HONOR ROLL

Rep. Alicia Rule Wins AWSP’s 2022 Torch of Leadership Award

Blaine legislator sponsored two significant pieces of Legislation to support K-12 education

David Morrill

Communications & Technology Director, AWSP

Each year, AWSP’s Advocacy Advisory Council has the opportunity to select a state-level public servant who demonstrates support of principals and the principalship in the education of each and every student. The Association of Washington School Principals is thrilled to announce that our 2022 Torch of Leadership Award has been presented to Rep. Alicia Rule (D–Blaine).

Rule was elected to the Legislature in 2020 with a clear mission to represent children and young adults. She is vice chair of the House Children, Youth, and Families Committee and serves on the House Community and Economic Development and House Capital Budget committees. In her first two years as a state legislator, she sponsored significant pieces of legislation that support students in the K-12 system, including:

HB 1664 updates the prototypical funding model to hire more nurses, counselors, social workers, and psychologists with more state funds to support students.

HB 2078 establishes the Outdoor School for All program to support outdoor learning opportunities for fifth and sixth-grade students, with opportunities for high school students to volunteer as counselors. The goal is to provide hands-on learning experiences that are overnight or day programs when overnight programs are impractical due to health, cultural, or capacity considerations and focus on environmental education aligned with the Washington learning standards and the development of social and emotional learning skills.

Rule also sponsored legislation that supports children experiencing homelessness, financial assistance for downtown improvements, and assistance for disaster recovery in Whatcom County.

Back home in Whatcom County, Rule owns a mental health practice and runs this small business while serving in the Legislature. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and a master’s degree from San Diego State University. Her previous public service includes serving on the Blaine City Council and launching and serving as the Blaine Downtown Development Association president. Her family has called Whatcom County home for five generations. Most importantly, she is the proud mom of three boys and a very active puppy.◼