Lisa Wellman — Senator Lisa Wellman opened the committee meeting as chair, identified herself, and invited introductions, with a later brief reference to her as Chair.
Lisa Wellman — Lisa Wellman is addressed as 'Madam Chair' during a continuous exchange between the witness and Senator Hansen, with both mentions occurring in the same brief segment of questioning.
Lisa Wellman — Addressed directly by the speaker regarding Microsoft Elevate and AI support coming to schools.
Lisa Wellman — Thanked by the witness as chair of the committee.
Paul Harris — Introduced himself as representing the 17th District.
Paul Harris — Paul Harris first asked how many students are involved with Pearl, then clarified his name after being mistakenly addressed as Senator Harris/Harrison/Hansen. In the same surrounding discussion, he was also specifically invited, along with other senators, to visit River Home Link.
Paul Harris — The speaker calls on Senator Paul Harris, and Harris responds by thanking the speaker for the program, noting that many students have benefited from it, and saying he will come walk the hallway.
Paul Harris — Senator Harris raised questions about whether demographic categories capture religious, political, or other reasons families choose the programs.
Perry Dozier — Perry Dozier introduced himself as the senator for the 16th District, describing it as covering all of Walla Walla County, parts of Benton and Franklin counties, and a small portion of Grant County. Another speaker noted having been in Walla Walla in his district, prompting Dozier to respond appreciatively and say he was disappointed not to have been called, since he could have given a tour of the area and shared his long history there.
Claire Wilson — Claire Wilson was called on and then introduced herself as the senator from the 30th Legislative District in South King County.
Claire Wilson — Claire Wilson asked follow-up questions about the TTK program, including whether it exists, how many children are enrolled, whether a new early learning center is being built, and whether the TTK program is online or in person.
Claire Wilson — Senator Wilson is called on next.
Claire Wilson — Senator Wilson was addressed in the discussion about ALE demographics and graduate tracking.
Claire Wilson — Senator Wilson's earlier question about demographic information was referenced.
T'wina Nobles — Senator T'wina Nobles introduced herself as representing the 28th Legislative District in West Pierce County and then described the district’s communities, including University Place, Tillicum, DuPont, Lakewood, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Anderson Island, McNeil Island, and Ketron Island.
T'wina Nobles — T'wina Nobles asked the witness about their background as a parent, teacher, and principal, including teacher certification, and then followed up by asking what happens to students after they leave the K-8 program, whether they transition to traditional or remote high school settings, and how successful they are afterward.
T'wina Nobles — Senator Nobles participated in a continuous exchange focused on demographic information, asking for racial, ethnic, and language breakdowns and following up on related student supports such as meals and AP opportunities.
Deborah Krishnadasan — Deborah Krishnadasan introduced herself as representing the 26th District, including Gig Harbor, Key Peninsula, Port Orchard, Bremerton, South Kitsap, and Burberson School Districts.
Adrian Cortes — Adrian Cortes introduced himself as the senator from the 18th Legislative District and added that he is an active public school teacher, noting that he is one of the few senators with that background.
Adrian Cortes — Adrian Cortes is repeatedly included in an invitation, along with Senator Harris, to visit River Home Link.
Adrian Cortes — The transcript appears to misrecognize the senator's name as 'Christian Dawson'; this likely refers to a senator asking about enrollment trends.
Anissa Sherritt — Anissa Sherritt, Associate Director for Learning Options and ALE with OSPI, provided a brief overview of alternative learning experience (ALE). She explained that ALE is a course-level designation used for state funding when instructional time occurs partly or wholly away from the traditional school setting, and that it is a delivery method for basic education rather than an alternative to it. She described the main ALE course types, including online, site-based, and remote instruction, and noted that public school requirements still apply. She also explained that student outcomes in ALE are monitored similarly to other public school settings and that districts may offer different combinations of ALE course types, with graduation rate among the key measures of student success.
Dr. Mendi Redd-Ren / Dr. Mendi Ren — The chair attempted to identify and call up Dr. Mendi Redd-Ren (or Mendi Ren) to participate.
Matt Kessler — Matt Kessler was called up to present.
Holly Kellech — Holly Kellech was identified as being in person.
Shelly Sears — Shelly Sears was introduced as the online presenter from Washington Virtual Academy in the Omak School District, then she introduced herself as the elementary school principal for Washington Virtual Academies and described the growth of the program.
Shelly Sears — Shelly Sears describes Washington Virtual Academy as a flexible online school chosen by families such as military families and others needing home-based learning, emphasizing its robust curriculum, live certificated instruction, recorded classes, and physical materials like books, art supplies, and devices. She explains the school’s support systems, including special programs for students with disabilities and multilingual learners, credit recovery, child find and referral processes, and the distinction between the higher-looking self-contained special education numbers and the overall K-12 special education population of about 16%. Sears also notes that WAVA serves students statewide through an ALE partnership with Omak School District, with teachers employed through that district and curriculum/audit support from Stride, a for-profit partner operating in many states. She adds that the school’s main challenge is state-required in-person testing for students who otherwise learn from home, and says WAVA hopes to participate in a fully online testing pilot. Finally, she describes how the school builds relationships and socialization through frequent live sessions, small-group instruction, academic classes, and counselor-led social time.
