Education
At Washington’s public colleges and universities, a lasting slump in enrollment
Enrollment at public colleges and universities in Washington was still lagging last year after a drop at the start of the pandemic, according to a new report. The decline is most dramatic at public community and technical colleges, where enrollment sank 25% from fall 2019 to fall 2022, the report from the Washington Student Achievement […]
Progressive reforms or harsher punishments alone won’t fix student misconduct
The 2022-23 school year was a particularly violent year for educators. In Florida, a high school student beat a paraprofessional unconscious. A 15-year-old in Georgia left her teacher with difficulty walking. And a group of students in Texas sent their assistant principal to the hospital after an assault. Recent headlines suggest the 2023-24 school year […]
Washington Senate’s budget-writing panel gets a new leader
Sen. June Robinson, an Everett Democrat, was named Thursday as the new chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee, the budget-writing panel responsible for developing tax policies and deciding how the state spends billions of dollars each year. Robinson, the committee vice chair for the operating budget and revenue the last three sessions, was […]
Washington Board of Education approves new high school graduation rules
Washington may soon expand the list of high school courses that meet graduation requirements. That’s according to a set of rules unanimously advanced by Washington’s Board of Education last Friday under House Bill 1308. The law, passed this year, directs the Board of Education to establish a list of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge […]
Teachers end strike at Vancouver’s Evergreen Public Schools
Around 23,000 public school students in the Vancouver area are heading back to classrooms on Monday after their teachers voted to ratify a new labor contract. Teachers at Evergreen Public Schools went on strike Aug. 30, the first day of scheduled classes for the school year, and were on strike for seven school days. Classes […]
WA Supreme Court says state isn’t responsible for 100% of school construction costs
The Washington Supreme Court ruled Thursday the state is not required to fully cover school construction costs, dealing a blow to districts unable to raise the local tax dollars they need for new buildings and other facility upgrades. In its unanimous decision, the court said Washington’s constitutional mandate for the state to amply fund basic […]
Camas teachers vote to end strike
About 450 teachers on strike in the Vancouver area will soon return to classrooms after voting to approve a tentative agreement with Camas School District. As part of the deal, the district agreed to increase teacher wages by 13% over the next two years, reduce class sizes and establish a resource fund for libraries, physical […]
Lawmakers react to southwest Washington teacher strikes
About 2,000 teachers across Vancouver-area school districts began the school year on strike. State lawmakers wish this wasn’t the case. Republican Sen. Lynda Wilson of Vancouver pointed out that teacher strikes in Washington are illegal, which is true — although there aren’t really any penalties. Mercer Island Democrat Sen. Lisa Wellman, who chairs the chamber’s […]
Millions enrolled in new student loan repayment program
WASHINGTON — More than 4 million federal student loan borrowers are enrolled in the Biden administration’s new repayment program, according to figures released Tuesday by the Department of Education. With the pause of more than three years on federal student loan repayments coming to an end in October, and the Supreme Court’s summer decision to […]
State will keep fiscal tabs on three cash-starved Washington school districts
As students return to Washington classrooms, state education officials are closely monitoring how three cash-strapped public school districts are spending money. Marysville, La Conner and Mount Baker districts, all located in western Washington and part of Northwest Educational Service District 189, are in this position because they are beginning the school year without a balanced […]
One of the educators on strike in southwest Washington is a state lawmaker
It’s a familiar sight: a Democratic lawmaker walks a picket line, champions labor rights and meets with workers on strike. But it’s not often a state representative participates in a walkout because they’re one of those workers. Enter Rep. Monica Stonier, a Vancouver Democrat. Stonier is an instructional coach, providing professional development training to teachers […]
Classes delayed for 30,000 students as more teachers strike in southwest Washington
Special education teacher Angie Latange is one of 1,500 educators at Evergreen Public Schools in Vancouver on strike Wednesday. It’s not her first time on strike: Evergreen educators also picketed in 2018. But this strike, Latange said, feels different. “The energy is higher,” Latange said. “Last time, it was more…salary-based. This time, it’s absolutely not […]