<![CDATA[Dan's Substack: Legislative Update on K-12 Education]]>https://danpsteele.substack.com/s/legislative-update-on-k-12-educationhttps://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Ch0f!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe1f8f10-f342-4913-82d2-f3d776ab4f1a_144x144.pngDan's Substack: Legislative Update on K-12 Educationhttps://danpsteele.substack.com/s/legislative-update-on-k-12-educationSubstackThu, 09 Jul 2026 16:33:45 GMT<![CDATA[Final WA State Budget]]>https://danpsteele.substack.com/p/final-wa-state-budgethttps://danpsteele.substack.com/p/final-wa-state-budgetThu, 12 Mar 2026 00:44:40 GMTThe 2026 Legislative Session is set to close shop tomorrow night (Thursday, March 12). The major job of the Legislature--a final, compromise 2026 Supplemental Operating Budget is complete. The Conference Report for the Budget has been signed and is ready for passage.

I am working on a Session recap and will post it here (and on my LinkedIn page) after the dust has settled (and after the governor has taken action). The End of Session Report will include a:
•Comprehensive review of 2026 Supplemental Operating Budget;
•Comprehensive review of 2026 Supplemental Capital Budget;
•Detailed review of all education-related bills adopted in 2026; and
•Summary of all education-related bills that died in 2026

In the meantime, below is a high-level review of the final 2026 Supplemental Budget agreement for K-12 education.

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]]><![CDATA[Week Nine Update]]>https://danpsteele.substack.com/p/week-nine-updatehttps://danpsteele.substack.com/p/week-nine-updateMon, 09 Mar 2026 23:58:45 GMTWeek Nine is the scheduled last week of the 2026 Session—and all signs point to an on-time adjournment on Thursday. A final, compromise 2026 Supplemental Operating Budget will be released as early as tomorrow, with legislative adoption on Wednesday and Thursday.

With the closing of this session, this will be the last official podcast for 2026; however, we will provide some high-level budget details soon. Additionally, a comprehensive End of Session Report is in-process and will be released here as soon as it is done.

]]><![CDATA[WA Senate & House Adopt Budgets]]>https://danpsteele.substack.com/p/wa-senate-and-house-adopt-budgetshttps://danpsteele.substack.com/p/wa-senate-and-house-adopt-budgetsTue, 03 Mar 2026 06:20:00 GMTBelow is an updated K-12 budget side-by-side, as adopted by the Senate and House. Now, they'll move to behind-the-scenes negotiations.

Even though multiple amendments were introduced to provide additional support for K-12--including restoring the LEA inflationary enhancement; restoring funding for TTK; and maintaining current funding for Running Start--all but one was rejected.

Notice the Green indicator below. The one adopted amendment made a revenue-neutral change by eliminating the Charter School Enrichment funding ($7.5M) and increasing Transition to Kindergarten by that same amount (that is, reducing the cut).

Also, one technical change was made. Instead of subsidizing "AP exam" fees, the Senate Budget includes funding to subsidize "Dual Credit" fees.

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]]><![CDATA[Week Seven Update]]>https://danpsteele.substack.com/p/week-seven-updatehttps://danpsteele.substack.com/p/week-seven-updateTue, 24 Feb 2026 05:44:45 GMTWeek Seven is “Budget Week” in the Legislature, as budget-writers roll out six Budget proposals: Senate & House 2026 Operating, Capital, and Transportation Budget. Today’s podcast provides some of the high-level details of the K-12 section of the Budget. It’s not pretty. But you still have time to have an impact, if you continue to engage.

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