Advisory: March 29 Council Meeting

Council to discuss how local communities and the state can support career and college pathways for Washington high school students

March 22, 2022

Olympia—At its March 29 meeting, the Washington Student Achievement Council will discuss how local communities and the state can support career and college pathways for Washington high school students. The recently passed state budget includes significant investments to increase postsecondary attainment. The council will discuss how the new College and Career Pathways Innovation Challenge Grant program will empower communities to organize around these goals. The new budget includes $6 million for the grants next year and projects an additional $16 million in the following biennial budget.

The challenge grants will be awarded to regional partnerships between community organizations, higher education institutions and K-12 to increase direct postsecondary enrollment and close equity gaps. Other items in the new budget support expanded outreach and awareness efforts to assure that residents know how affordable postsecondary education is in Washington.

New council member Davon Thomas will join his colleagues in these discussions. Thomas, a graduate student obtaining his Master’s in Public Administration from the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, is a governor-appointed student member of the council.

Resources:

• The public will have opportunities to comment during the meeting. Those who plan to attend should register on Zoom prior. 
• All meeting materials will be available online on the day of the meeting.
• Read the Washington Student Achievement Council's equity statement here.