We are pleased to announce that Dr. Sue Kane and Shari Conditt have been appointed to the Board by Governor Bob Ferguson. Both members’ terms began on December 8 and will run through January 2029. They will be sworn in during the Board’s regularly scheduled February 11 meeting. 

Kane and Conditt fill positions previously held by Kevin Wang and Harium Martin-Morris, who were appointed by former Governor Jay Inslee.

The Board is accepting applications from current high school sophomores to serve as the Board’s next Student Board Member for the 2026–2028 term. Interested students can visit the Association of Washington Student Leaders (AWSL) website to access the application and learn more about the opportunity. 

The Board encourages students from all backgrounds and postsecondary plans to apply. No prior experience in education policy or formal student leadership is required. In particular, the Board seeks students who can understand and communicate the experiences of a wide range of students, including those who have faced academic challenges, pursued alternative learning pathways, or navigated school while experiencing barriers outside the classroom. 

Eligible students must meet the following criteria:  

• Reside in and attend a public or private school in Washington State during their term (2026–2028).  

• Be a current sophomore (rising junior) at the time of selection.  

• Be able to devote sufficient time to Board responsibilities, including attending scheduled State Board of Education Board meetings.  

• Have a positive academic and/or extracurricular record, which may be demonstrated by grades, activities, accomplishments, and/or recommendations of peers, educators, or community members.  

• Commit to making up missed schoolwork due to Board meetings and related activities. 

It’s been a busy couple of months for the Board as we work toward developing recommendations for updates to Washington state’s graduation requirements and keeping the community up to date on our progress.  

In December we released our FutureReady 2025 Interim Report, which summarizes the work the Board has undertaken over the past year in support of FutureReady, a multi-year project to modernize Washington’s high school graduation requirements.  

This report highlights what the Board has learned after a year of working with students, families, educators, and community organizations across Washington. It discusses:  

• The Board's process for identifying the academic knowledge and real-world skills students need to succeed in today’s world.    

• Where Washington’s current graduation framework falls short in meeting students’ needs. 

• The work ahead as the Board develops proposed changes to requirements for consideration during the legislature’s 2027 session.    

This report does not include recommended changes to graduation requirements. Those will be released by the Board in mid-late 2026. 

February Board Meeting