Latest news with #HB2049
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump administration considering elimination of 988 Suicide Prevention hotline services
White House officials say as part of budget cuts, President Donald Trump is considering eliminating the 988 Suicide Prevention Hotline's specialized services for LGBTQ youth. Since the line's start in 2022, data shows millions of people have called and texted for help. Mental Health advocate and Director of Ellie Mental Health Janelle Jenson tells us without this resource, lives are at risk. A survey by The Trevor Project shows almost 40 percent of LGBTQ youth considered suicide in the last year. Mental health experts say the national 988 hotline is a popular resource for people struggling with suicidal thoughts and ideations Now that resource could be eliminated as part of a draft federal budget proposal. In 2020, Trump signed 988 into law as the official hotline number. Now he is potentially changing course, potentially defunding the part of the hotline that specifically helps LGBTQ youth. Since its July 2022 start, 988 has answered 14.5 million calls and texts. More than 1.2 million of those have been transferred to LGBTQ youth specialized services. 'A safe place for people let them know they are worthy of having their life and access resources available,' Jenson said. These potential cuts are part of the widespread federal budget savings promised by the Trump Administration. We asked Washington GOP leaders their thoughts on this, WAGOP Chairman and State Rep. Jim Walsh responded saying: 'The 988 mental health crisis phone call system isn't an 'LGBTQ youth suicide hotline.' And it hasn't been cut. Some left-wing activist groups are so invested in victimhood narratives that they have to invent false persecution where none actually exists.' Meanwhile, there's a real crisis of local importance actually happening here in Washington. HB 2049 has passed the legislature and is on the governor's desk, awaiting his signature. It raises property taxes in this state AND punishes smaller, poorer school districts. It will result in another 'McCleary' lawsuit and worsening performance in Washington's public schools. That's a real crisis. Not a made-up one.' Jenson says this is a tough potential loss. 'It puts a burden on hospitals, emergency rooms, therapists, teachers, clergy, the community at large,' Jenson said. Trump's current draft budget would cut the program in October. Jenson says other resources are available. 'There's the LGBT help center, P-Flag with local chapters, and more related to Seattle, Be Glad, Lambert House, a lot of resources when it comes to accessibility,' Jenson said. If the spending cut is approved, the 988 hotline as a whole would still be up and running, it's specifically the LGBTQ services that would be shut down.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Washington needs new voices in the debate over school funding
(Photo by) Fifteen years after Washington established its current K-12 funding formulas, it's clear that our education funding system needs a serious reassessment. State legislators are beginning to recognize this with the introduction of bills like HB 2049, which proposes new revenue streams for education and creates a K-12 Funding Equity Work Group seated at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. State leaders are using this moment to ask themselves how education funding should be more fairly and effectively allocated. But this will not be the first time the Legislature has asked that question or even created a work group to explore it. In fact, over the past 16 years, seven legislatively directed reports have explored and provided recommendations on various aspects of our K-12 funding system. (2009, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2012, 2019, and 2022). Unfortunately, these past reports have all fallen short in identifying an approach to resourcing schools that is consistent with the range of supports and services schools currently provide to students. Much has changed since our current approach to funding was established in 2010, and especially since the pandemic. There has been a significant shift in the depth and diversity of student needs. Whether it's supporting mental health, addressing food and housing insecurity, or helping families navigate public systems, schools today are doing far more than delivering instruction. Schools have learned that when students' basic needs are met, they can more effectively engage students in learning, so many districts have responded by working beyond their means to meet a growing diversity of student needs. This evolving role for schools has created a misalignment between what schools need to engage students in learning and how the state provides funding to schools. One of the key reasons this misalignment persists is that previous work groups and funding studies have failed to put the voices of historically marginalized communities at the center of their decision-making, especially students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, and those from families navigating systemic barriers. If Washington is serious about creating an education system rooted in equity, that commitment must be reflected not only in our funding formulas but also in how we define the problem and who gets to shape the solutions. Otherwise, we risk continuing the cycle: one where well-intentioned reforms claim equity as a goal but fail to deliver because they were built without the input of those most affected. The lived experience of students and families is not anecdotal; it is expertise. When we not only invite but center that expertise in the decision-making process, we gain a more honest and accurate picture of what schools need. As we look to improve how we resource public K-12 education, we must use every tool available to design an education system that delivers the learning environments, supports, and opportunities all students deserve. If there was ever a moment to assemble a diverse working group focused on reassessing K-12 funding, it is now. We must ask ourselves: how will this be different? How will we ensure that students furthest from educational justice are at the forefront of this process? As funding decisions move forward, these must be the guiding commitments to ensure that real change is achieved.
