In a robust linkage session earlier this month, Legislative District 41 state Sen. Lisa Wellman and state Rep. Tana Senn delved into a plethora of critical issues with Mercer Island School District (MISD) board members.

They discussed special education funding, levy authority, environmental issues, early education and more at the special meeting that occurred in the MISD administration building board room.

On Jan. 5, Wellman and Senn — both Mercer Island residents — sat center table and were surrounded by five board members, a pair of student representatives and Superintendent Fred Rundle. The legislative duo initiated topics and fielded questions from the attendees.

Wellman said she’ll be introducing a bill that alters the special education funding cap.

“I do believe that there needs to be a cap because, candidly, what we have seen without a cap, we have no accountability. We need to know the numbers, we need to know what’s what,” said Wellman, adding that she and Senn are, “Really addressing (the funding) much more appropriately with real costs, and I think also making the statement that we understand that this is really a critical important issue that we have to address.”

On the early learning front, Wellman will be proposing a bill to have children begin their elementary school journeys at age 6, which is two years sooner than Washington state requirements. Recognizing the immense value of early learning, she wanted the starting age to be 5, but compromised with other legislators.

Senn, who chairs the Human Services Youth and Early Learning Committee, touched upon pre-kindergarten students receiving their individualized education programs (IEPs) in time for when they start school in September. She developed a bill to allot early funding to school districts in the summers to get the process rolling and completed in a “developmentally appropriate time frame.”

In intersecting education with the environment, Senn noted that she is working on a bill that will require all school buses to be of the electric, zero-emission sort by 2035. Grant funding could be made available for charging stations and more for school districts ready to make the change earlier.

Senn said they are “looking from an environmental way, a health way for our children to get us moving in that direction at zero emission for school buses.”

Overall, Wellman wants students to be engaged in their education and be ready for what awaits them outside of the school walls when they complete their studies.

“As I say, while I’m from the 41st, I have 1.5 million kids that are my constituents. Making sure that when they leave the systems that they’re in, that they are ready for whatever that next step is for them,” said Wellman, who will soon begin podcasting to address crucial issues.

To view the full meeting, visit https://youtu.be/pvw6k0kelri.