Help LEV Support Washington Students in the 2026 Legislative Session

New Podcast Interview: Gabriela Whitemarsh, the 2026 Washington state Teacher of the Year

In this Putting Students First episode, we interview Gabriela Whitemarsh, the 2026 Washington state Teacher of the Year, who teaches Bilingual Math at Pasco High School in the Pasco School District. Gabriela discusses how her groundbreaking bilingual math program came to be, what outcomes and barriers she has seen for her program, what worked and what didn’t work in her personal education journey, and how she would change Washington’s education system if she were in charge and there were no budgetary constraints.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, or Spreaker

New Podcast Interview: Michelle Whitney, the 2026 Washington state Superintendent of the Year

In the latest episode of our Putting Students First podcast, we interview Michelle Whitney, the 2026 Washington state Superintendent of the Year, who has served as Superintendent of the Pasco School District for the past 10 years. Michelle discusses what makes Pasco’s dual language, highly capable, and career technical education (CTE) programs special, what worked and what didn’t work in her personal education journey, and how she would change Washington’s education system if she were in charge and there were no budgetary constraints.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, or Spreaker

Legislative Issue Brief: Student Homelessness

During last year's state legislative session, the Homeless Student Stability Education Program (HSSeP), which is designed to support districts with identification, enrollment, and services for public school students living in homeless situations, had its funding cut by 76% to $1.2 million for the current two-year budget cycle.

Now more than ever, we need to invest in what works. HSSeP’s approach — linking housing stability and academic achievement — has delivered results since the pandemic. For a child to learn, they must first feel secure in where they will sleep each night.

This session represents a critical chance to defend homeless students. Together, from Washington, D.C. to Olympia, we must advocate for the programs that guarantee educational access for every child.