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  • Legislative Update | Feb 27 - March 3, 2023

    Roz Thompson, Governmental Relations & Advocacy Director, AWSP
    Mar 03, 2023
    We are halfway to the end of this year’s legislative session, and we are fast approaching the next legislative cutoff date when bills must pass out of their house of origin. We need SB 5085 and SB 5175 to get pulled to the Senate floor by Wednesday, March 8th for a vote, or their journey this legislative session ends. I’ve heard this week that SB 5175 may get a vote but SB 5085 may not. There is a potential concern with the salary piece in SB 5085, so I told Senator Wellman to remove that section if that is what is needed to keep the bill moving.
  • Special Education and 504 Tips & Resources | March 3, 2023

    Dr. James Whitehead | Director of Special Programs & Services, Integrated Student Support | Capital Region ESD 113
    Mar 03, 2023
    These resources are sent out weekly to leaders in special education and Section 504. Each post contains tips and resources on a variety of topics that are meant to keep you informed and up-to-date.
  • Retirement & Health Benefits for March 3, 2023

    Fred Yancey, The Nexus Group LLC
    Mar 03, 2023
    Both houses were and remain in caucus or in debate on the floor, considering various bills on their respective calendars. Committee work will begin in earnest once the deadline to pass bills from their house of origin. (March 8th). House bills that passed will then be heard in Senate committees and vice versa.
  • Dear Sista: A Brave Meeting Space for Black Women School Leaders

    Kamrica Ary-Turner, Associate Director, AWSP
    Mar 02, 2023
    Black women are the third most represented demographic for the principalship in Washington state. Knowing that, it is vital to create a brave space for black women to connect, support one another, and grow together for us to sustain ourselves in education. In response to a request from one of our leaders, AWSP created “Dear Sista,” an affinity group space for African American women leaders. The title Dear Sista is a tribute to Veronica Very’s book of poems that speaks to truth, healing, and supporting the sisterhood.
  • Principal Mentoring: Emotional Agility

    Gina Yonts, Associate Director, AWSP
    Mar 01, 2023
    Emotional Agility is probably one of the trickiest skill sets to learn as you are busy juggling the demands of an intense school year. As we think about all that has happened over the past three years and ALL of the things we are working to handle effectively, the importance of emotional agility cannot be overlooked. Susan David, author, TedTX speaker, and co-founder of the Institute of Coaching (Harvard Medical School), is a leader in this field. Those of you participating as mentors/mentees in our AWSP Mentoring Program have been exposed to the School Leader Paradigm and how our personal and social intelligence positively/negatively impacts our ability to lead in the schoolhouse.
  • Special Education and 504 Tips & Resources | February 24, 2023

    Dr. James Whitehead | Director of Special Programs & Services, Integrated Student Support | Capital Region ESD 113
    Feb 24, 2023
    These resources are sent out weekly to leaders in special education and Section 504. Each post contains tips and resources on a variety of topics that are meant to keep you informed and up-to-date.
  • Retirement & Health Benefits for February 24, 2023

    Fred Yancey, The Nexus Group LLC
    Feb 24, 2023
    For an outsider looking in, it is extremely frustrating that much of the action that fine tunes/amends bills occur behind closed doors, out of sight of the general public. This is particularly true of the development of the budget, but as one can observe, amendments often crop up on bills the day of their final hearing or on the floor once brought forward for debate. The net effect is that the public often has little time to read and understand any proposed change(s). This is particularly galling when the budget proposal itself is often released in the morning with a same-day public hearing. But this is the system. So be it.
  • Legislative Update | Feb 20 - Feb 24, 2023

    Roz Thompson, Governmental Relations & Advocacy Director, AWSP
    Feb 24, 2023
    As today comes to a close, so does another cutoff date. All bills with a price tag must be passed out of a fiscal committee (either House Appropriations or Senate Ways and Means) by Friday, February 24. This means the list of bills moving through the Legislature is getting smaller.
  • Spring is Coming! Register Now for Our Final Forum

    Julie Woods, Community & Member Relations Coordinator, AWSP
    Feb 23, 2023
    Thanks to all of you who attended our Winter Forum. Over 150 of you joined some crucial conversations with your colleagues around the current legislative session, recess, attendance policies, supporting marginalized populations, high school graduation requirements, and other hot topics. Register now for our Spring Forum, coming up May 8, 2023.
  • SB 5085 and SB 5175. Why These Bills? Why Now?

    Dr. Scott Seaman, Executive Director, AWSP
    Feb 23, 2023
    For 51 years, AWSP has supported principals and assistant principals (the individuals) and the principalship (the profession) in the education of each and every student. We exist to support principals as a means to the same goal we all have in K-12 education: for all of our students to have hope. Today, we find ourselves in one of the most challenging spots in the history of our association, specifically regarding the two “principal bills,” Senate Bills 5085 and 5175.

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David Morrill | Communications & Technology Director | (800) 562-6100

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