Dear friends and neighbors,

Since the legislative session adjourned in March, I’ve been sharing a series of newsletters highlighting what we accomplished during the 2026 legislative session and what those investments mean for families across the 5th Legislative District. This month, I’m focusing on another priority that affects every family and every community: education.

Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their ZIP code or background. As your state senator, I believe every student should have access to a safe, inclusive and supportive learning environment where they can thrive. Even during a challenging budget year, the Legislature made protecting our public schools and investing in students a top priority.

Here are some of the key education investments and pieces of legislation we passed during the 2026 legislative session to support students, families and educators across Washington.

Investing in K-12 Education

Washington’s public schools serve more than 1.1 million K-12 students, and every one of them deserves access to a high-quality education that prepares them for success. Even as the Legislature faced significant budget challenges this year, we worked hard to protect funding that directly supports students, educators and classrooms.

School districts across Washington are now implementing a historic $1.4 billion investment made in the previous state budget to strengthen special education services and help cover materials, supplies and operating costs (MSOC). Those investments are helping districts better meet students’ needs, ease financial pressures and allow schools to focus resources where they matter most.

Supporting Student Learning

This session, we passed legislation to help students succeed:

  • SB 5346 — Helps school districts develop thoughtful cellphone policies by providing research and best practices that support focused learning environments.
  • HB 1295 — Strengthens early literacy by ensuring newly adopted K-4 reading curricula are evidence-based and implemented with fidelity.
  • SB 6278 — Modernizes educator preparation programs to better prepare future teachers for today’s classrooms.
  • SB 6268 — Improves transparency by increasing parents’ access to special education community complaint decisions.
  • HB 2557 — Gives families of students with disabilities more meaningful opportunities to participate in decisions about their child’s education.
  • HB 2594 — Expands educational stability and opportunity for students experiencing homelessness.

Supporting Early Learning and Child Care

Giving children a strong start begins long before kindergarten. This session, we invested in expanding access to affordable, high-quality early learning and child care by passing:

  • SB 5872 — Expands access to the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) through a public-private partnership that will increase preschool opportunities for Washington families.
  • HB 2317 — Streamlines child care licensing requirements while maintaining high standards for safety and quality.
  • HB 2219 — Reduces barriers for child care providers, expanding access without compromising child safety.

Supporting School Districts

School districts need flexibility to respond to changing enrollment and financial realities while continuing to serve students effectively. This session, we passed:

  • SB 5922 — Gives school districts additional budgeting flexibility to better manage local resources.
  • SB 6065 — Provides financially distressed school districts with another temporary tool to maintain essential services while working toward long-term financial stability.

Keeping Students Safe

Students deserve to feel safe both inside and outside the classroom. This session, we strengthened protections by passing:

  • SB 5272 — Increases protections for referees, officials and volunteers working at school extracurricular events by establishing penalties for intimidation and interference.
  • HB 1795 — Provides educators with better guidance for maintaining safe learning environments while reducing harmful restraint and isolation practices.

I’m proud of the progress we made this year to strengthen public education and invest in Washington’s students. But our work doesn’t stop here. I remain committed to ensuring every child has access to the opportunities, resources and support they need to succeed.

Out in the Community

I recently had the opportunity to visit Issaquah Valley Elementary School for Pacific Science Center’s Science on Wheels program, where students explored engineering and computer programming through hands-on activities.

Watching students program robots, solve problems and work together was a great reminder of how curiosity and creativity help build confidence in the classroom. Experiences like these inspire the next generation of innovators and reinforce why investing in strong STEM education and hands-on learning opportunities is so important for Washington’s students.

I also recently attended Gov. Bob Ferguson’s announcement celebrating Washington’s historic carbon market linkage agreement with California and Québec. This landmark partnership will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen our clean energy economy and encourage long-term investment in clean energy and family-wage jobs.

I’m proud that Washington continues to lead with bold, forward-thinking climate solutions that protect our environment while creating economic opportunity for future generations.

As always, thank you for the opportunity to serve you. Hearing directly from constituents helps inform my work, and I encourage you to reach out with your questions, ideas or concerns. You can email me at victoria.hunt@leg.wa.gov or call me at 360-786-7608.  You can also stay informed about my work by visiting my website or following me on my official Instagram and Facebook pages for regular updates.    

I look forward to continuing this work together.

Sincerely,

Sen. Victoria Hunt
Washington State Senator
5th Legislative District