State lawmakers consider year-round schooling in Washington

OLYMPIA, Wash.-- Some Washington lawmakers want to adopt a year-round calendar as a means of helping to stem the learning loss happening because of COVID-19, and annually over the lengthy summer vacation.

Republican State Sen. Brad Hawkins from the 12th District has introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at reforming “outdated” school year calendars that he says leave students with nearly three months each year with no school instruction.

Hawkins, the ranking Republican member on the Senate’s Early Learning and K-12 Committee, is sponsoring Senate Bill 5147 to explore alternative school calendars. His lead co-sponsor is 41^st District Sen. Lisa Wellman, who chairs the committee and works closely with Hawkins on education policy.

If passed, the bill would allow up to 50 school districts (30 from western Washington and 20 from eastern Washington) to voluntarily participate in year-round school, with an additional 30 days of funding beyond the 180 days that the state currently provides. The bill also includes financial incentives for districts seeking to spread their existing 180 days over a 12-month school calendar.

Depending on the outcomes, the Legislature could consider expansion to all schools in future years.

“The school calendar that most districts use is rooted in an agrarian economy where families needed children to take long breaks in the summer to assist with farming. That no longer makes sense, and a change is long overdue,” says Hawkins.

“Now is the time – following this pandemic – to think big about reforming the system and to get serious about addressing the learning loss of our students. Long summer breaks, requiring significant reteaching in the fall, is the last thing our kids need in the years ahead. I hope a program that encourages lawmakers and districts to consider transformational reforms will be thoughtfully discussed and debated,” says Hawkins. “Our students deserve that.”

“Through no fault of the educators, students, or parents, there has been learning loss this year and often during summer breaks for many students. This is the perfect time to explore options about how we can recover from learning loss. We need to keep all our options on the table to give our students all that they need,” says Wellman.

The bill will be referred to the Early Learning and K-12 Committee, where it is expected to receive a hearing early in the session.