The Pasco School Board on Tuesday endorsed a multi-pronged legislative advocacy strategy that includes a board letter, a student-drafted letter, school-site visits led by students, and roundtable study sessions to explain the district’s use of federal education funding.

Board President Amanda Brown presented two main options — letter writing and inviting legislators to visit schools — and asked the board for direction. Directors expressed support for doing both, with many saying site visits provide stronger firsthand perspective while letters ensure a unified written record. Several board members also urged coordination with legislative calendars so federal and state lawmakers can visit during recess periods.

Superintendent Whitney and board members emphasized the importance of speaking as a unified voice to protect federal funding. Whitney said the district receives about $4,000,000 annually in federal dollars that support bilingual and English-language-learner programs, migrant education, and teacher development for bilingual/ELL instruction.

The board asked that any board letter be drafted collaboratively and circulated to members for review before being sent. Board President Brown suggested Director Norberg and Director Simmons work with the superintendent to draft a proposed board letter, and she said student board representatives and the Superintendent Student Action Council should draft a student statement. Student representatives present said they would take the work to their councils and start drafting.

Board members discussed logistics: visits would likely be scheduled for the middle or end of the school year to match legislators’ availability, and roundtable study sessions could allow the full board to engage with policymakers when site visits limit attendance to a small number of directors. The board did not take a formal vote; members conveyed consensus support for pursuing all the recommended strategies and asked staff to return with execution details and any required approvals.

“No reason to make a choice,” Brown said. “If we want to do them both, let’s do it.”