Washington Youth, We Want to Amplify Your Voice

Thank you for being part of the League of Education Voters (LEV) community!

Now that the 2024 Washington state legislative session is in the history books, the League of Education Voters Field team is deep in planning mode to expand community engagement across Washington state and begin interviews to inform our 2025 legislative platform. And our Policy Team is working to uplift student voice, develop a long-term strategy to address inequities in education funding, and connect with partners to reflect on the 2024 legislative session and discuss future work and collaboration opportunities.

Thank you to everyone who advocated for students during the legislative session. Together, we helped shape the 2024 Washington state Supplemental Budget. You can watch the recording of last week's LEVinar featuring LEV partners to recap the legislative session and outline strategies for 2025 here.

Speaking of student voice, we are inviting Washington students and youth to take part in the Youth Education Advocates Series on our Youth Advocacy Hub! We know that students are the people most impacted by education policy and advocacy, and we want to create more space for youth voices in this important work. We are committed to leveling the advocacy playing field and empowering young people to become our state’s key thinkers, advocates, and leaders in the education space. More info here.

Read more about our work below.

Students from the University of Washington Tacoma

Upcoming LEVinar: How Our Institutions are Accommodating and Navigating the Delay in Higher Education Financial Aid for 2024

Many higher education schools rely on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, to help them determine how much of their institutional money to give out in the form of grants that students will not have to repay. Unfortunately, the troubled federal rollout of the new FAFSA form — and the revision of the formula for determining who gets federal financial aid — means that any attempt to offer a price quote to current or recently admitted students may be just a rough estimate.

In our free webinar on Thursday, March 28 at 12:30 pm, we will discuss steps that Washington state institutions are taking to help students cope with the financial aid delays and how students and families can navigate the current situation.

Confirmed Panelists:

Athaliah Ioane (she/her), a sophomore at Whitworth University double majoring in Political Science and Communications – Journalism and a member of the Washington Student Engagement Networks
Ruben Flores, Executive Director at the Council of Presidents
Dr. Terri Standish-Kuon, President & CEO at Independent Colleges of Washington
Becky Thompson, Director of Student Financial Assistance at the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC)
Dr. Joyce D. Hammer, Deputy Executive Director for Education at the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

2024 Washington state Supplemental Budget Summary

The 2024 supplemental budget makes adjustments to the 2023-25 biennial budget and impacts funding for the remainder of the biennium, which ends in June of 2025. The amounts listed are in addition to funds that have already been appropriated in the 2023-25 budget. Read what Washington students got in the 2024 Legislative Session.

Learn More

LEVinar Recording: 2024 Legislative Session Recap - What Washington Students Got and Next Steps

To wrap up the 2024 Legislative Session, League of Education Voters Interim Co-CEO / Director of Policy and Research Jacob Vela, government relations consultant Carey Morris, and LEV partners provide an overview of what happened in Olympia, along with status updates on LEV’s 2024 Legislative Platform:

Create safe and inclusive learning environments
Provide comprehensive supports for wellness and inclusion at school
Support students receiving special education services
Establish equitable funding structures

They also answer your questions and let you know what we can do to prepare for the upcoming session in 2025. In addition to Jacob and Carey, panelists include:

Ashlye Triebs, a junior at Columbia River High School in Vancouver Public Schools, a full-time running start student at Clark College, and a member of the Washington state Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC)
Roxana Gomez, Youth Policy Program Director at ACLU Washington
Yordanos Gebreamlak, Deputy Director in the Washington State Governor’s Office of the Education Ombuds
Allison Krutsinger, Director of Public Affairs at the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Stacy Dym, Executive Director of The Arc of Washington State
Sunshine Cheng, Public Policy Liaison at Disability Rights Washington
Jayme Shoun, Policy Director at Washington STEM

Watch Now

We truly appreciate all you do for Washington students. Each one of us has the right to feel safe and valued.

Sincerely,
Arik

Arik Korman | Interim Co-CEO / Communications Director
Office: 206.728.6448
Twitter: @arikkorman

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Seattle, Washington 98109
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