Culturally Responsive Strategies for Financial Aid Access
Financial aid, a critical resource for college access, remains largely untapped by thousands of students in Washington each year. A complex process filled with unfamiliar terminology, confusion around eligibility, and inconsistent outreach efforts mean that substantial funding goes unused. For many Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) students in Washington, conversations about college don’t start […]
The state of the state budget and K-12 finance
Washington state is facing a significant projected budget deficit. Thus far, it seems as though Democratic lawmakers and the Governor have been working on separate tracks when it comes to developing a plan for the deficit. While the legislature is the branch of government that has the power to craft the budget, Governor Ferguson came […]
Tacoma’s $800K Investment in Youth and Culture Guided by Community Voices
The City of Tacoma, in partnership with the Foundation for Tacoma Students, has launched a Request for Proposals (RFP) as part of an $800,000 funding initiative to expand youth programming and cultural events in East Tacoma (District 4). This initiative is the result of the City’s Participatory Budgeting process, where over 12,000 residents voted to […]
We need to turn the tide on student learning
We’re one third of the way through the legislative session calendar, and there are two key things on the docket in the coming weeks: Two different cutoff dates will winnow down legislation. Governor Ferguson will release a budget document laying out what he’d like to see. Our top priority, expanding a financial aid outreach specialist […]
2025 Legislative Session Update, Week 3 – Fiscal and Federal Uncertainty
At this point in the legislative session, and for the next couple of weeks, lawmakers and advocates are dealing with the peak volume of new legislation. Things will ebb by the end of February, and by then we’ll have a sense of what is actually possible this year in terms of new policy. The elephant […]
2025 Legislative Session Update, Week 1 – New Governor, New Session
Bob Ferguson is officially the governor of Washington. The first week of the legislative session was occupied by swearing-ins of lawmakers, statewide office-holders, and of course the governor. Jay Inslee gave his annual State of the State speech, which this year served as his farewell address. Our new governor gave his inaugural address, and as […]
The 2025 legislative session is going to be a doozy
For the first time since the great recession year of 2009, Washington is facing a significant budget deficit. The big question going into the session is how lawmakers are going to deal with this. And since Democrats have unified control, to a large degree this is a question about them. With a new Governor-elect, and […]
Opening windows: the purpose of our Policy Platform
At the Foundation for Tacoma Students we believe that a better world is possible, but that its realization requires difficult, rigorous work. This informs our approach to policy work where we show up with a balance of pragmatism, and constantly try to push forward as many different issues as we can, because we never really […]
From the Executive Director | Taking A Sabbatical
After 15 years of dedicated service in education, I am taking a much-needed sabbatical. I’m deeply grateful to the BIPOC ED Coalition, the Foundation for Tacoma Students Board of Directors, and our staff for their support in this decision. It is a reminder that rest is not a retreat from purpose, but a way to […]
Analyzing Washington’s Election Results
2024 was a big election year in Washington. At the state level we had two new candidates running for Governor for the first time since 2012, as well as a large number of open seats in the state legislature. We also had four ballot initiatives put to voters, one of which was consequential for education […]