Senate Republicans will go into the 2025 legislative session next month with three priorities: Work toward a safer Washington, an affordable Washington and a better future for our children. Most of the policy and budget proposals we will offer will check at least one of those boxes.
When it comes to improving the lives of our children, K-12 education is at the top of the list. Legislators were allowed to begin “pre-filing” bills for 2025 on the first Monday of December, and the proposals put on the table by Senate Republicans already include several K-12 bills.
Senate Bill 5007 is focused on supporting students who are chronically absent and at risk of not graduating high school. Students are considered “chronically absent” if they miss 10% or more of their school days for any reason.
The Senate unanimously passed a version of this proposal midway through this past legislative session, but the House budget committee sidelined it for no apparent reason.
The argument for this bill is the same as before: Students who are struggling to perform academically at grade level are at risk of falling so far behind their class that they are at risk of not graduating with their peers, or even at all.