Being a parent is nonstop hard work, which makes following all the news happening in the city, state, and U.S. decision-making circles challenging. Here are highlights of Washington state political news for families from last week (July 28-Aug.3) and a hint at what’s up this week. I hope you will consider taking action – reaching out to those who represent you and your family in Congress and state offices — on the issues that impact families in our state.
Timeline for new SPS superintendent decision
The Seattle School Board expects to pick a new superintendent for the Seattle Public Schools by Halloween, according to a report this week from KUOW. The board reviewed a timeline for the decision during last week’s board meeting.
Here’s what should happen between now and then, according to that timeline:
- Aug. 26: The board will receive the report that outlines the district superintendent leadership profile created from community.
- Between Sept. 1-15, the board will share reports with the broader school community.
- Sept. 15 is also the deadline for candidate applications.
- Oct. 9-10, the board will interview final candidates
- At the Oct. 15 or Oct. 22 meeting, the board is expected to vote.
A report in The Seattle Times on Friday points out there’s no clear date for when the candidate chosen for the district’s top position will actually start, even if the mid-October decision timing is realized.
Take action: If you haven’t weighed in on what you believe is critical in terms of background or experience in a new superintendent, you still have time. The district’s online survey is open through Monday, Aug. 4.
Food banks prepare for rush of new need
Washington’s food bank system is preparing for a difficult squeeze. Under President Donald Trump’s tax cut bill, an estimated 170,000 state residents — many of them single parents trying to keep their kids fed — stand to lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food stamp benefits, according to a report this week in the nonprofit Washington State Standard.
Nationally, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates nearly 900,000 parents and other caregivers are at risk of losing SNAP, putting 800,000 children at risk of receiving much less food assistance.
Food banks here and elsewhere say they are barely making it as they try to meet higher demand brought on by inflation and funding cuts.
Under Trump’s bill, non-disabled adults between the ages of 14 and 64 without dependents would be required to work at least 20 hours per week to receive food stamps. Groups previously exempted from the 20-hour work rule, including former foster youth and people who are homeless, would also have to meet the new work standard.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), there were more than 906,000 people enrolled in SNAP in April. The state says 137,000 people could lose their benefits under the work requirements. As many as 33,000 refugees and asylum seekers would also become ineligible.
Take action: Local food banks need your help. Make a monthly contribution to the nonprofit Hopelink or to your local bank to help support your neighbors. Consider hosting a local food drive. If you have time, food banks need volunteers. Contact your members of Congress and demand that they adequately fund social services.
WA joins lawsuit over Planned Parenthood cuts
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown is at it again, a superhero fighting for the rights of women and families here and across the country. This time, the Attorney General’s office has signed Washington onto a lawsuit against the Trump administration for funding cuts that target Planned Parenthood. The plaintiffs in the suit also include 24 other states.
Earlier this month, Congress passed and President Trump signed a spending plan that bans Medicaid payments to the nonprofit reproductive health organization in 2026. That means Planned Parenthood clinics would not be reimbursed when they care for low-income patients — reimbursement that is guaranteed under Medicaid.
“The broad attempt to cut Washingtonians’ access to Planned Parenthood means more unscreened cancers, more untreated sexually transmitted diseases, and more unintended pregnancies,” Brown said in a statement. “The Trump administration’s punitive actions will have real ramifications for Washingtonians.”
Brown is not alone in championing the health care provider. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson vowed this month to fill any federal funding gaps of Planned Parenthood clinics created by Trump’s “big beautiful bill.”
Read more about the suit from the news team at the nonprofit CascadePBS.org.
Speaking of contraception and abortion coverage …
Cedar Park Assembly of God in Kirkland disapproves of the Washington law, passed as the Reproductive Parity Act in 2018, that mandates employer insurance plans cover contraception and abortion if they cover maternity care. In fact, the church has been duking it out with the law in court for the past six years.
Last March, it looked like the state law was winning in court. That’s when a panel of judges in a federal appeals court decided against the church, issuing a 2-1 ruling upholding a lower court ruling that said the state law should stand as is. But the church got a reprieve last Tuesday, when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rescinded that ruling, without explanation.
Of course, the church’s counsel had a thought about that. In a statement, they said: “When an appellate panel vacates a decision and orders re-argument in response to a petition for rehearing en banc, that’s presumably because two or more of the panel members now believe that the original decision contained errors.”
