2024 Advocacy Season

During the 2024 legislative session, we worked with communities across the state to develop our state policy agenda to ensure state investments and policies drive the best outcomes for Washington’s students and economy.

With the support our regional partners, we used an Evaluation Framework to develop a policy agenda focused on creating opportunity for students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, students living in rural areas, and girls and young women.
 

Legislative Priorities and Outcomes

Early Learning

Priority: Strengthen cross-agency coordination to expand access, use, and sustainability of early childhood education data.
 
Outcomes: Expanded eligibility for subsidized child care: investments in the true cost of quality care; support for the early learning workforce. Some notable legislation includes:

• Clarifying requirements for the Working Connections Child Care program (HB 2111).
• Supporting and expanding access to the Working Connections Child Care program (HB 2124).
• Investing in child care facility renovations (HB 2195).
• Funding education for infants and toddlers with disabilities program (HB 1916).
• Streamlining and enhancing program access for persons eligible for food assistance (HB 1945).
• Increasing the capacity to conduct timely fingerprint-based background checks for prospective childcare employees and other programs (SB 5774).

K-12 STEM

 
Priority: Improve system infrastructure and increase access to actionable data statewide to support school districts, students, and families in the transition from K-12 to postsecondary.
 
Outcomes: Increased investments that support the system infrastructure in the transition from K-12 to postsecondary as well as support for culturally sustaining learning, particularly Native education. Some notable legislation includes:

• Notifying high school students and their families about available dual credit programs and any available financial assistance (HB 1146).
• Reorganizing statutory requirements governing high school graduation to include more language around postsecondary readiness (HB 2110).
• Building a multilingual, multiliterate Washington through dual and tribal language education (HB 1228).
• Increasing prototypical school staffing to better meet student needs, including mental and behavioral health, English language learning, and special education (HB 5882).
• Expediting the licensure and employment of out-of-state teachers (SB 5180).
• Expanding and strengthening career and technical education core plus programs (HB 2236).
• Increasing data sharing between OSPI, WASAC, and institutions of higher education to improve equitable access to postsecondary education (SB 6053).

Career Pathways

Priority: Increase funding to the statewide education and employer network, Career Connect Washington, to build and sustain access to equitable Career Connected Learning Programs, increase postsecondary enrollment and boost credential attainment.
 
Outcomes: Increased access to financial aid and a $1 million investment in Career Connected Learning grant programs. Some notable legislation includes:

• Extending the terms of eligibility for financial aid programs (SB 5904).
• Permitting beneficiaries of public assistance programs to automatically qualify as income-eligible for the purpose of receiving the Washington college grant (HB 2214).
• Modifying placement and salary matching requirements for the state work-study program (HB 2025).
• Establishing a Native American apprentice assistance program (HB 2019).
• Establishing a pilot program eliminating college in the high school fees for private not-for-profit four-year institutions (HB 2441).
• Expanding and strengthening career and technical education core plus programs (HB 2236).
• Increasing data sharing between OSPI, WASAC, and institutions of higher education to improve equitable access to postsecondary education (SB 6053).

Regional Impact

Washington STEM partners with 10 regional Networks and Central Puget Sound partners to develop programs and goals specific to local communities. To learn what region serves your local community, check the regional map below.

Read what each regional STEM Network partner is doing to ensure all students have access to the transformational possibilities that STEM skills and education beyond high school can provide.

Case Studies: How We Work

These projects are examples of how we work through partnership across the state, providing direct support, and advocating for policy changes that will improve opportunities for all students.

• Early Learning Data Dashboards
• The State of the Children Reports
• High School to Postsecondary Collaborative
• Career Pathways Framework

2024 Legislators of the Year

Senator T’wina Nobles, 28th District

Representative Alex Ybarra, 13th District

“Washington students need robust career readiness supports, from apprenticeship programs to financial aid guidance, to follow their aspirations and join the workforce,” said Lynne K. Varner. “Senator Nobles and Representative Ybarra are strengthening our state’s career pathways, especially for those furthest from opportunity—rural students, students of color, young women, and students experiencing poverty.”
 

Senator T’wina Nobles (28th District) is chair of the Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee, majority whip in the caucus, and vice-chair of the Senate Early Learning and K12 committee. She worked closely with her colleagues in the senate, the Foundation for Tacoma Students, and the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, as sponsor of a bill to expand a Financial Aid Outreach pilot project to increase financial aid access. The pilot project was successfully expanded to an additional region with the aim of statewide adoption in the future.

Representative Alex Ybarra (13th District) has been a champion for career-connected learning in the North Central region and across the state. As the ranking member of the House Postsecondary Education and Workforce Development Committee, Representative Ybarra has secured resources that are critical to building education and career pathways for students.

Washington STEM’s Legislator of the Year Award is presented annually to members of the State Legislature who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in advancing legislation and policies that promote excellence, innovation, and equity in science, technology, engineering, and math education for all Washington students, especially those furthest from opportunity.

Read more about previous Legislators of the Year.

PAST LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS

Read more about our work in the 2023, 2022, and 2021 legislative sessions.