Cradle-to-Career: Bob Ferguson’s Education Plan
Expand Early Childhood Learning and Implement Universal Pre-K. As Governor, Bob will work to implement universal pre-K. Expanding access to pre-K for all 4-year-olds will provide a strong foundation for kids, ensure great cost savings for families, promote immediate and long-term academic success, and generate economic growth by boosting the workforce.
Guaranteeing access to pre-K for every 4-year-old in the state improves equity by ensuring a child’s ZIP code or socioeconomic status does not predetermine their educational outcomes. Bob will work with the Legislature to ensure that our state meets its legal requirement to provide every child access to pre-K no later than 2026-2027.
Bob is also focused on expanding high quality early learning programs and childcare for children under 4 years old throughout the state, especially for low income and working families. Some families have access to high quality childcare and early learning programs while others have few options. No one should be put on a waiting list for a year or more to make sure their child is in a quality childcare program. Expanding the number of Working Connections Child Care providers and increasing access to the program for middle class families will help children get a head start in school and increase access to the workforce for thousands of families.
Reduce Class Sizes and Fully Fund Special Education. Bob will make the investments necessary to reduce class sizes for all students with emphasis in elementary schools and core academic subjects in middle and high school. Reducing class sizes in these areas will allow us to support all students and help make growth in their learning, no matter where they are starting each year. Teachers must have smaller class sizes to be able to provide multiple ways for students to reach mastery in math, science, social studies, and English.
Bob’s mom taught special education in our public schools. Bob knows first-hand the importance of addressing all student needs. Washington’s failure to adequately provide for the special needs of our students impacts every classroom, every day. Students who require special education services, experiencing homelessness, in our foster care system, or who need other special accommodations to completely and fully access our public education system must be provided the resources and services they need. If we continue to fail these students — we will fail to provide all students with the education they deserve. Bob will support dedicated funding for students in special education programs and other special populations to fully fund their needs at the state level.
Increase Student Supports and Invest in Student Safety and Wellbeing. As Governor, Bob will address the mental health needs of our K-12 students by investing in more school nurses, counselors, and social workers in our public schools, including implementation and evaluation of HB 1664. The Legislature adopted this landmark law in 2022 with phased-in implementation and funding. Bob will also expand access to mental health services for students and families outside of the school day and year. Many students deal with manageable mental health challengers, yet our system ignores their needs. Bob will introduce legislation that will provide additional assistance to every student and family to access mental health resources and increase the number of qualified mental health counselors in our state.
Bob will increase investment in teaching practices that help students show empathy, develop supportive relationships, manage their emotions, and develop healthy identities. Education must focus on not only learning core academic skills. Student success in school, work, and life requires they have the “soft skills” to work effectively in teams, have positive relationships with others, and understand how to support themselves and others in our day-to-day lives.
In addition, educators and classroom professionals need ongoing support and professional development to fully meet the needs of our students, including training and programs to help them meet both the needs of their students and the increasing demands and stressors of the teaching profession. Bob will invest in those resources.
Expand Equitable Access to High Demand Career Pathways and STEM courses. Bob will expand access to high-quality career and technical education programs, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) courses, and other programs that ensure students can enter high-demand fields in Washington State. Bob will scale up existing STEM programs and better address the specific needs of communities that have long been underrepresented in tech, especially students of color. This includes ensuring all students have access to the learning technology and technology skills they need to succeed in today’s society. As Governor, Bob will work with the Legislature, local school districts and philanthropists to provide every Washington student a learning device based on their needs. He will also introduce legislation to ensure students receive more equitable access to computer science courses and other courses designed to help them be positive digital citizens beginning in the 3rd grade.
Expand workforce development opportunities to build skills needed in high-growth industries. Bob will ensure every student has high-school and post high-school opportunities for career education and skills training. Bob will build the necessary partnerships and make critical investments necessary to identify workforce needs and projections, expand skills-training opportunities, and connect skilled workers to employers. Bob will ensure that the same financial aid opportunities that are available for students entering 4-year institutions of higher learning are available to students of all ages who choose to pursue career and technical skills-development.
Bob will partner to expand apprenticeships that lead to good-paying jobs, beginning in high school. Bob will partner with organized labor to launch an Apprenticeship Recruitment Teams to ensure young people that fail to complete high school or college get a phone call and a knock on their door connecting them to opportunities for apprenticeships and skills training. Bob’s plan will also open the door for these youth to access other programs to complete their high school diploma.
Build Safe, Healthy, and Modern Schools. As Governor, Bob will lead the way to ensure Washington students have access to safe, modern learning environments. All of Washington’s schools must have necessary seismic upgrades, clean water free of cancerous PCBs, and clean air. Climate change leading to hotter schools, and longer and more severe fire seasons leave many schools without the tools necessary to keep air clean and temperatures cool. The current system allows some communities to create state-of-the-art school facilities for 21st century learners, while other communities struggle to find funding to repair or replace heating and air systems, unsafe facilities, and basics like roofing and windows. Bob will introduce legislation that will increase state funding for school facilities for communities that don’t have large commercial property tax bases to support local bond issues. Bob will also support additional funding for targeted investments to ensure every school is warm, safe, and dry.
