTPA requirement and replace it with rigorous standards for student teachers to demonstrate their skills.  Members testified in favor in the Senate Ed hearing and the bill passed in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee this morning (Friday).  It is now referred to the Senate Rules committee.
  • Ensure counselors have time for students – SSB 5030 – Would require that school counselors spend 80% of their time with students, reducing the amount of time on meetings and administration.  WEA members testified in favor in the House. WEA supports meeting the need for increased staffing whether in remote, hybrid, or in-person learning models.  Students need individual attention for their learning and social-emotional needs in this challenging environment and schools need more staff, not less.  This bill passed out of the House Education Committee on Thursday. It has been referred to the House Rules committee.
  • Educator secondary trauma - HB 1363 – Would require school districts to adopt policies and procedures to prevent and address secondary trauma in the K-12 workforce.  WEA supports this bill which passed in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education committee on Wednesday and is now in the Senate Rules committee.
  • Diversity and equity training for higher education – E2SSB 5227 – Would establish training for higher education faculty and staff a professional development program on diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.  WEA supports.  This bill passed in the House Committee on College & Workforce Development on Thursday and is now referred to House Appropriations committee.
  • Learning assistance program funding – SHB 1208 – Would create more flexibility for the learning assistance program funding to better address learning gaps and mental health needs. WEA supports.  It passed in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education committee on Wednesday and is now on 2nd Reading in the Senate.
  • Provide menstrual products in schools – ESHB 1273 – Would create a requirement for school districts to provide sanitary napkins and tampons in all female- and gender-neutral-designated restrooms. WEA supports this bill which was heard in Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education on Monday and passed out of committee today (Friday).  It is now referred to Senate Ways & Means committee.
  • Revise school attendance rules and procedures – ESHB 1113 -   Would update school attendance law to reflect a focus on multi-tiered supports and interventions to better support rather than punish students.  WEA testified pro in its March 17 hearing in in Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education.  Scheduled for executive session Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.
  • Eliminate indigenous mascots - HB 1356 – Would prohibit the inappropriate use of Native American names, symbols, or images as public school mascots, logos, or team names.   WEA supports.  It passed in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education committee on March 15 and is scheduled for public hearing on Monday at 4:00 p.m. in Senate Ways & Means committee and executive session Thursday at 4:00 p.m.
  • Graduation access - SHB 1162 – Would add additional options for students to achieve graduation requirements.  WEA testified in favor of this bill in its public hearing in Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education on Wednesday.  No action was taken in executive session and the bill has not been rescheduled.
  • College in the high school - SHB 1302 – Would allow students who take college-level classes in their high schools to receive college credits.  This bill, which WEA supports, passed in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee on Wednesday and is now in the Senate Rules committee. 
  • Expand working families tax exemption – HB 1297 – If funded, this bill would make more Washingtonians eligible for the working families tax exemption in order to balance our state’s regressive tax structure.  WEA supports this bill that was heard in the Senate Committee on Human Services, Reentry, & Rehabilitation on Tuesday and passed out of committee on Thursday.  It is now on to the Senate Ways & Means committee. 
  • Higher ed supports for homeless and foster care students - SHB 1166 – Would expand access to the homeless and foster care college students pilot program.  WEA supports.  This bill passed Thursday in Senate Higher Education and has been referred to the Senate Ways & Means committee.
  • Higher ed scholarships – SHB 1425 – Would expand eligibility for scholarships for community and technical college students who are not graduates of WA state high schools and for those who are pursuing an industry-recognized credential.  WEA supports this bill.  It passed on Thursday in the Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development committee and is referred to the Senate Rules committee. 
  • Allow districts to build affordable educator housing – SB 5043 – Would update the current provisions allowing districts to construct housing to provide tax incentives to build affordable educator housing on school district land. WEA testified pro in the Senate.  It was heard on Tuesday in the House Committee on Education and is scheduled for executive action on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
  • School based health centers -- SHB 1225 – Would allow districts to establish in-school health centers.  WEA testified in support at the public hearing on Monday in Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee. 
  • Make Juneteenth a holiday – SHB 1016 -- Would recognize the importance of June 19, a holiday celebrating the emancipation of enslaved Americans. Read more about Juneteenth.  It passed in the Senate State Government and Elections committee today (Friday).  It is now moved to Senate Ways & Means committee.

Address the challenges presented by COVID-19 recovery in schools

  • Protect pensions – SB 5021 – Would protect retirement wages from the impact of COVID-19 related furloughs.  WEA supports.  This bill passed in the House Appropriations Committee on Monday and is now in the House Rules committee.
  • Create a bridge year pilot program – 2SSB 5265 – Would create pilot programs in high schools allowing students to defer graduation from high school in order to pursue additional learning to make up for COVID challenges.  It had a hearing this morning (Friday) in the House Committee on Education and is scheduled for executive session Thursday at 1:30 p.m.

