Legislative Priorities

In the Northshore School Board, proactive planning is a core value.  To support the work of our district, we appreciate our legislators’ support in addressing these important items.

Innovate to Serve Students 

  • Fully fund inclusionary and other Special Education services (in 2021-2022, Special Education funding for Northshore fell short by $25M, which amounts to 39% of our local levy proceeds).
  • Support the growth of Mastery Based Learning credit options and the development of mastery-based graduation pathways
  • Pass legislation to enable simple majority passage of capital bonds for school districts. Washington is 1 of only 7 states in the country that still require a 60% passage rate.
  • Increase funding and flexibility for ALE programs and career-connected learning to match the needs of all students.
  • Support Right to Repair legislation to allow districts and families the ability to repair electronics at a much lower cost, saving taxpayers significant revenue.

Support Student Wellbeing 

  • Update the Prototypical School Model to accurately reflect the need for support services for students, including nurses and social workers, while addressing the impact to districts that must pay above the state average for employees (as any mandated staffing increases require additional support from our local levy proceeds).
  • Reduce our carbon footprint by supporting schools in updating our infrastructure and transportation systems to renewable options. Northshore seeks grants and funding to support: expanding solar power sources, electric buses, safe bicycle lanes, and heat pumps. Northshore buses drive 1.6M miles per year, and we have 3.1M square feet of facilities.  By reducing the carbon footprint of the district, we can have an enormous impact.
  • Fund free school meals for all students, regardless of a community’s poverty level.  As the federal calculation of poverty for FRL is based off a national average (and doesn’t take into account our local cost of living), many students in need are not supported.
  • Continue to grow our community’s mental health resources to support students and families.