Legislative Priorities

Contact

J. Lee Schultz
Deputy Executive Director

Download the Board's 2027 Legislative Platform (PDF)

Every year, the State Board of Education adopts an annual legislative platform that guides the Board's advocacy work for the year. The Board approved its 2027 legislative platform during its October 2026 meeting.

For the 2027 session, the Board’s legislative platform recognizes the difficult fiscal choices facing the Legislature. As policymakers respond to competing demands, the Board urges the Legislature to uphold its constitutional paramount duty to amply fund public education and ensure every child has access to a high-quality, equitable education.

Consistent with the Board's mission to cultivate an equitable and inclusive education system, the Board supports the following priorities.

Priorities for the 2027 Legislative Session

Build Strong Foundations for Student Success

Fully fund basic education and address persistent inequities in the state's school funding system.

Restore funding for Transition to Kindergarten to expand access for students furthest from opportunity.

Continue investments in programs that support students facing barriers to educational success, including students with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, and students in foster care.

Provide the resources, professional development, and support necessary for successful implementation of state policies and programs.

Support Powerful, Evidence-Based Learning

Continue funding for the Ninth Grade Success Initiative to increase ninth-grade course passing rates, a key predictor of high school graduation and postsecondary readiness.

Support implementation of updated mathematics learning standards and expand access to high-quality math instruction.

Maintain and strengthen access to culturally-responsive, student-centered learning approaches that promote engagement, personalization, and meaningful preparation for postsecondary success.

Promote Student Well-Being and Engagement

Protect student information while promoting responsible data practices.

Strengthen safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environments that promote student well-being, belonging, and academic success.

Support policies that strengthen student voice, authentic community engagement, and meaningful student and family participation in educational decision-making.

Agency Requests

Modernize Graduation Requirements

Agency Request Legislation

The State Board of Education is responsible for setting graduation requirements, regularly reviewing them, and proposing changes to the state Legislature. In fulfilment of that responsibility, the Board requests legislative action to enact FutureReady, a comprehensive update to Washington’s graduation requirements designed to better prepare students for success after high school. This modernization requires statutory changes and implementation resources provided by the Legislature, together with Board rulemaking.

Key changes:

Remove the current requirement that students complete one of nine graduation pathway options and instead demonstrate readiness through successful completion of strengthened credit and subject-area requirements and a meaningful High School and Beyond Plan.

Update requirements within the existing 24-credit framework to strengthen learning in financial education, technology and media literacy, mathematics, civics, and mental health.

Better balance core and flexible credits to give students more opportunities to pursue coursework aligned with their postsecondary goals.

These changes combine strong academic expectations with meaningful, personalized learning to ensure every student graduates ready to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

Competency-Based Education

2027-29 Budget Request

The Board requests continued funding ($2M/biennium) for the Mastery-based Learning Collaborative to sustain progress made through years of state investment in student-centered learning.

For nearly a decade, the Legislature has supported competency-based education through state policy and funding as a strategy to address opportunity gaps and expand equitable learning opportunities.

Without continued support, participating schools will lose access to critical coaching, collaboration and peer learning opportunities, implementation resources, and technical assistance that help translate state policy goals into classroom practice.

Maintaining this investment will preserve statewide capacity to support schools and districts in pursuing more personalized, relevant, and equitable learning opportunities for students.