State Rep. Marcie Maxwell (D-Renton) received the Washington Education Association’s highest honor last Saturday at the organization’s 2012 Representative Assembly in Spokane.

The proclamation that accompanied Maxwell’s Friend of Education award acknowledged her work as a prominent figure in addressing critical issues facing public education and for her work aimed at ensuring a better life for public school students in Washington state.

The association cited Maxwell, a former Renton school board director, as a tireless advocate for improving the public education system in Washington.

Rep. Maxwell represents the 41st Legislative District communities of Bellevue, Beaux Arts, Issaquah, Mercer Island, Newcastle, Renton, and Sammamish. She serves in a legislative leadership role as the Deputy Majority Leader for Education and Opportunity, and co-chairs the Quality Education Council. In 2011, she earned the Washington State PTA’s highest honor, the Friend of Children award.