Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you are enjoying your summer and staying cool! In June, I cleaned out my classroom and wrapped up my work as a special education teacher for the school year. I’ve spent my summer break meeting with our neighbors, community leaders, and elected officials in southwest Washington discussing the most pressing issues they are facing and how we can work together to solve them.
Supporting our school districts:
We must ensure our educators and schools have the resources they need to create healthy and effective learning environments that support all students. Earlier this month, I hosted a roundtable with education leaders and community members to discuss the challenges facing Battle Ground Public Schools. We discussed the district’s history of levy failures and recommendations that would lead to targeted legislative solutions or recommendations for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
This summer, I’m also developing policy proposals to help create accountable school environments that keep our students safe and set higher standards for our public-school administrators. I look forward to sharing more details on these proposals as we approach the 2027 legislative session.
Keeping our communities safe:
Earlier this month, Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, vice chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, toured Clark County Fire District 3 with me. We passed a bipartisan capital budget this session, and I worked hard to ensure it included a $309,000 allocation to Fire District 3 to improve their facility so they can focus on what matters: protecting our communities.
I also joined American Medical Response (AMR) for a tour and ride-along. These folks provide a vital service to our community. With more than 30 ambulances and roughly 220 calls per day, they’re constantly saving people’s lives.
Advocating for financial education:
I wrote an op-ed for the Seattle Times on the importance of financial literacy. Our schools need to provide students with a comprehensive financial education, so they have the skills they need to be successful the moment they graduate high school and enter the adult world. You can read the full op-ed here: https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/financial-literacy-should-be-part-of-was-new-graduation-requirements/
It’s essential I hear from you this interim as I prepare for the 2027 legislative session! 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 the 18th Legislative District in Olympia.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve you and look forward to continuing our work together.
Sen. Adrian Cortes