Drew Hansen — Drew Hansen questions the witness about the education provider’s structure and operations, asking whether it is for-profit or nonprofit, whether there is any threshold requirement for online learning, why Omak School District was chosen as the host district given that most students are along the I-5 corridor, and how the staffing and funding arrangement works, including how much the state pays per FTE to the private provider.
Drew Hansen — Drew Hansen was called on and then followed up with a question asking for more detail about families who travel frequently and use online courses as an example of students whose schooling arrangements differ from traditional public school settings.
Drew Hansen — Drew Hansen was briefly misaddressed in the exchange, then immediately followed up by asking the principal to explain why some families prefer the program for political or religious reasons over a traditional K-8 experience.
Dr. Mandy Rain — Dr. Mandy Rain, superintendent of Valley School District in Valley, Washington, described Columbia Virtual Academy as a district-run, nonprofit online and remote program that hires its own teachers and provides classes, with much of the instruction supported by parents. She then discussed Valley's early learning program, noting that it serves children as young as 12 months and reflects the district's belief in early intervention. In response to questions, she added that many students who begin around age 8 have had little or no formal instruction and are behind, and she explained that the program also serves families who travel for work and complete online courses while away, saying the district has many such students.
Jim McCune — Jim McCune asked whether there are statistics comparing Christian school and homeschooling with public school, then followed up by disputing the claim that homeschoolers are behind, saying he does not know the statistics but knows many homeschoolers.
Jody Kiefer — Jody Kiefer introduced herself as the principal of Pearl and described the program as Partnership for Excellence in Alternative Remote Learning, a K-8 district-run nonprofit serving families through an individualized remote model. She shared her personal connection to Pearl through her son’s experience with dyslexia and explained how the program supports students through MTSS, intervention curricula, learning assistance, special education services, family resources, parent groups, field trips, and weekly communications. She also described why families choose Pearl, including fit, involvement, medical or social needs, athletics, individualized learning, and differing philosophies, noting survey results showing strong family loyalty. Kiefer then explained how Pearl measures success through monthly work samples, attendance expectations, assessments, and state standards, confirmed that teachers are K-8 certified, discussed tracking student outcomes after leaving the program, outlined post-Pearl pathways such as homeschooling, Running Start, private school, or other LEA programs, and noted that transition planning begins in eighth grade. She concluded by saying Pearl is capped at about 450 FTE and is not seeking growth, and clarified that survey references to political or religious reasons likely reflect families wanting to avoid views they do not align with.
Matt Kassel — Matt Kassel, principal of River Home Link, introduced the school and explained its alternative, site-based learning model. He described how students attend classrooms with teachers using district-adopted or other curricula, noted that Washington has more than 300 unique alternative schools, and emphasized the special role of River Home Link in serving students through this flexible model.
River Homelink representative — The speaker shared anecdotes about student success, repeat family enrollment, and interest in seeing hard data.
Shelly — Shelly was invited to respond to a question about enrollment and explained that enrollment is continuously rolling, with cohorts of students enrolling throughout the year and staffing adjusted accordingly.
Holly Ryan Calloway — Holly Ryan Calloway introduces herself as OSPI's Career and Technical Education Program supervisor and a member of the superintendent's AI advisory committee.
Camille Jones — Camille Jones is introduced and then identifies herself as the K-12 digital education coach for Quincy School District.
Camille Jones — Speaks as a Quincy School District educator and parent, emphasizing the need to equip families with language to discuss AI at home.
Eileen Allison Gately — Invited to speak as a representative of Quincy School District; the chair acknowledged uncertainty in pronunciation.
Allison Gately — Allison Gately introduced herself as the director of teaching and learning in Quincy School District.
Allison Gately — Speaks as a Quincy School District educator and parent, emphasizing family language and home conversations about AI.
Kristen Barr — Identified as superintendent of Peninsula School District and invited to speak.
Chris Hagel — Chris Hagel, the Chief Information Officer for Peninsula School District, was introduced and then began his testimony by confirming he would speak and outlining the district's work with AI.
David Stitt — Identified as a high school science teacher for Peninsula School District and invited to speak.
Creston Barr — Introduces self as superintendent of Peninsula School District and begins testimony.
Dave — Dave describes how AI is changing his classroom practice and improving student learning. He explains that it helps students better understand concepts, communicate findings, and create polished presentations and speaking materials more quickly. He also says he has taught students to use AI with trusted class resources such as answer keys, tests, and other materials, emphasizing responsible and ethical use. Overall, he frames AI as an enhancement tool rather than a replacement for learning and notes his district’s partnerships, including West Zone STEM, as part of this work.
Christian Dawson — Christian Dawson was addressed by name as the next questioner/commenter.