Educational Service Districts.
Washington has nine regionally based educational service districts (ESDs) that provide cooperative informational services to local school districts and assist the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the State Board of Education (SBE) in the performance of their duties. Among other duties, the ESDs serve as a depository and distribution center for instructional materials and assist school districts in the preparation of their budgets. The OSPI and the SBE are authorized to delegate assigned programs, projects, and services to the ESDs, and the ESDs are obligated to comply with the rules of those agencies.
The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
In addition to its constitutional charge of supervising all matters pertaining to public schools, the Superintendent of Public Instruction and its office has numerous and broad responsibilities prescribed in statute, including:
Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council.
The Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council (WSATC) regulates apprenticeships for state and federal purposes. The WSATC is administered by the Department of Labor and Industries. Apprenticeship preparation programs that meet the requirements of the WSATC, including having working relationships with one or more registered apprenticeship program sponsors, are designated as officially recognized programs.
Work-Integrated Learning Advisory Committee.
Legislation enacted in 2018 directed the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in consultation with the Employment Security Department and the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, to convene a 10-person Work-Integrated Learning Advisory Committee (WILAC) to provide advice to the Legislature and the education and workforce sectors on creating opportunities for students to:
WILAC, which consisted of legislators and agency appointees, was tasked with numerous duties, including:
Provisions establishing and directing WILAC expired on September 1, 2022.
Subject to funding provisions, the OSPI and the ESDs are directed to establish the Regional Apprenticeship Preparation Pilot Program (Program). The stated purpose of the Program is to identify common best practices and processes for establishing regional apprenticeship preparation programs that support postsecondary success for students and strengthen community engagement in schools and school districts.
The Program must consist of six sites: three located west of the crest of the Cascade mountains; and three located east of the crest of the Cascade mountains. The OSPI and the ESDs must ensure that the sites are geographically dispersed, with at least one site located in a school district with a collaboratively developed regional apprenticeship pathways program, and at least one site located in an ESD with a high percentage of small, rural school districts.
In implementing the Program, the ESDs must meet specified requirements, including:
Provisions establishing the Program and its requirements expire June 30, 2027.
The OSPI, in collaboration with the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, the WSATC, the Washington Association for Career and Technical Education, and WILAC must evaluate the Program and best practices for increasing:
By June 30, 2026, the OSPI must report the results of the evaluation to the Governor, the SBE, the Student Achievement Council, the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, and the appropriate committees of the Legislature. The report must include:
The report may also include recommendations for actions to improve the cohesion, coordination, and quality of work-integrated learning opportunities, including regional apprenticeship preparation programs, throughout the state.
As compared to the original bill, the substitute bill:
(In support) This bill is about hope. Students who are not going to college have lost hope: they are depressed and scared and don’t yet realize what they can do. The opportunities this bill promotes are as important as other education components. Students want to be taught and we have the curriculum available to do so. Females and minorities are in trades, but they need to be reached early, which is not happening. This bill will make sure that preapprenticeship programs, where students can learn practical skills, are available in ESDs. The education opportunities in rural and tribal areas are insufficient, but this bill will give students hope for the future and family-wage jobs.
Apprenticeship programs teach students valuable skills and help to balance opportunities. The bill establishes programs in Eastern and Western Washington and stakeholders look forward to the insights and learning that will result from the Program.
The underlying bill is supported, but the proposed substitute has not been reviewed. The underlying bill encourages creative solutions to meet the demands of employers and the needs of students. The proposed substitute might preclude small schools from participating in the Program and should be modified to make the Program work at the ESD level to allow district collaborations.
This bill complements efforts underway in Career Connect Washington and will help support smaller schools. The expanded full-time equivalent enrollment provisions in the bill are supported.
More rural satellite skill centers should be established, and they can work with the ESDs. The proposed substitute does not mention collaborating with skill centers, but skill centers would be happy to do so.
This bill will enable the duplication of the Regional Apprenticeship Pathways Program in Marysville that was approved by the WSATC. The students from that program, which also supports female students, graduate ready to enter the world of employment. The Marysville program has been a great success, but at the end of this biennium, funding ends. Lawmakers should consider melding the Marysville program into the bill or supporting the budget proviso that funds the Marysville program.
The state has a pathway to college via the Running Start program, but an equivalent program should be established for career and technical education. Students, with the permission of the Department of Labor and Industries, need to become involved in the trades earlier in secure learning environments. Trade education programs can be financially self-supportive.
At one time, college was considered the only pathway for students, but anything that provides more opportunity and choice for students deserves support. Apprenticeships are an essential tool for meeting workforce needs. The bill should be clarified to indicate that it is addressing preapprenticeship programs for youth that support a pathway to registered apprenticeships.
(Opposed) The bill improperly assigns authority to ESDs with unelected leaders. The bill removes oversight by local school districts and doesn't disclose who will oversee the Program. Parents should be involved in the Program but they are not included in the bill.
(Other) The bill seems to introduce preapprenticeship programs. This is a good thing, but if that is the intent, the bill should be clarified to ensure that its provisions don't conflict with apprenticeship requirements. The bill should ensure that preapprenticeship programs meet state requirements and that preapprenticeship providers are involved in the creation of those programs.
The Committee's focus on preapprenticeships is appreciated. Alternative bill language has been submitted to the prime sponsor for consideration. The ESDs should have a role in the Program and core plus opportunities should be supported. Preapprentice programs should employ a multiple craft approach. Relationships with labor have been built and should be encouraged.