Thank you for your support during this historic legislative session

Blog: 2021 Washington state Legislative Session Wrap-Up

The League of Education Voters Policy Team provides an overview of what we accomplished together for Washington students in this historic virtual legislative session. Read a summary of the 2021-2023 Washington state biennial budget compromise, learn how federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act was incorporated, and more!

LEVinar: 2021 Legislative Session Recap: What Washington Students Got

In the wake of the 2021 legislative session, on Wednesday, May 5 at 12:30 pm, League of Education Voters Director of Policy and Research Jacob Vela, government relations consultant Carey Morris, and LEV partners will provide an overview of what happened in Olympia this session, along with status updates on early childhood education, supportive, safe and accessible learning environments, equitable resourcing structures centered on student need, and sufficient and equitable resources for every student receiving special education services. They will also answer your questions and let you know what we can do to prepare for the upcoming session in 2022. This webinar will have closed captions and Spanish interpretation available.

LEVinar: The Fair Start for Kids Act

Early learning matters for our families, our businesses, and our future. Children, families, and early childhood professionals are celebrating the passage of the Fair Start for Kids Act and its historic investments in early learning. In our free webinar Wednesday, May 12 at 12:30 pm, Washington state Representative Tana Senn and Senator Claire Wilson, prime sponsors of the Fair Start for Kids Act, along with early childhood education providers, will explain how their newly passed omnibus legislation will take strong steps to address affordability, access, and the economic crisis. This webinar will have closed captions and Spanish interpretation available.

Putting Students First Podcast – The Educators of Color Leadership Community

In our Putting Students First podcast, we interview policymakers, partners, and thought leaders to spotlight education policies, research, and practices so that together we can create a brighter future for every Washington student. In this episode, we host a panel discussion about the Puget Sound Educational Service District’s successful Educators of Color Leadership Community (ECLC), in which panelists address why educator diversity is so important, what the barriers are to recruitment and retention of teachers of color, how the Educators of Color Leadership Community supports teachers of color, and how we can scale the ECLC’s work to support teachers of color across Washington state.

Washington Game Changers Podcast – Estela Ortega of El Centro de la Raza

Washington Game Changers with League of Education Voters CEO Lauri Hennessey features leaders who give back to our community, drive innovative solutions, and inspire others in making our state more equitable and just. This podcast is a one-on-one conversation with these powerful leaders in a time when we need to hear about more good in the world. In this episode, Lauri speaks with Estela Ortega of El Centro de la Raza about how she has stayed centered during the pandemic, how her organization has fared during this time and about her late husband Roberto Maestas, and their early work in creating El Centro. She also talks about the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on students of color.

LEVinar Recordings and Recaps: The Role of K-12 Schools in Addressing Racially Motivated Violence and Washington state Teachers of the Year on Reimagining Education after COVID

We were honored to present two powerful LEVinars this month - one with a statewide panel of students, educators, and a community organizer to discuss the impacts of racially motivated violence and how schools can best support students on a daily basis, and the other with every Washington state Teacher of the Year from 2015 - 2021 on how they recommend reimagining education based on what they have learned from teaching during the COVID pandemic.

The Role of K-12 Schools in Addressing Racially Motivated Violence recap and recording

Washington state Teachers of the Year on Reimagining Education after COVID recap and recording

Arik Korman
Communications Director, League of Education Voters