SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 5200
As Reported By Senate Committee On:
Education, February 27, 2001
Title: An act relating to supplemental contracts for retaining or recruiting certificated staff.
Brief Description: Clarifying incentives for purposes of certificated staff supplemental contracts.
Sponsors: Senators McAuliffe, Carlson, Franklin, Morton, Patterson, Eide, Finkbeiner, Kline, Fairley, Jacobsen, Prentice, Johnson, B. Sheldon, Regala, Snyder and Kohl‑Welles.
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Education: 2/7/01, 2/27/01 [DPS].
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5200 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.
Signed by Senators McAuliffe, Chair; Eide, Vice Chair; Carlson, Finkbeiner, Hewitt, Hochstatter, Kohl‑Welles, Rasmussen, Regala and Zarelli.
Staff: Susan Mielke (786‑7422)
Background: The Legislature provides funding for salaries through the state salary allocation schedule, which uses education and years of experience to vary the salary levels. School districts have the authority to establish the actual salaries paid to staff, subject to local collective bargaining and within certain limits set by the Legislature. One of the legislative limitations is that the average salary for teachers and other certificated staff in a school district cannot be higher than it would be if the district paid each individual according to the state salary allocation schedule. School districts may exceed this limitation only by entering into a supplemental contract with the individual for additional time, additional responsibilities, or incentives. Currently, additional time, additional responsibilities, or incentives are not defined in law.
Summary of Substitute Bill: The meaning of incentives includes, but is not limited to, recruiting certificated instructional staff or for meeting or exceeding mutually agreed to goals.
Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill: The definition of incentives is revised from "including, retaining or recruiting certificated instructional staff" to "including recruiting certificated instructional staff or for meeting or exceeding mutually agreed to goals."
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: It is necessary to clarify what the term ?incentives@ includes because the rules of the State Auditor's office impede some hiring incentives that school districts want to offer. The rules require school districts to disguise incentive offers as additional time or responsibilities.
Testimony Against: This bill will increase the disparity between school districts. The districts with available local levy revenues will be able to offer incentives and lure teachers away from the districts that cannot pass a local levy. The Legislature is responsible for funding competitive teacher salaries that recruit and retain teachers, not the local district. Such incentives would violate the statutory limits on supplemental contracts, that the contracts may only be for one year and may not create ongoing fiscal obligations. The answer is to fund teacher salaries better, not to give districts unequal power to obtain good teachers.
Testified: PRO: Karen Davis, WEA; Ken Kanikeberg, OSPI; Brian Sonntag, State Auditor; CON: Dwayne Slate, WSSDA; Randy Hathaway, Washington School Personnel Association; Barbara Mertens, WASA.