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Association of Washington School Principals
Washington Principal | Volume 2– 2021-22
AWSP Advocacy in Action
Roz Thompson
Government Relations and Advocacy Director, AWSP
Evaluation Criteria: Creating a Culture, Ensuring School Safety, Planning with Data, Aligning Curriculum, Improving Instruction, Managing Resources, Engaging Families & Communities, Closing the Gap
Our advocacy team at AWSP has been working hard to get ready for the 2023 legislative session.
There has never been a more important time to call attention to the plight of our school leaders. Over the course of the last ten years, the job, workload, and expectations have grown exponentially to a point where “principaling” is often untenable and unrealistic. Principal job satisfaction is declining, principal turnover is increasing, and applicant pools are shrinking. This is all bad for kids. Something has to change. If the research is so clear on the importance of highly effective and consistent leadership, then why isn’t the system frantically coming together to address this current leadership crisis?
Our state must unite to respond to the education workforce crisis through a holistic and multi-faceted approach addressing current policies, legislation, and funding so that we can attract and retain highly effective educators, including principals and assistant principals.
Principal job satisfaction is declining, principal turnover is increasing, and applicant pools are shrinking. This is all bad for kids. Something has to change.
For more information, check out our 2023 Legislative Platform. Then, share it with a colleague, your district administrators, or your local legislators. Remember, we are all advocates and advocacy is education!
AWSP is also a part of The School Funding Coalition (SFC) which is comprised of seven statewide associations representing school leaders. The SFC has set its 2023 Legislative Priorities and the long-term priority is for the Staffing Enrichment Workgroup’s recommendations from 2019 to be adopted and funded by the Legislature, ensuring more realistic state-funded staffing levels.
School leaders in Washington state can take an active role in the political process by joining AWSP’s political action committee or PAC, the Washington School Principals Legislative Effectiveness Association. AWSP-WSPLEA supports AWSP’s government relations efforts at both the state and national levels. It also raises and spends money to support candidates and issues that are important to the principalship and to K–12 education. Join here with the click of a button!
For more information, or to get involved in advocacy efforts, reach out to Roz Thompson, Government Relations Director at AWSP. ◼