SENATE BILL REPORT

SHB 2414

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Education, February 25, 2002

Title:  An act relating to the professional educator standards board.

Brief Description:  Changing provisions relating to the professional educator standards board.

Sponsors:  House Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Haigh, Anderson, Quall, Talcott, Tokuda, McIntire, Kenney, Chase and Schual‑Berke; by request of Governor Locke, Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Board of Education and Professional Educator Standards Board).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Education:  2/20/02, 2/25/02 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.

Signed by Senators McAuliffe, Chair; Eide, Vice Chair; Carlson, Finkbeiner, Hochstatter, Johnson, Kastama, Prentice, Rasmussen, Regala and Zarelli.

Staff:  Heather Lewis-Lechner (786-7448)

Background:  The Washington Professional Educator Standards Board (WPESB) was created during the 2000 legislative session.  WPESB consists of 19 members whose four-year terms expire on May 31, 2004.  The law requires that seven specific groups be represented by those 19 members.  One of the purposes of WPESB is to oversee new basic skills and subject matter assessments, which will be required of all new teachers prior to certification.  Included in this mandate are the requirements that WPESB develop and implement subject knowledge tests beginning no later than September 1, 2002, and that passage of the subject knowledge test is required in order to receive an endorsement for certification beginning September 1, 2003.

Summary of Bill:  As the terms of the initial members of the WPESB expire, or vacancies to the board occur for the first time, the Governor must appoint or reappoint the members of the board to one-year to four-year staggered terms.  Once the one-year to three-year terms expire, all subsequent terms are for four years with the terms expiring on June 30 of the applicable year.  The terms are staggered in such a way that, where possible, the terms of members representing a specific group do not expire simultaneously.

Passage of the subject knowledge tests developed by the WPESB is required for teacher certification purposes starting September 1, 2005.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  This bill is just about some technical fixes that are necessary.  A change in the date for when passage of the subject knowledge test is required is necessary in order to align with OSPI, but the board will still be adhering to the timelines that were set for having the test ready.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  PRO:  Representative Kathryn Haigh, prime sponsor; Jennifer Wallace, Professional Standards Board; Laura Cohen, Governor's Policy Office; Gary King, WEA.