House committee considers expanding FAFSA/WASFA navigators statewide to boost postsecondary enrollment

House Bill 1136, a proposal to expand a pilot program that places outreach and enrollment specialists in education service districts to raise completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA), received broad support at a public hearing of the House Postsecondary Education & Workforce Committee.

The bill would repeal the existing pilot and establish a statewide Financial Aid Completion and Postsecondary Enrollment Program. Under the proposal, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) must select at least one entity in each education service district — a community and technical college (CTC), a public four‑year institution, a tribal organization or a community‑based organization — to employ outreach and enrollment specialists. The specialists would conduct targeted outreach and application assistance to high school seniors and coordinate with secondary‑school counseling programs. The bill also requires an Education Data Center report on FAFSA/WASFA completion rates by high school and a no‑cost financial‑aid training program for school staff and community partners. The SBCTC is to report to the Legislature beginning Jan. 15, 2026; the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) must offer continuing education credits for in‑service educators on the topic by Sept. 1, 2027, and make recommendations on incentives by Oct. 1, 2028.

Elizabeth Allison, staff to the committee, summarized the bill and its arc from the 2022 pilot to the proposed statewide expansion. She told members the pilot selected CTCs in education service districts with low FAFSA completion rates and required outreach specialists to use student‑achievement council data for targeted contact. Allison said HB 1136 would require the program statewide and allow SBCTC flexibility to select the type of entity best suited to each district.

Marie Lovett, the prime sponsor, said the proposal is intended to increase postsecondary attainment and relieve overburdened K–12 counselors by providing “navigators” who focus on financial‑aid application completion and enrollment steps. Lovett described the program as scalable and said the fiscal note will be substantial; she emphasized that the plan is not intended to replace school counselors but to supplement them, particularly in districts with higher proportions of students eligible for free or reduced‑price lunch.

Colleen Hall, assistant director for outreach at Columbia Basin College, which participated in the pilot, described local results: an eight‑person navigator team serving roughly 35,100 seniors in ESD 123 and a 44% year‑over‑year increase in the number of students served since the pilot began. Sam Harriott of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges reported a 30% outreach increase in districts where navigators operated. Supporters including the Foundation for Tacoma Students, Washington STEM, Stand for Children, Central Washington University and student groups testified that navigators help students — especially first‑generation, low‑income and rural students — access financial aid and postsecondary options.

Several witnesses asked the committee to ensure apprenticeships and other non‑college postsecondary pathways are explicitly included. Mina Long of the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council said the council supports the bill if apprenticeship pathways are included or — if not intended — suggested replacing “postsecondary” with “college” to make intent clear.

Members asked procedural and budget questions. Ranking Member Ibarra asked whether the bill would increase FTEs at high schools or ESDs; staff said the program would create positions for each education service district. Committee staff said a fiscal note had been requested and was expected soon; the sponsor, Lovett, acknowledged the fiscal impact would be “big” and emphasized that the expansion could be scaled.

Jenny Morgan of the Washington School Counselor Association urged that counselors be adequately funded and warned that counselor positions have been cut in districts this year; she said navigators should supplement, not supplant, counselors. Dozens of organizations and student speakers supported the bill, and the public sign‑in list showed substantial public comment in both directions: the clerk announced 360 non‑testifying sign‑ins (54 pro, 302 con, 4 other) for the bill during the hearing.

The committee did not take a vote during the hearing. Staff will provide the pending fiscal note and additional technical details before any executive action.

Ending: The committee’s record shows broad stakeholder support for targeted outreach and training, proponents citing measurable increases in FAFSA/WASFA completion in pilot districts; the committee will consider the fiscal note and possible amendments before scheduling executive action.