FINAL BILL REPORT

SHB 805

                                  C 112 L 87

BYHouse Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Taylor, Ebersole, Brough, Haugen, B. Williams, H. Sommers, Sanders, Leonard, Betrozoff, Ballard, Bristow, May, Locke, Braddock, Peery, Walker, Padden, D. Sommers, Amondson, Schoon, L. Smith, Bumgarner and Miller)

Limiting the availability of state matching funds for school plant construction under certain circumstances.

House Committe on Education

Senate Committee on Education

SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

BACKGROUND:

School districts may apply to the State Board of Education to obtain state matching funds for new school construction for unhoused students. The state is authorized to provide matching funds from the sale of timber on state lands.  However, the decrease in timber sales revenue has resulted in an inability to pay the state matching funds. The legislature, the State Board of Education and school districts have begun to search for alternative ways of providing schools for unhoused students when state matching funds are not available.

SUMMARY:

School districts are required to lease a vacant school for a reasonable fee from a contiguous school district wherever possible. No school district with unhoused students may be eligible for state matching percentage for the construction of school plant facilities if:  1) the school district contiguous to the school district applying for the state matching percentage has vacant school plant facilities; 2) the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education have determined that the vacant facilities in the contiguous school district will fulfill the needs of the applicant district; and 3) a lease of the vacant school can be negotiated.

In determining whether a contiguous district's vacant school fulfills the need of the applicant school district, consideration must be given, but not limited, to geographic location as it relates to the applicant district.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

      House 96   2

      Senate    47     2

EFFECTIVE:July 26, 1987