Education

passed · Washington · Senate Jan 12, 2026

SB 5179: Establishing a complaint process to address noncompliance with certain state education laws.

SB 5179 establishes a statewide complaint process for students, parents, and community members to address noncompliance with specific state education laws by local school districts. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) must create this process by July 2026 to investigate both "limited" complaints impacting individuals and "broad" complaints affecting groups or entire districts. Complainants are required to exhaust local complaint procedures or notify the district superintendent before filing with OSPI. If noncompliance is found, the school district must adopt and submit a compliance action plan. This process covers state laws concerning civil rights, harassment, curriculum requirements, the use of restraint or isolation, and student discipline.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationEstablishes enforcement mechanism for education law compliance, strengthening accountability without altering funding or curriculum.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum

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in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 2045: Investing in Washington families by restructuring the business and occupation tax on high grossing businesses and financial institutions.

HB 2045 creates a new 1% tax on businesses with over $250 million in annual revenue in Washington starting January 2026, targeting large corporations. It also increases the tax rate for financial institutions from 1.2% to 1.9% after July 2025. The bill exempts manufacturers, farmers, and certain income types from the new tax. These changes aim to fund K-12 education, public safety, health care, and basic needs programs, as stated in the legislative findings.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesNew tax on large corporations funds K-12 education, public safety, and healthcare programs, directly advancing state budget priorities.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill explicitly states tax revenue will fund K-12 education per legislative findings, directly increasing education funding.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill explicitly allocates tax revenue to fund healthcare programs as stated in legislative findings and summary.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Business Taxes Sales Tax K-12 Education

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in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1140: Establishing empowerED scholarships using educational savings accounts.

HB 1140 would create the empowerED scholarship program, allowing families to use state-funded educational savings accounts for options like private schools, homeschooling, or charter schools instead of being restricted to neighborhood public schools. It prioritizes students with special education needs, low-income families, and those in underperforming public schools. The bill shifts education funding from schools to families, requiring state funds to follow enrolled students to their chosen educational setting. This aims to address concerns about public school performance, safety, and accessibility by introducing competition into the education system.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill redirects state funds to families for school choice (private/homeschool/charter), prioritizing underserved groups and expanding educational access beyond public schools, aligning with support indicators.95% confidence

Sub-Topics School Choice School Funding Special Education

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in committee · Washington · Senate Jan 12, 2026

SB 5564: Modifying the goals of a basic education.

SB 5564 modifies Washington state's basic education goals to emphasize preparing students to become "globally competitive citizens" while adding specific requirements about understanding the state's constitutional republic foundations. It mandates the state superintendent to identify and post ethnic studies materials for K-12 schools by September 1, 2025, and encourages schools to incorporate these materials into curricula (with K-6 focusing on integration and 7-12 offering dedicated courses). The bill also requires updating state learning standards to include "appreciating and admiring differing cultures" and ensuring academic accuracy in core subjects like math and science. These changes directly affect all public K-12 schools and students across Washington state.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates ethnic studies materials and curriculum integration for K-12, advancing educational content and access per bill's requirements.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Curriculum K-12 Education

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signed · Washington · Senate May 17, 2025

SB 5769: Addressing transition to kindergarten programs.

Senate Bill 5769 renames "transitional kindergarten" to "transition to kindergarten programs" and formally establishes them in state statute. The program aims to assist eligible children, at least four years old, who need additional preparation to succeed in kindergarten. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction will administer these programs, setting rules for eligibility, funding, and minimum standards, including requiring a local early learning needs assessment. School districts, charter schools, and state-tribal education compact schools will operate these programs, prioritizing enrollment for low-income families and children most in need, and cannot charge tuition for state-funded participants.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationFormalizes transition to kindergarten programs, requiring early learning assessments to support student readiness and access for eligible children.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Early Childhood Higher Education K-12 Education

in committee · Washington · Senate Jan 12, 2026

SB 5551: Concerning school library information and technology programs.

