BILL REQ. #:  H-3919.1 

Read first time 01/15/2004.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

     AN ACT Relating to school district accountability for the academic preparation of recent high school graduates; and adding a new chapter to Title 28A RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
     (1) "Baccalaureate institutions" means the state universities, regional universities, and state college under RCW 28B.10.016.
     (2) "Institution of higher education" means each of the baccalaureate institutions, community colleges, and technical colleges.
     (3) "Precollege class or laboratory" means high school level classes or instruction intended to prepare postsecondary students for college level work. The classes or laboratories may offer high school level instruction in mathematics, grammar, reading, spelling, writing, and English. For the purposes of this chapter and RCW 28B.10.685, classes in English as a second language are not considered precollege classes.
     (4) "Recent high school graduate" means a person who graduated from a public high school in Washington sometime during the three years immediately before the student enrolled in a state-supported precollege class or laboratory at an institution of higher education.
     (5) "State-supported" means an activity supported in whole or in part by money from the state general fund or student operating fees.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) Beginning with the fall 2005 academic term, each institution of higher education shall assess a charge to each Washington school district that granted a diploma to a recent high school graduate enrolled in a state-supported precollege class or laboratory offered at the institution of higher education. The superintendent of public instruction, the governing board of each of the baccalaureate institutions, and the state board for community and technical colleges shall adopt rules to implement this requirement. The rules shall include parameters for billing and reporting requirements.
     (2) No later than twenty days after receipt of the information contained in subsection (1) of this section, each school district shall transmit to the institution of higher education an amount per student credit hour that equals the amount per credit hour established for students in the program under RCW 28A.600.310, plus seven percent, minus tuition and fees. The amount deducted for tuition and fees shall be determined by the rules adopted under subsection (1) of this section. The amount may be based on the per credit hour tuition and fees amount charged for the courses, or the amount charged to resident undergraduate students for the same number of credits. The amount deducted for tuition and fees shall be uniform for the community colleges and for the technical colleges. The amount may vary for the baccalaureate institutions, or the rules may permit a tuition and fee deduction for all baccalaureate institutions. Each school district shall use money from local funds to pay the charges. If a school district does not have money available from local funds, the district shall pay the charges from other nonbasic education funding sources.
     (3) Beginning with the fall 2005 academic term, institutions of higher education shall not include in their enrollment reports for receipt of state funding, recent high school graduates enrolled in precollege courses or laboratories.
     (4) After consultation with the superintendent of public instruction, each baccalaureate institution, and, for the community colleges and technical colleges, the state board for community and technical colleges, shall adopt rules to implement this section by June 30, 2005.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   Sections 1 and 2 of this act constitute a new chapter in Title 28A RCW.