Letter from Olympia, special session, week 2

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Dear neighbor,

The Legislature is in special session. Budget negotiators continue to meet and work on finding agreements on the operating, capital and transportation budgets, as well as a transportation funding package.

When agreements are reached on either the budgets or legislation enabling passage of the budgets, legislators will be called back to the Capitol to vote in committee or on the House floor.

Public hearings are being scheduled next week for fiscal committees and floor action has been scheduled for May 20. I am hopeful key budget votes will take place in the next couple weeks.

House Bill 1633 adds a new preference to the state's housing fund to benefit projects featuring collaborative partnerships between local school districts and public housing authorities or non-profit housing providers. This is inspired by a successful partnership at McCarver Elementary School between the Tacoma School District and the Tacoma Housing Authority to get low-income parents more involved in their children's education. A few years ago, turnover among students at McCarver was 179 percent as low-income families moved from place to place. The Housing Authority began requiring parents of McCarver students who reside in qualifying housing to make a pledge: get involved in your child’s education, improve your own career and education, and keep your child at McCarver for a sustained amount of time. Today, student turnover has decreased dramatically, and math and reading scores are up.