We work 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.

The Legislature adjourned on March 12th, 2020. With the support of our 15-person policy executive committee, our 10 STEM Networks and King County partners, we’ve created a policy agenda for 2020  that is focused on creating opportunity for students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, students living in rural areas, and girls and young women.

Our policy priorities and outcomes in 2020 are:

Career Pathways

• Our ask: Prioritize funding for Leadership Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER). For more information on this policy priority, read this LASER policy brief from Washington STEM.
  • Outcome:
    • $500,000 to fund Washington LASER programs.

• Our ask: Increase funding for Career Connect Washington. For more information on this policy priority, please read this Career Connect Washington policy brief.
  • Outcome:
    • $875,000 to expand career connected learning program intermediary grants
    • $150,000 for a tribal liaison at the office of the superintendent of public instruction
    • $150,000 to create a career connected learning statewide program inventory

Early STEM

• Our ask: Investments in Early Learning Coordinators at Education Service Districts across Washington. For more information on this policy priority, please read this Association of Education Service Districts (AESD) policy brief.
  • Outcome:
    • This request was included in a policy omnibus bill SB6253 which did not pass & was not included in the budget for this year.

We supported Early Learning asks on expanding the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), Working Connections Child Care (WCCC), accessibility in childcare, and supporting struggling providers. For a review of the $47 million dollars invested in Early Learning this session please see this summary from our partners at the Early Learning Action Alliance, click here.

2020 Session Law

• For a summary of the education-related bills that Washington STEM was tracking and signed into law, click here.
• For a full review of education-related bills introduced during this session, including the ones that did not pass, click here. Thank you to our partners at the League of Education Voters for their exhaustive tracking tool.
• For an description of how we review bills and decide which ones to support, check our Washington STEM Legislative Priorities Evaluation Framework.