Climate education funding in Washington

When Governor Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 6032 (PDF) into law on March 27, 2018, the state of Washington committed to provide $4 million "to provide grants ... for science teacher training in the [N]ext [G]eneration [S]cience [S]tandards" — adopted in 2013 — "including training in the climate science standards."

In a press release, E3 Washington, the state's association for environmental and sustainability educators, described the signing as "a major victory for climate education and K-12 students across the state," adding, "With this bill, Washington also advances to leading the nation in K-12 climate literacy having become the first state in the country to dedicate significant support for climate education. It is also the largest general fund allocation for environmental education ever included in a [g]overnor's budget and approved by a state legislature."

"It's important for states that are improving the treatment of climate science in their state science standards to remember that their teachers need to equipped with the knowledge and knowhow to teach accordingly," commented NCSE's Brad Hoge. "It's great to see Washington recognizing and taking steps to meet the need."