Government Relations
Puget Sound Educational Service District provides local, state and federal government relations support to 35 school districts, 9 charter schools, and 2 tribal compact schools in King, Pierce and Kitsap County. We convene the superintendents to discuss timely policy issues, write and distribute position papers, liaise with local government officials, and communicate about how policy impacts our school districts.
- School Safety, a comprehensive approach is necessary to prevent future school violence. School districts cannot independently solve this problem. Congress must act by directing resources to states and districts for school safety enhancements and passing more common-sense gun safety legislation.
- Educator Diversity, support to recruit and retain educators of color in our K-12 classrooms, professional development for all educators and staff in the areas of equity, cultural competency, and dismantling institutional racism.
- Early Learning and Care, support to recruit and retain educators of color, sustained funding for early learning, and increases in the income eligibility threshold for Early Head Start and Head Start.
- Mental Health & Antiracist Social, Emotional Learning, support to implement trauma-informed school policies and practice, increased mental health and counseling supports for students, identification of best practices on how states and districts can utilize positive behavior supports, support to implement restorative justice practices that support students process, learning and growth.
- Postsecondary Readiness, increasing support for high school and college advising, investing in equity-based scholarships to remove college completion barriers, revised assessment and placement processes and continued simplification of FASFA.
- Digital Equity, policy and investment to provide internet access at home so that students can continue their education in the 2022–23 school year and beyond.
2023 Regional Districts Legislative Positions
Our 2023 Regional Districts Legislative Positions Paper represents superintendents of the Puget Sound region, representing nearly 40% of students across Washington state, 58% of whom are students of color, and our unwavering focus is on student learning and wellbeing. Our 2023 legislative priorities are aimed to create opportunities, address inequities and mitigate barriers for each and every student to succeed in school and in life. We ask the Legislature to support our efforts to eliminate opportunity gaps based on race, income and other factors that have become even more urgent and acute due to the pandemic, and that have historically disadvantaged our young scholars and their families. The solutions proposed make a significant investment in our educational system that will lead to student success.. Positions include:
- Increase Special Education Funding
- Fix Pupil Transportation
- Update Staffing Allocations
- Support Capital Facilities
- Support Basic Education Compensation Rebase