Did Washington’s Board of Education include Washington employers when creating new high school graduation requirements?

The 30-member 2025 Future Ready Task Force included one representative from the Washington Roundtable, which represents businesses like Boeing, Microsoft and Amazon and the Technology Alliance, an industry policy/advocacy group.

Four business-adjacent organizations with a focus on workforce readiness, included the South Central Workforce Development Council, the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, and the state Department of Labor and Industries. 

Businesses were also represented on subcommittees.

The composition reflected broad economic sectors rather than specific businesses to capture overall thematic needs and develop stronger connection between material and potential career paths.

The business focus is visible in draft state standards for technology and media literacy, and math where math is a tool for reasoning, inquiry and empowerment and includes data science and financial literacy.

If passed in 2027, new standards will be in place for the 2031 graduating class.