Cedar Park Assembly of God has grounded its case inthe 1995 state law that states that religion-sponsored health carriers are exempted from “the provision of or payment for a specific service if they object to so doing for reason of conscience or religion.”
A spokesperson for the Washington Office of the Attorney General said state attorneys are also in the dark about the 9th Circuit decision last week, but told the Washington State Standard: “We remain confident the plaintiff lacks standing to bring this case and that Washington’s health insurance laws comply with the Constitution.”
Challenge to WA law protecting trans youth dismissed
A group of parents who hoped to overturn the Washington law that allows emergency shelter operators to offer refuge to runaway transgender youth without parental permission if the teens are pursuing gender-affirming care and support services was rebuffed last week in federal court.
A three-judge appeals court panel unanimously dismissed a constitutional challenge to the controversial 2023 statute.
To get the whole story, don’t miss the Washington State Standard report “Challenge to WA law protecting trans youth dismissed.”
Vote by tomorrow!
I’m sounding like a broken record, I know. But there are just two days left to cast your vote in the Aug. 5 King County primary election. And there is so much at stake, including which two candidates for Seattle mayor, King County Executive, county and city council seats, and three open seats on the Seattle School Board will move on to the November general election.
Take action: How do you decide on which of the 13 school board candidates feels right to you? Read up on them, in their own words: Meet the Seattle School Board candidates. Then drop your ballot in a voting box or mail by 8 p.m. on Aug. 5.
Head Start enrollment ban paused
We’ve been writing about federal cuts to early childhood education programs and the Trump administration’s attempt to bar enrollment for children of undocumented parents in Head Start, the nation’s most effective early learning programs.
For the time being, the federal government has agreed it will not enforce the ban on immigrant enrollment, as a court case brought by 20 states (including Washington) proceeds.
Head Start leaders in the state remain wary. Check out the whole story on the federal agreement in The Seattle Times.
Back-to-school shopping is more stressful this year
“The tariffs are here, the tariffs are here!” Is it just me, or does it seem we need a town crier to announce when the Trump administration’s many, many policy decisions — which he notoriously waffles on — actually go into action? Call me the crier. Trump’s tariffs on nearly the whole world outside the United States took hold Aug.1.
According to reporters at CNBC, not only does that mean local families will see prices go up on many foods, clothing, and other household items, but school supplies as well (which is why you may have noticed other parents filling their carts with notebooks and the like last week in the rush up to Tariff Day).
Intuit Credit Karma recently surveyed parents on the topic of school supply costs. The findings: 39% of parents can’t afford back-to-school shopping in 2025, and another 44% said they’ll have to cover the cost of supplies on credit (that’s up from 34% last year). NerdWallet’s 2025 back-to-school shopping report echoes that finding. In its survey, 53% of parents reported they will have to go into debt to cover extracurriculars.
This might be the year to consider going green: consignment shops and thrift stores often have new or barely worn items expected to get more expensive under the tariffs, including backpacks, clothing, shoes, and some basic school supplies. An officially refurbished computer is guaranteed to work as well as a new one in most cases.
As parents, we care about crime
Despite seemingly daily news reports about shootings in Seattle and King County and despite the state having the lowest staff-per-capita rating of all 50 states, a new report from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs shows that violent crime in our region is down. Over the last 12 months, it dropped 9%. Here’s what the data shows:
- Robberies are down by 16% and property damage and theft have also dropped this year.
- Murders have dropped nearly 19% from 2023 numbers.
In the same timeframe, assaults have remained at pandemic levels, but drug arrests have skyrocketed from 5,022 reported in 2023 to 10,907 last year. For more details, go to KUOW.
The Important Read: When ‘deter’ really means harm
This week, I was left fuming after reading the report “A New Form of Family Separation” in The Atlantic magazine. Senior editor and Radio Atlantic host Hanna Rosin lays out the extended detentions, defunding of legal aid, DNA test mandates, and “chilling” sponsor reunification efforts that U.S. immigration officials are using to deter unaccompanied minor border crossings. The upshot? Advocates warn this approach leads to a “more insidious, bureaucratic separation of families.” Not a subscriber to The Atlantic? The magazine offers a 30-day trial.
