Friends: Just a few weeks ago, I started the 2019 Legislative Session and we’re off to a busy start here in Olympia. My office receives tens of thousands of constituent…
Category: Monica Stonier
The Columbian: Small schools face big challenges in Clark County
It only hits Green Mountain School District Superintendent Tyson Vogeler when he hears other superintendents talk about their issues and what they’re doing to fix them. “They’re going to Rotary…
Weekly Roundup: Education Funding and Climate Change
Friends: Just a few weeks ago, I started the 2019 Legislative Session and we’re off to a busy start here in Olympia. My office receives tens of thousands of constituent…
AP: NW measles outbreak sparks bitter debate over vaccine exemptions
VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — A measles outbreak in the Vancouver area has revived a bitter debate over so-called “philosophical” exemptions to childhood vaccinations as public health officials across the Pacific…
It’s time to enact simple majority for school bonds (HJR 4203)
February 25, 2019 The Arlington Times: Arlington schools bond falls again; can’t clear super majority hurdle; a look at how precincts voted February 23, 2019 The Arlington Times: Arlington schools…
The Columbian: House Bill targets vaccine exemptions
In response to a measles outbreak that has spread from Clark County to King County and Oregon, legislators have introduced a bill that would prohibit children from being exempted from…
KUOW: The fight against measles, in the hospital and in Olympia
Governor Inslee has declared a state of emergency over a measles outbreak: this is what people are doing on the legislative and public health fronts to stop it. Washington parents…
KEPR: Measure increasing legal age of tobacco sales on its way to fiscal committee
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Department of Health and Human Services says each year nearly 14 thousand kids try tobacco for the first time. A bill in Olympia is trying to…
It’s time to put an end to high stakes testing (HB 1599)
January 30, 2019 Standardized tests, when used appropriately, can be an effective tool for school administrators and public policymakers when making education policy decisions. Unfortunately, several years ago lawmakers decided…
Washington’s sex ed laws need an update (HB 1407)
It’s always exciting when people from back home engage with their state lawmakers in an effort to make positive change in their communities. And that’s especially true when students get…