Dear friends and neighbors,
Last week was the first day of school for Tacoma Public Schools, and I thought I’d take this chance to update you on our work in K-12 education last session.
Over the last few e-newsletters, I’ve talked about the hard budget decisions we had to make this year, but knowing that K-12 education is our paramount duty in the state constitution, it’s one of the places I’m glad we were able to make new investments for our kids.
One of the biggest new investments this year was in Special Education, removing the special education funding enrollment cap and increasing the amount per student enrolled in special education. This means school districts are getting more funding to serve some of our most vulnerable students. We’ve also ensured that students enrolled in special education programs can stay enrolled until the end of the school year after turning 22, ensuring they have the support these programs provide for a little longer. Additionally, we allocated more funding towards materials, supplies, and operating costs, which help pay for non-employee costs in our schools, like keeping the lights on.
While Tacoma Public Schools is receiving more than $11 million in additional state funding for special education, and more than $1.5 million in additional funding for materials, supplies, and operating costs, there is still more work to do. School districts including Tacoma are continuing to struggle with increasing costs due to inflation, which is still a concern under the current federal administration. This is an ongoing conversation I’m having with the district this interim, to better understand the budgetary challenges they face. But I’m glad we were able to make some additional investments in these important areas even in a challenging budget year.
I mentioned in an earlier newsletter that we were also able to protect funding for school meals and summer EBT, something I’m particularly proud of. Hungry kids can’t learn, but more importantly, everyone should have access to food (if you family needs help you can find local food bank information here).
In addition to the investments we were able to make in K-12, we also expanded access to dual credit programs so that our students can get the college credit they’ve earned, we’ve established a teacher residency and apprenticeship program to help address our teacher shortage, and ensured that our students with adrenal insufficiency can get the care they need to actively participate in K-12 education.
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Applications are open now for the Washington State Legislative Intern Program! This program is an incredible opportunity for higher education students – you’re matched with legislators in the House or Senate based on your interest areas and political ideology, and you spend a session working in Olympia and learning about the legislative process. The 2026 internship begins January 6, 2026 and ends March 12, 2026.
The priority deadline for applications is October 22nd, and you receive academic credit for the program as well as a monthly stipend of $2,400. I love meeting interns who are from or attend school in the 27th District, so if you or someone you know is accepted to the program for 2026, please reach out to my office so I can make time to say hello this coming session.
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Our community conversations are still happening! These are intended to be small, informal group discussions, so please stop by to ask questions or talk about issues that are important to you.
- Thursday, September 25: 10:30AM-12PM, Franklin Park, Tacoma
- Monday, October 13: 10:30AM-12PM, Cutters Point Coffee Co.. 2209 N Pearl St., Ste 104
