Dear friends and neighbors,
The end of the school year is quickly approaching, and this is one of the busiest periods of time for teachers, parents, and students as we gear up for summer. As a special education teacher in the Camas School District, I’m working hard this last week to ensure my students finish the school year ready to succeed in the fall. Educators across the state are cleaning their classrooms, grading projects and finalizing report cards, and helping students wrap up their schoolwork and prepare for summer.
Along with my work to prepare my students for summer vacation, I’m also preparing to spend the summer connecting with my constituents in every corner of our community so I can better serve the 18th District in Olympia. One of my top priorities as your state senator is improving our state’s education system, and I will be spending this summer meeting with other educators, parents, and superintendents to discuss the issues they are facing and how we can best address their concerns.
This past legislative session we faced significant budget challenges from revenue shortfalls and rising costs. With limited resources, we focused on implementing policies that provide educators with tools that will help them create safer and more impactful learning environments, provide parents with greater access to the information they need to help support their students in their learning journey, and provide districts additional flexibility in how they use their existing resources. For example, we passed a bill I sponsored, Senate Bill 5994, to preserve timber tax distributions for school districts with recent levy failures. This bill ensures that schools dealing with these circumstances can access funding from the timber tax, even when a levy fails.
It’s critical we ensure school districts have the resources they need to serve their students. There is still more work to be done to improve our education system in Washington state and provide every student the support they need to be successful. From providing financial education opportunities to students to helping school districts access the resources they need to support their schools, I’m examining the many ways we can solve the persistent problems educators, schools, parents, and students face.
I’m spending this summer talking to our community about how we can best address these problems so we can upgrade our education system and give every student the opportunity to succeed in the classroom and beyond. That’s why it’s important I hear from you! Please call my office at 360-786-7634 or email me at Adrian.Cortes@leg.wa.gov. Your ideas and feedback help me better serve our community in Olympia.
Summer Food Service Program:
Good nutrition is essential for effective learning every day, all year long. Free Summer Meals sites are available across the state, providing free meals to children aged 18 and younger when school is out for the summer. For more information on the Summer Food Service Program, please visit www.hungerfreewa.org/help/summermeals
It’s an honor to represent you and a privilege to bring our southwest Washington values to Olympia.
Sincerely,
Sen. Adrian Cortes
