HOUSE BILL ANALYSIS

                 SSB  5792

Title:  An act relating to the recommendations of the state board of education based on its review of its statutory authority.

Brief Description:  Adopting recommendations of the state board of education.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Senator McAuliffe; by request of Board of Education).

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Meeting Date:  March 25, 1999.

Analysis Prepared by:  Susan Morrissey (786-7111).

Background: During 1997 and 1998, the State Board of Education (SBE) convened a Mandate Review Committee to study all of the board's rules and their related laws.  The committee recommended the revision or repeal of a number of existing state laws. 

The recommendations included the establishment of a linkage between an education center's program and the state's essential academic learning requirements and the reassignment of the responsibility to approve certain tests from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to the SBE.  The committee recommended the revision of language on fees for education centers and kindergarten prescreening.   The committee also recommended the repeal of outdated language on teacher testing and clarification of OSPI's administrative role in the implementation of rules adopted by the SBE.  Finally, the committee recommended the consolidation of the SBE's certification authority into one chapter in the Revised Code of Washington.

Summary of Bill:

Education Centers.  SBE approves tests used to determine a student=s eligibility to enroll in an education center.  In place of the current statutory fee limits, the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) determines the amount it pays to education centers for diagnostic tests and student enrollments.

Fees for K-1 Preadmission Screening.  In place of the current statutory fee limit, school districts may establish the level of fees for screening certain students before they enroll in school.  The affected students are those who request an exception to district rules for entry into kindergarten or first grade.

Administration of SBE Rules.  SPI administers SBE rules in the following areas:  (1) the regulation of certification programs offered by institutions of higher education; and (2) the issuance and revocation of certificates.  An obsolete reference to teacher testing is removed from SPI's duties.

Certification Responsibilities of SBE.  The certification responsibilities of SBE are moved from the statutes governing certification to the statutes describing SBE=s authority.  The statute governing the certification authority is repealed.

Differences Between SHB 1770 and SSB 5792: 

SHB 1770 included the following provisions that were not included in SSB 5792:

‚A number of laws affecting school boards, school districts, and boundaries are moved from their current placement in the Revised Code of Washington into new chapters in the code. (These sections were also included in HB 1477)

‚The basic academic skills taught to state funded students enrolled in education centers will be coordinated with the state's essential academic learning requirements.

‚A decodified law related to master in teaching degrees and a law that requires the SBE to present a report on assessments for teacher candidates to the 1997 Legislature are each repealed.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.