Students, Advocacy, Elections, and Financial Aid

Thank you for being part of the League of Education Voters (LEV) community! I hope the school year is off to a good start.

LEV is excited to host our 4^th annual Youth Advocacy Summit in partnership with the Association of Washington Student Leaders (AWSL), which is scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, 2026 at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center. You can register here. This year’s theme is Student Voice Taking Flight.

Alongside our youth partners, we invite students, parents, leaders, and members of the community to come listen, learn, and participate in the events that students are putting on. Learn from their experiences with school. See what issues they are passionate about. Listen to and honor their hopes for the future. Whether you are a young person yourself or another member of the community, we invite you to join us as we hear from students, families, and community members.

Tuesday, October 27, 2026
9:30 am to 3:30 pm.
Pacific Science Center, 200 Sue Bird Court N., Seattle, WA 98109

Register Now

Watch a short video of the 2025 Youth Advocacy Summit at Gonzaga University

Throughout the event, we will have interactive tables staffed by partner organizations, as well as a LEV table where students can share what they would like to see happen in the 2027 Washington state legislative session.

Lunch will be provided.

Big thanks to our sponsors: College Spark Washington, Microsoft, Schultz Family Foundation, foundry10, and True Blue Strategies!

And speaking of events, LEV and partners are hosting a free Financial Aid Summit this Thursday, September 24 from 9:00 am to noon! This summit will bring together partners from across the state to share insights, strategies, and lessons learned in supporting students through the financial aid process. Together, we will co-create a collaborative space focused on improving outcomes and expanding access to financial aid. You can register here.

Also, come take part in a free legislative candidate forum hosted by LEV, Building Changes, and the Southeast Seattle Education Coalition (SESEC) featuring candidates for state office in Washington's 37th legislative district. We'll gather on Thursday, October 1 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm in the Panoramic Room at the Pacific Tower (1200 12th Ave S, 8th floor, 98144). Together, we'll discuss K-12 education, youth homelessness, and where they intersect. This is an opportunity to learn about candidates' priorities and find out how they plan to serve students and families across our state. You can register here.

Read more about our work below.

Students from South Shore PreK-8

Upcoming LEVinar: Impacts of the 2026 Washington state Ballot Initiatives

The November general election is only weeks away, and three initiatives are on the statewide ballot:

• I-001 would weaken Washington State laws about parents’ rights, student privacy and records at school.

• I-638 would institute a strict requirement that all girls be sex inspected, directing doctors to inspect each girls’ “reproductive anatomy, genetic makeup, or normal endogenously produced testosterone levels” as part of their sports physicals.

• I-645 would decrease funding for public K-12 education, higher education (including universities and community colleges), and human services (primarily healthcare).

In this free webinar on Thursday, October 15 at 12:30 pm, we will explore the impacts of what would happen if these initiatives were to pass and answer your questions.

LEV 2025-26 Annual Report

As Washington heads into what's shaping up to be another difficult legislative session, we wanted to share the momentum we're collectively building and what we've been able to accomplish together over the past year.

Upcoming LEVinar: Fixing the Broken Marketplace: A Statewide Look at Washington's Education-to-Career Pathways

LEV partner organization Washington STEM is tackling a growing disconnect: too many students lack equitable pathways from high school to family-sustaining careers, deepening the state's K-shaped economic divide. Compounding this, there's no unified statewide scorecard or "north star" set of outcomes across the education-to-workforce continuum, making it hard to know what's working and where to focus.

With support from the Schultz Family Foundation and in partnership with HarrisX Research, Washington STEM has conducted a landscape analysis — including a deep dive into the King County marketplace — to identify where pathways are working, where they break down, who's being left behind, and what we can do to fix the "broken marketplace."

As an advisory member to this work, LEV is excited to host this upcoming free LEVinar on Wednesday, October 21 at 12:30 pm. Join us to hear these findings and what's next as we build a statewide system that aligns partners, strengthens data use, and drives accountability for student outcomes.

We truly appreciate all you do for Washington students, families, and educators. Each one of us has the right to feel safe and valued. We hope you and your family stay well.

Sincerely,
Arik

Arik Korman | CEO
Office: 206.728.6448
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League of Education Voters
3450 16th Ave W Suite 302A
Seattle, Washington 98119
(206) 728-6448
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