SB 5551 requires all Washington school districts to adopt policies by September 1, 2026, ensuring every K-12 student has access to school library information and technology programs staffed by certified teacher-librarians. The bill mandates districts to define how students access library resources and instruction, while allowing small districts (second-class) to use non-certified staff only after making "reasonable efforts" to hire certified librarians and partnering with libraries or schools. It directly affects all 245 Washington public school districts, particularly those serving low-income communities and communities of color where nearly 60% currently lack certified teacher-librarians. The law defines "teacher-librarian" as a certified educator with library media training and specifies that these programs must support state learning standards and digital literacy skills for all students.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationMandates certified teacher-librarians for K-12 library access, requiring districts to ensure student access to educational resources and programs, strengthening staff qualifications and access.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyMandates K-12 access to library/tech programs with certified staff, promoting digital equity and access to technology resources.95% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education Libraries Teachers

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in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 2063: Adjusting tuition waivers for high school completers at community and technical colleges.

HB 2063 adjusts tuition waiver eligibility for students finishing high school at Washington community and technical colleges. It requires full tuition waivers for children and surviving spouses of fallen or totally disabled law enforcement officers, firefighters, or state patrol officers (if enrolling within 10 years of high school graduation), and allows partial waivers for non-resident students aged 19-20 completing high school. The bill also specifies that waivers for high school completers must cover only courses leading to a diploma or certificate. Colleges must report waiver costs annually to the state board, which then shares the data with legislative committees. This directly affects low-income high school completers, first responder families, and non-resident students seeking diplomas.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands tuition waiver access for first responder dependents and non-resident students, enhancing educational access for specific groups as defined in the topic.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Higher Education K-12 Education

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in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1663: Enhancing youth mental health and well-being through advanced training and expansion of the workforce in schools.

HB 1663 aims to improve youth mental health in Washington schools by expanding the school social worker workforce. It requires educational service districts to coordinate with mental health agencies and universities to create in-school placements for social workers and trainees, directly addressing Washington's current ratio of one social worker per 3,798 students (compared to the recommended 1:250). The bill amends state law to clarify school social workers' roles in crisis intervention, trauma care, behavioral support, and collaboration with families and schools. These changes are designed to reduce student absenteeism, support students with mental health needs, and strengthen school-based mental health services for all K-12 students.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands school social worker workforce to address 1:3798 ratio, enhancing student mental health support in K-12 schools per bill's focus on crisis intervention and trauma training.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareExpands school-based mental health workforce, addresses critical staffing ratio (1:3798 vs. 1:250), and mandates coordination for crisis intervention/training per bill summary.92% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExpands school social worker workforce, creating jobs and improving employment standards by reducing caseloads (1:3798 to 1:250), directly supporting labor & employment through workforce growth and enhanced workplace conditions.95% confidence

Sub-Topics K-12 Education Student Health Mental Health

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in committee · Washington · House Jan 12, 2026

HB 1949: Exempting certain scholarly communications from disclosure under the public records act.

HB 1949 exempts certain scholarly communications from Washington's public records law to protect academic confidentiality. It directly affects faculty, researchers, and students at public universities by shielding: (1) peer review materials for manuscripts or research proposals, (2) human subject identities when confidentiality was promised in consent forms, and (3) unpublished research data, code, or draft manuscripts until they are published, patented, or publicly shared. The bill ensures these materials remain confidential during the academic review and development process, aligning with existing federal research standards. This change applies only to records where confidentiality was explicitly promised or required by academic practices.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationProtects academic confidentiality for faculty/researchers at public universities, enhancing scholarly freedom and research integrity in higher education.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyProtects academic research data privacy by exempting unpublished materials from public disclosure, aligning with data privacy protections.90% confidence

Tags Government Transparency

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in committee · Washington · Senate Jan 12, 2026

SB 5789: Restoring state financial aid assistance to a maximum of 125 percent of credits needed to graduate.

SB 5789 restores the maximum state financial aid eligibility for the Washington College Grant program to 125 percent of the credits required to graduate, replacing a previous higher limit. This change directly affects eligible students pursuing postsecondary credentials who receive state aid, ensuring support aligns with standard program credit requirements. The bill amends key statutes to set this 125% cap, meaning aid will no longer cover credits beyond 125% of a program’s published length. It applies to students meeting financial need criteria and enrolled in Washington institutions or apprenticeships, maintaining existing eligibility rules for low-income residents. The policy update aims to streamline aid usage while preserving access for qualifying students.

Topics ✗ EducationOpposes EducationBill limits state aid coverage to 125% of required credits, restricting support beyond standard program length compared to prior higher limit.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Higher Education Student Financial Aid

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