State Rep. Marcie Maxwell of 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, according to a press release.

Maxwell, a Democrat, is seeking her third term as a state representative in the 41st District.

Maxwell, a former Renton School Board director and advocate for improving the public education system in Washington, has led efforts to pass education funding reform bills that put the state on the right track toward providing a quality education in the state’s public schools.

The 41st Legislative District includes Bellevue, Beaux Arts, Issaquah, Mercer Island, Newcastle, Renton, and Sammamish.