Government Relations

Puget Sound Educational Service District provides local, state and federal government relations support to 35 school districts in King, Pierce and Kitsap County.  We convene the 35 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.

2021-22 Federal Positions

  • Digital Equity, policy and investment to provide internet access at home so that students can continue their education in the 2021-22 school year and beyond.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

2022 Regional Districts Legislative Positions

Our 2022 Regional Districts Legislative Positions Paper represents superintendents of the Puget Sound region, representing nearly 40% of students across Washington state, 55% of whom are students of color, and our unwavering focus is on student learning and wellbeing. Our 2022 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 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that have historically disadvantaged our young scholars and our communities. Positions include:

  • Student Funding Stability
  • Student Wellness and Health
  • School Facilities
  • Legislative Statues and Provisos