YOUTH ADVOCACY HUB
BACKGROUND:
In 2023, the legislature allowed the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to share high school student enrollment and outcome information with institutions of higher education for the purposes of informing Washington high school students of postsecondary educational options available in the state. This enabled students to be better informed of their eligibility to attend specific institutions of higher education and receive financial aid.
Currently, the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) must request high school student information relevant to eligibility for financial aid on a district-by-district basis in order to share various postsecondary financial aid opportunities with students. This is what they are allowed to do according to the current data-sharing agreements.
It falls on the school districts to deal with the administrative work of having to separately report data to two different state agencies (WSAC and OSPI).
SUMMARY:
This bill would expand the purpose of data-sharing agreements between OSPI, WSAC, and institutions of higher education so that they include postsecondary financial aid opportunities.
POINTS TO CONSIDER ABOUT THIS BILL:
This bill could have an positive impact on expanding access to postsecondary opportunities.
For example, take the College Bound Scholarship program (CBS), which provides awareness of available grant funding and resources to low-income students. Recently-passed legislation allowed over 50,000 eligible students each year to be automatically enrolled into this program. However, the burden of collecting necessary contact information from students and guardians remains with school staff. This results in large information gaps and students not successfully accessing the program.
This bill would streamline the process and take the burden off of 1,800 school counselors and staff so that information is more efficiently shared, and they have more time and resources to support students directly.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Steps to Get Started
Learn where the bill is in the legislative process.
If there is an upcoming hearing, decide how you would like to get your voice heard and take action.
If there is not an upcoming hearing, or if you want to supplement your advocacy, call or write your legislators.
Spread the word and get other people on board.
Participating in a Hearing
Sign in Pro, Con, or Other
This is when individuals, advocates, and organizations make their position on a particular bill known for the record. This is particularly powerful in large numbers. Many organizations will send out Action Alerts asking people to sign in Pro or Con on a bill.
Submit Written Testimony
Submitting written testimony is a great way not only to make your position known, to legislators but also to explain why in more detail. This is a good option if you don't want to speak in front of others. People also like to offer more nuance to their position by writing.
Testify Virtually
Since COVID, many legislators are allowing remote/virtual testimony for bill hearings, as it greatly expands access to the legislative process across the state. For this, individuals usually have between 1-2 minutes to state their opinion on a bill in front of the legislative committee on Zoom.
Testify In Person
To testify on a bill in person, you must travel to Olympia and join the real-time committee hearing on the Capitol campus. You will also get between 1-2 minutes to state your opinion. This is often a powerful way to make an impression on legislators in the room.