SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 6089
As of January 21, 2026
Title: 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.
Brief Description: Increasing coordination and alignment throughout the P20W system.
Sponsors: Senators Slatter, Wellman, Nobles and Wilson, C..
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Early Learning & K-12 Education: 1/22/26.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Creates a non-appropriated P20W public-private partnership account.
  • Directs the Office of Financial Management (OFM) to contract with a nonprofit organization to facilitate increased P20W system coordination and develop recommendations.
  • Directs OFM to contract with a nonprofit organization to create a public-facing P20W data dashboard.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EARLY LEARNING & K-12 EDUCATION
Staff: Ailey Kato (786-7434)
Background:

Statewide Indicators of Educational System Health. State law establishes the following statewide indicators of educational system health:

  • the percentage of students demonstrating the characteristics of entering kindergartners in all six areas identified by the Washington kindergarten inventory of developing skills; 
  • the percentage of students meeting the standard on the fourth grade statewide reading assessment administered; 
  • the percentage of students meeting the standard on the eighth grade statewide mathematics assessment administered;
  • the four-year cohort high school graduation rate;
  • the percentage of high school graduates who during the second quarter after graduation are either enrolled in postsecondary education or training or are employed, and the percentage during the fourth quarter after graduation who are either enrolled in postsecondary education or training or are employed; and
  • the percentage of students enrolled in precollege or remedial courses in college.

 

The statewide indicators must be disaggregated by specified groups.

 

Disaggregation of Data. School districts must submit to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) all student-level data using the federal 2007 race and ethnicity reporting guidelines and must further disaggregate this data by specified subgroups. All student data-related reports required of OSPI must be disaggregated by at least the following subgroups of students: White, Black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian, Pacific Islander/Hawaiian Native, low income, highly capable, transitional bilingual, migrant, special education, and students covered by section 504 of the federal rehabilitation act of 1973.

Summary of Bill:

P20W Public-Private Partnership Account. A non-appropriated P20W public-private partnership account, which retains its own interest, is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All receipts from gifts, grants, or endowments from public or private sources, federal funds, any appropriations made by the Legislature, or other sources for the specified purposes of the account must be deposited in the account. The director of the Office of Financial Management (OFM) or their designee may authorize expenditures from the account, subject to allotment procedures, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures.

 

"P20W" means prekindergarten to grade 20 to workforce and encompasses the transitions from early learning to K-12 education to postsecondary education and career pathways to workforce. Career pathways include, but are not limited to, apprenticeships, certification, and licensure programs.

 

Expenditures from the account may be used only for two purposes: (1) P20W system coordination and recommendations, and (2) a P20W data dashboard. OFM may contract with the same nonprofit organization for both purposes but is not required to do so. OFM and any selected nonprofit organization must negotiate specific performance expectations.

 

P20W System Coordination and Recommendations. OFM must contract with a nonprofit organization with expertise in national and Washington State comparative education policy development to identify ongoing and historical work undertaken by state agencies, councils, advisory boards, and the philanthropic community related to the P20W system. The nonprofit organization must facilitate increased coordination and alignment between the state and the philanthropic community in support of implementing the state's P20W vision.

 

The nonprofit organization must convene an advisory group with stakeholders representing the P20W system. In developing specified recommendations, the advisory committee must engage with representatives of tribes and subgroups representing the regional, racial, and cultural diversity of all children and families in Washington State, including those with specialized needs.

 

The advisory group must develop recommendations related to the state's P20W education vision including:

  • developing a plan for coordinating new philanthropic contributions in a manner that best complements the state's ongoing P20W investments and ensuring resources are used effectively to advance shared statewide goals;
  • aligning systems and existing efforts within each sector of the P20W system to improve academic achievement;
  • increasing postsecondary access and economic mobility opportunities;
  • improving the use of existing data and measurements, including reviewing the statewide indicators of educational system health and other relevant performance indicators and determining if these indicators could be updated;
  • increasing public transparency and identifying ways to better communicate the state's P20W education vision to students, families, and the broader community;
  • fostering innovative approaches to education; and
  • easing the transition from early learning to K-12 education to postsecondary education and career pathways to workforce.

 

By July 1, 2027, the nonprofit organization must submit a report with these recommendations to the relevant committees of the Legislature and the philanthropic community.

 

P20W Data Dashboard. OFM must contract with a nonprofit organization with relevant expertise related to Washington data systems to create a public-facing P20W data dashboard by November 1, 2027. The dashboard must connect existing data systems and makes this data more accessible for the public to see how the state is making progress on its P20W education vision. The nonprofit organization must take into account the relevant work already under way at state agencies and any existing state data or data dashboards available.

 

The dashboard must:

  • report on students' educational outcomes for diverse student populations, including students with disabilities, English learners, students of color, and students from low-income families;
  • include multiple measures of system inputs, milestones, student well-being, early learning, and student progress toward career and college readiness, to the extent data is available; and
  • be disaggregated by specified groups.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 14, 2026.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: The bill contains several effective dates. Please refer to the bill.