SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 5806

               As Passed Senate, March 15, 1995

Title:  An act relating to school district budget development dates.

Brief Description:  Allowing the superintendent of public instruction to delay the time at which school district budgets are made public if the state's operating budget is not finally approved before June 1st.

Sponsors:  Senators Johnson and McAuliffe.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Education:  2/21/95, 2/28/95 [DP].

Passed Senate, 3/15/95, 46-0.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators McAuliffe, Chair; Pelz, Vice Chair; Finkbeiner, Gaspard, Hochstatter, Johnson and Rasmussen.

Staff:  Susan Mielke (786-7422)

Background:  School districts must follow a timeline provided in state law when preparing, adopting and filing the district's annual budget.  Each school district must prepare its budget for the upcoming fiscal year before July 10.  Second-class districts must submit their budget to the educational service district by July 15 for review and comment.  First-class school districts must submit their budget to the educational service district by July 20 for review and comment.

School districts' budgets are based on funds appropriated by the Legislature in the state's operating budget.  Sometimes the operating budget is not passed by the Legislature, and signed by the Governor until after June 1.

Summary of Bill: All school districts must submit their budget to the appropriate educational service district by July 10 for review and comment.  If the state's operating budget is not approved until after June 1, the Superintendent of Public Instruction has the authority to delay the date when each district must submit its district budget to the educational service district.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Testimony For:  When districts must provide a budget for the public that is based only on assumptions, it raises questions of credibility at the local level and can cause distrust.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Dwayne Slate, WSSDA (pro).