S-4647.1
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6089
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2026 Regular Session
By Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education (originally sponsored by Senators Slatter, Wellman, Nobles, and C. Wilson)
READ FIRST TIME 02/04/26.
AN ACT Relating to increasing coordination and alignment throughout the P20W system including early learning, K-12 education, postsecondary education and career pathways, and workforce; reenacting and amending RCW 43.79A.040 and 43.79A.040 ; adding new sections to chapter 43.41 RCW; creating a new section; providing an effective date; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature recognizes that equitable and accessible pathways across Washington's P20W system require greater alignment and coordination among state agencies, educational institutions, and workforce partners. The legislature further acknowledges the significant role that the philanthropic community can play in advancing efforts from early learning through K-12 education, postsecondary education, and into the workforce. At each transition point in the continuum, opportunities exist to strengthen internal coordination and build upon ongoing initiatives across the sectors. The legislature also recognizes that the absence of shared metrics to assess statewide progress and accountability toward common goals limits the P20W system's ability to achieve equitable outcomes for all Washingtonians and may make it difficult for the philanthropic community to understand where their efforts could make the most impact within the entirety of the system.
(2) The legislature therefore intends to enhance Washington's education and workforce landscape by establishing a structured partnership between the state and the philanthropic community. This partnership is intended to identify, elevate, and support the work and visions already being pursued across the P20W continuum, and to create an official venue for aligning funding priorities, coordinating efforts, and fostering collaboration. Through this partnership, the state and the philanthropic community will work together with relevant stakeholders from the early learning, K-12 education, postsecondary education, and workforce communities, including labor, business, and community-based organizations, to strengthen existing initiatives and communicate shared priorities in a clear and coordinated manner to the broader public.