Ensure school safety

  • Safe drinking water – HB 1139 – Would direct testing for lead in the drinking water of schools, disclose lead testing levels publicly, and make available technical guidance to help districts reduce lead levels.  WEA testified in support of this bill in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education on Monday.  The bill was passed out of this committee this morning (Friday).  It now waits for a hearing to be scheduled for it in the Senate Ways & Means committee.
  • Grants for teaching media literacy – SB 5242 – Would direct the OSPI to create a grant program to support school librarians in teaching media and digital literacy.  WEA testified in support of this bill in its hearing in the House Committee on Education today (Friday). It is scheduled for executive session on Thursday 1:30 p.m.

What’s new next week?

This is the last week of policy committee meetings for the 2021 legislative session, so we can expect lots of executive sessions as bills move on.  Bill not passing out of their assigned policy committees by Friday will be considered dead.

It is expected that the Senate will release its proposed operating and capital budgets on Thursday with a hearing Friday at 1:00 p.m.  WEA will closely track the budget process—stay tuned for more information.

Fully fund schools

  • K-12 COVID Levy Safety Net– HB 1476 – The early version of this bill would have created an enrollment safety funding formula for school years 2020-21 and 2021-22.  As this bill passed the House, the safety net portions were removed leaving only the changes needed to hold harmless local levy calculations for this period.  State funding is needed to restore the lost K-12 revenues as a result of the pandemic.  An intent section was added to this bill stating the legislature will provide funding relief as part of their budget this biennium.  WEA will continue advocating for a K-12 budget that focuses on equitable funding that increases funding for safe learning environments for students and educators. It takes more resources, not less to meet the needs of students during a pandemic, especially for schools in communities that have been historically underfunded.  This bill is scheduled for public hearing on Monday at 4:00 p.m. and executive session on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. in the Senate Ways & Means committee.

Improve equity, dismantle racism, meet the needs of all students

  • Professional development on equity, cultural competency, and dismantling racism – ESSB 5044 – This is a WEA priority bill that would forward racial equity in our schools by ensuring that every educator has an understanding of equity issues.  WEA members testified in favor in the Senate.  Members also testified in favor during its House Education committee hearing.  Scheduled for possible vote in House Education committee executive session on Tuesday at 8:00 a.m.
  • Eliminating school lunch co-pays -- HB 1342 – Would remove lunch copays for students who qualify for reduced-price lunches in PK-12.    WEA members passed a new business item in 2020 to lobby the legislature to make all meals free for K-12 students. WEA supports this bill which is scheduled for public hearing on Monday at 4:00 p.m. and executive session on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. in the Senate Ways & Means committee.
  • Close the homework gap by expanding broadband access – SHB 1336 – Would make broadband accessible to more students by allowing more entities to provide the service.  It is scheduled for executive session on Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. in the Senate Environment, Energy & Technology committee.
  • Mastery-based learning – SSB 5249 – Would continue a work group to develop a WA state profile describing the cross-disciplinary skills a student should have developed by the time they graduate high school. It is scheduled for executive session in the House Education Committee on Tuesday at 8:00 a.m.
  • Increase equity and diversity at community and technical colleges – SB 5194 – Would require development of diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic plans and implement student success programs.  WEA supports.  This bill is scheduled for public hearing on Monday at 1:30 p.m. with executive session on Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. in the House Committee on College & Workforce Development.
  • Behavioral health resource information - HB 1373 – Would require public schools to publish on their websites contact information for depression, suicide prevention, and other mental health support organizations.   WEA supports this bill.  It is scheduled for public hearing on Monday at 1:30 p.m. and executive session Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education.
  • Foster care point of contact – SB 5184 – Would create a separate point of contact for foster youth in schools.  WEA signed in pro at its public hearing.  Scheduled for executive session on Tuesday at 8:00 a.m. in the House Education committee.
  • Institutional education programs- E2SHB 1295 –  Would provide a plan to improve the educational programing and outcomes for students who are incarcerated.  WEA will testify in support of this bill in the Senate Ways & Means committee on Monday at 4:00 p.m. Executive session is scheduled for Thursday at 4:00 p.m.
  • Creation of a public investment cooperative - SB 5188 - WEA’s continuing resolutions supports the creation of a public cooperative bank.  This bill had a hearing on Wednesday, March 17 in the House Committee on Consumer Protection & Business and is scheduled for executive action on Thursday at 10:00 a.m.

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