Jay is the son of a biology teacher and started his life in public service fighting to build a new school in Selah, Washington. He knows that when we invest in education, we invest in a better future for all of us. Under his leadership, Washington met its funding obligations for education for the first time in 30 years and invested billions in our education system.

These important investments have resulted in increased access to early learning, including all-day kindergarten so that children can start building a foundation at an early age for success. For children with the most need, he pushed to secure $130 million for direct special education services and expand Breakfast After the Bell program to ensure Washington’s kids are focused on learning, not hunger. 

Jay values our teachers and he’s worked to increase educator pay more than any other state and to lower class sizes so our educators can focus on giving our children the best possible education. He has also made a commitment to recruit and retain more diverse educators in our schools.

For too many, the cost of higher education is too high a burden. Jay partnered with large Washington employers such as Microsoft and Amazon to pass and fund the historic Workforce Education Investment Act, which ensures full and partial college tuition scholarships are available to working and middle-class Washingtonians.  Everyone in our state benefits from a skilled, well-prepared workforce and every child should be able to access further education and training beyond high school. 

And because college is not the only path to success, Jay launched Career Connect Washington. This program connects 100,000 Washington students with career-ready education like apprenticeships and technical education to receive the skills to earn good-paying jobs.