SENATE BILL REPORT

SHB 1120

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Education, March 26, 2001

Title:  An act relating to the conditional employment of teachers with lapsed certifications.

Brief Description:  Establishing requirements for employing holders of lapsed teaching certificates.

Sponsors:  By House Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Rockefeller, Cox, Talcott, Quall, Santos, Haigh, Anderson, McDermott, Schindler, D. Schmidt, Pearson, Keiser and Jackley).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Education:  3/15/01, 3/26/01 [DPA].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.

Signed by Senators McAuliffe, Chair; Eide, Vice Chair; Carlson, Finkbeiner, Hewitt, Hochstatter, Johnson, Kastama, Kohl‑Welles, Rasmussen and Regala.

Staff:  Susan Mielke (786‑7422)

Background:  Teachers must be certified by the state in order to teach in Washington=s public or approved private schools.  The State Board of Education establishes the rules that govern teacher certification.  Currently, teachers who received their continuing or professional teaching certificates after August 30, 1987, are required to obtain 150 clock hours of classes every five years in order to maintain that certificate.  If a teacher does not fulfill the requirement, the teacher's certificate lapses.  Teachers with lapsed certificates may be eligible to teach as substitutes, but they may not be employed as regular teachers without obtaining additional credit hours.

Summary of Amended Bill:  An individual with a lapsed teaching certificate may be employed by a school district.  The individual must complete certificate renewal requirements within two years of reemployment.  Teachers whose certificates were revoked or suspended are not eligible.

Amended Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The specificity that the individual complete a background check, have letters of recommendation, have a written and filed plan for achieving the certification requirements, and make satisfactory progress on the plan are deleted.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  Washington State has a teacher supply and demand problem.  This bill is one way to bring talented teachers back into the workforce.  The intent of this bill is to apply only to people whose certificate lapsed after they separated from service, not before.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Rockefeller, prime sponsor; Representative Cox; Greg Williamson, OSPI; Gary King, WEA; Larry Davis, SBE.