Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research	BILL ANALYSIS
Education

HB 1235

Brief Description:  Providing educational assistance for teachers.

Sponsors:  Representatives Keiser, Cox, Quall, Kenney, Rockefeller, O'Brien, Talcott, Santos, Kessler, Lovick, McIntire, D. Schmidt, Ruderman, Schual‑Berke, Poulsen, Kagi, Edmonds and Haigh.

Brief Summary of Bill

$Providing tuition assistance to educators assigned to teach subjects in which they do not have endorsements.

Hearing Date:  2/1/01

Staff:  Susan Morrissey (786‑7111).

Background: 

The State Board of Education determines the rules for teacher certification.  Beginning September 1, 2000, candidates who are seeking initial or residency certification to teach must have a primary endorsement in a subject and must have completed an approved teacher preparation program. Primary endorsements in the broad areas of English/language arts, science, and social studies require a minimum of 60 quarter hours of college credit in those subjects.  All other primary endorsements require a minimum of 45 quarter hours of college credit. 

The State Board of Education has also adopted a policy that impacts the teaching assignments of classroom teachers.   Teachers who have a standard certificate, which is a certificate that was awarded before endorsements were required, may be assigned to any grade or subject covered by the certificates.  As a rule, teachers who have certificates that include one or more endorsements may be assigned to teach only in the subjects and grades covered by their certificates and endorsements.   However, under a variety of circumstances, the SBE permits school districts to assign those teachers to teach outside of their endorsed subjects.

School districts may assign ?effective@ educators to teach in areas in which the teachers lack endorsements.   These teachers are protected from being fired or placed on probation based on evaluations of their teaching effectiveness in the out-of-endorsement areas.   If the teachers are so assigned, the district and affected teachers must develop a written plan of assistance for the teachers.  The plan must include a reasonable amount of planning and study time in the out-of-endorsement area for the teachers.

Each decision to assign a teacher to an out-of-endorsement area must be approved by a formal vote of the district=s school directors.  In addition, the district must report to the SBE the number of teachers so assigned and the subject areas affected.

Summary of Bill: 

The Superintendent of Public Instruction may reimburse teachers who are teaching outside their areas of endorsement for classes that the teachers take in the subjects covered by the missing endorsement.   The reimbursement is limited to the actual tuition and fees paid by the teacher for the classes, or the tuition and fees charged to resident undergraduate students at the University of Washington, whichever amount is lower.  The Superintendent of Public Instruction will provide the reimbursement only if funding is appropriated for that purpose.

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

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on January 22, 2001.