Dear friends & neighbors,
We are now in our second week of the short 60-day session. I am thrilled to start this update with some good news, OSPI has just announced Washington State has set a record high graduation rate of 83.6%, a 1.3 percentage point increase from the previous year. More Washington students are staying in high school through graduation, and students are taking more rigorous coursework than ever before. Obviously, there’s a lot to be proud of there and with the work we’re doing around housing instability, food insecurity, and other root causes that interfere with student completion, we believe we can get that number even higher.
However, we know that in the 21st century, high school graduation alone isn’t enough. The bad news is that while high school graduation rates are higher than ever, only 62.5% of recent high school graduates have taken even one post-high school accredited course. We need to see 70% or more of our high school graduates completing a degree, apprenticeship, or career-focused certification in order to ensure the economic health of our state and the financial security of our residents.
Serving in the legislature is about solving problems and in that spirit, I’m making college access a major part of my legislative agenda this year. This includes….
- HB 2025 will increase opportunities for college students receiving federal work-study funds to work as “near peer” college access advisors. Instead of earning work-study funds through working on campus, these students will get paid to work in their communities – either through nonprofits their university – to coach high school students in exploring their higher ed options, completing applications, and applying for financial aid.
- HB 2077 will create a statewide guaranteed admission program in Washington State. This program will ease the process of applying to our in-state institutions by assuring students that if they put in the work and get the grades, they will get a place in our state colleges and universities.
- HB 2309 will establish the Washington State 13th Free program. This will guarantee students in Washington 1 tuition-free year of community or technical college. We know that once we get students into these programs, they are more likely to finish them.
- HB 2374 will establish the Washington Promise Program and provide students with up to 90 credits or two years of tuition free post-secondary education, a $500 annual stipend for related expenses, a transit pass, and access to affordable childcare.
Creating frictionless pathways to post-secondary education and credentials is a proven way to get students enrolled and graduating. 70% is attainable.
Join us Saturday for an in-person townhall!
There’s still 8 weeks left of session, please help me in my work by reaching out to my office if there’s anything I can do to assist you or your family. My door is always open, or you can reach me by phone at (360) 786-7814 or by email. I also encourage you to follow me on Facebook for all the latest updates!
Best wishes,
State Representative Julia Reed
36th Legislative District