Washington Superintendent pushes back against federal civil rights certification request
Washington State Superintendent Chris Reykdal responded on Tuesday to a letter sent last week by the Department of Education. He said Washington had already submitted the mandatory long-standing federal requirements and called the Department’s decision to require a re-certification process in the middle of the funding award period “unusual.” “We will not sign additional certifications that lack authority, lack clarity, or are an assault on the autonomy of states and local school districts by misapplying a higher education admissions case. It would be irresponsible to do so,” he said. Continue reading at KXLY. (KXLY)
Dementia care facilities would have to meet new state standards under WA bill
Washington lawmakers are looking at requiring assisted living facilities to be certified to take care of people with dementia. Senate Bill 5337, sponsored by Sen. Tina Orwall, D-Des Moines, would require the Department of Social and Health Services to create, manage and enforce a certification process for licensed assisted living facilities. “This bill is around supporting people as they age and supporting families and giving the Department of Social and Health Services the tools they need for that work,” Orwall said. Continue reading at Washington State Standard. (Getty Images)
Sound Transit’s looming money crunch prompts a request in Olympia
Sound Transit, short on money to reach promised destinations in West Seattle, Ballard and Everett, might eventually borrow billions of dollars that need not be fully repaid until the 22nd century. The agency doesn’t have a specific plan to issue bonds with a 75-year term. But a bill in the Legislature would give Sound Transit this unusual financing tool — an acknowledgment of a looming cash-flow crunch in coming decades. Continue reading at Seattle Times. (Ken Lambert)
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