Respect and Listen to Educators, Families, and Students. Bob knows that those on the front lines produce the best ideas for reform. Educators will play a key role in the education policy decisions in Ferguson’s administration. Bob will also expand the efforts of the Education Ombudsman office to proactively understand what families and students need from the education system and listen to their ideas on how to address those needs.
As Governor, Bob will seek legislation to ensure that school improvement plans for every school are developed with meaningful opportunities for input by educators, families, and students in the school community.
Provide free meals at school to every Washington K-12 student. It’s hard for kids to learn on an empty stomach. Research shows that children who eat breakfast are more likely to reach higher levels of achievement in reading and mathematics, perform better on assessments, have increased memory and concentration, and maintain a healthy weight. Delivering free breakfasts and lunches to all Washington K-12 students who request them will improve student achievement and save Washington families hundreds of dollars per year.
Ensure Every School Has Access to High Quality Educators. As Governor, Bob will make investments so every school district can access the educators they need to teach our students. School districts around the state struggle to find qualified teachers for math, special education, science, and STEM related courses that reflect their unique communities. Students thrive with educators that reflect their cultural backgrounds and histories. This is particularly true in small, rural, and remote schools, and our schools that have high concentrations of families with low incomes. These districts have also struggled to find qualified paraeducators for special education programs and bus drives to get our students to and from school safely. Bob is committed to making budget investments that help these districts address their specific needs to ensure equitable access to services for every student regardless of their zip code.
Breakdown Education Silos by Reforming the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Bob will support Superintendent Chris Reykdal’s proposal to eliminate the Superintendent of Public Instruction as an elected position at the end of the next full term. Bob’s plan will streamline services and align the work of all state agencies that serve youth. The plan will also eliminate duplication of efforts at the state, regional, and local levels of the education system. At the same time, Bob will work to increase system accountability and evaluation at all levels to ensure education investments are making a difference for every student. Bob will break down education silos and ensure that state services are coordinated and focused on the continuum from cradle to career.
Slash the Cost of Opportunity and Reduce Barriers to College. As Governor, Bob will increase financial aid so that eligible Washingtonians have access to resources to cover necessary expenses such as housing. Economic instability is at the top of the list for reasons students don’t complete their education. This is a necessary step to ensuring more low-and-middle income Washingtonians can access college. Current financial aid often doesn't cover related expenses when attending college such as housing.
Bob will also work with the Legislature to increase financial aid opportunities for Washingtonians so that every student within 70% of the median income has access to the maximum Washington College Grant award. In addition, Bob will introduce legislation that will increase the financial aid award for community colleges to the same dollar value as private colleges allowing students who access community college programs to use the grant toward other necessary expenses. This will allow these students to focus on their education and reduce reliance on student loans.
Bob will work to stabilize college enrollments and create more opportunities for in-state scholars to attend the University of Washington and other flagship college experiences. Expanding the number of slots for high-performing in-state students will provide greater opportunities for young Washington adults who will lead our state in the future.
Finally, Bob will promote affordable community colleges. Bob will also introduce legislation to expand the state’s running start program to allow students in every high school to have access to a “community college in the high school.” This will allow students in remote and rural school districts to access the same high quality, rigorous community college curriculum and programs that students who live near a community college have access to.
Too many students are missing out on excellent opportunities in our community colleges and dubious for-profit colleges because our community colleges can’t compete with the marketing budget of for-profits. Bob will use the Governor’s Office to promote Washington’s outstanding community college opportunities. He will partner with business to ensure our community colleges are providing students the skills employers need.
Provide Student Loan Fairness. Bob’s been leading the fight to provide student loan fairness. The Washington State Institute of Public Policy recently released a report touting the promise of state-run income-based repayment programs. Bob will leverage Washington’s size to provide students options for affordable repayment plans. Debt accrual encourages high dropout rates, mental health crises, disproportionately impacts students of color, and low-income students are more susceptible to inequitable payback rates.
He will implement the Washington Student Loan Program to provide a one-percent interest loan for Washingtonians who pursue graduate degrees where the state is experiencing a workforce shortage, including the fields of nursing, social work, and behavioral health. Despite only accounting for fifteen percent of enrolled students, graduate borrowers hold forty percent of student loan debt. Graduate degrees are increasingly important for the state's workforce, but it is hard to attain advanced degrees without crippling debt.
Support struggling school districts who cannot pass bonds. Too many Washington school districts are unable to meet the 60 percent threshold required to pass school bonds, meaning students are stuck in crumbling, unsafe buildings. Bob will work with the legislature to lower the threshold required to pass a bond.
