H-4578              _______________________________________________

 

                                          SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL NO. 1830

                        _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

 

By House Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Representatives Ebersole, Holland and Cole; by request of Superintendent of Public Instruction)

 

 

Read first time 2/10/86 and passed to Committee on Rules.

 

 


AN ACT Relating to common school capital projects; amending RCW 28A.47.806; creating new sections; and declaring an emergency.

 

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

 

          NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.     It is the intent of the legislature to address school construction funding and allocation issues.  To prevent foreclosure of options concerning future expenditure of state construction funds, the legislature intends to maintain flexibility in defining the context of state funding responsibilities.

 

          NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.     (1) A joint select committee on school construction is created to study financing of common school capital projects.  The committee shall be composed of the following members:

          (a) Two members from each caucus of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.  At least one member shall be from the education committee and at least one member shall be from the ways and means committee.

          (b) Two members from each caucus of the senate appointed by the president of the senate.  At least one member shall be from the education committee and at least one member shall be from the ways and means committee.

          (2) The joint select committee shall study and make recommendations to the legislature on the following topics:

          (a) The long-term  funding capacity of the common school construction fund;

(b) Alternative revenue or financing options for support of common school construction projects;

          (c) State priorities for the equitable allocation of available construction funds, including methods for determining eligibility for state assistance and calculating state support; and

          (d) Methods for encouraging efficient application of resources made available by the legislature for school construction.

          (3) The joint select committee shall submit a report of its findings and final recommendations to the  legislature no later than December, 15 1986.

          (4) This section shall expire April 1, 1987.

 

        Sec. 3.  Section 7, chapter 244, Laws of 1969 ex. sess. and RCW 28A.47.806 are each amended to read as follows:

          All applications by school districts for state assistance in providing school plant facilities shall be made to the superintendent of public instruction in conformity with rules and regulations which shall be prescribed by the state board of education.   Commitments concerning the amount or timing of state assistance for individual construction projects shall not be binding until the district is authorized by the state board of education to open bids for the project and the authorization by the state board of education shall be consistent with general funding criteria contained in legislative appropriation.  Studies and surveys shall be conducted by the state board for the purpose of securing information relating to (a) the kind and extent of the school plant facilities required and the urgency of need for such facilities in districts that seek state assistance, (b) the ability of such districts to provide capital funds by local effort, (c) the need for improvement of school administrative units and school attendance areas among or within such districts, and (d) any other pertinent matters.  Districts which had, prior to September 30, 1985, received preliminary state board approval for state assistance for a project involving new construction in lieu of modernization shall not suffer any change in the priority status of the project nor the amount of assistance for which the district is eligible, in the case that the district modernizes rather than replaces the facility and the following conditions are met:

          (a) The school district has calculated the life-cycle cost of modernization; and

          (b) The life-cycle cost of modernization is less than or equal to the cost of meeting the same need through new construction.

 

          NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.     This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, the support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.