SENATE BILL REPORT
SHB 2742
BYHouse Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Dorn, Ebersole, Ferguson, Jones, Jacobsen, Crane, Wineberry and Rasmussen)
Establishing the state board for vocational technical institutes.
House Committe on Education
Senate Committee on Higher Education
Senate Hearing Date(s):February 21, 1990
Senate Staff:Shawn Newman (786-7443)
AS OF FEBRUARY 16, 1990
BACKGROUND:
There are five vocational technical institutes (VTI's) in Washington State. The VTI's operate under the jurisdiction of the local school districts as part of the secondary education system.
Each VTI is administered by a local school district, and the local school board serves as the governing body for each of the VTI's. Funding for the VTI's comes through the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI). Funds for construction or modernization of VTI's come from the common school construction fund. Currently, two VTI projects are on the eligibility list for funding.
The VTI's served 168,000 part-time and full-time clients in 1989. The average age of the people being served by the VTI's is 30.
The question has been raised of whether the VTI's should be part of SPI because the VTI's serve a primarily adult population.
SUMMARY:
The vocational technical institutes are transferred from the governance of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and local school districts to the governance of the Vocational Technical Institute Board and a local vocational technical institute board.
The state level Vocational Technical Institute Board shall be composed of eight members appointed by the Governor. One member shall be appointed from each congressional district. Members shall serve a term of four years. The duties of the board shall include appointing a director, adopting by-laws, establishing an office and generally supervising the operation of the vocational technical institute system. The majority of board members shall represent business and labor, and the remainder of the members shall represent education and the community.
Local vocational technical institute boards of trustees shall be composed of five members appointed by the Governor to serve a term of five years. The first appointees shall be selected from the members of the existing local advisory boards for the vocational technical institutes. The boards of trustees shall have the authority to operate the existing vocational technical institute, hire a president, faculty and other necessary employees.
Title and all interests in real estate and all other assets of the vocational technical institutes are transferred from the school district to the Vocational Technical Institute Board. All employees, equipment, books and records are transferred from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and school districts where the vocational technical institutes are located to the vocational technical institutes. All powers, duties and functions of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the effected school districts are also transferred. This also includes the transfer of an apportionment of budgeted funds for the operation of the vocational technical institutes.
Vocational technical institutes will no longer be eligible for school construction money from the common school construction fund.
School districts which have outstanding bonds for the construction of vocational technical institute facilities shall continue to be responsible for repayment of the bonds.
Contracts and bargaining units for transferred employees shall remain in effect until their termination. At that time there may be a change in representation, and coverage of employment and collective bargaining rights of employees shall be treated like other higher education employees. Transferred employees shall retain their rights and continue in their existing retirement system.
Tuition, awarding of credit and transfer of credit shall be regulated by the rules followed by the higher education institutions.
The Vocational Technical Institute Board will have authority to enforce the Private Vocational School Act.
Appropriation: none
Revenue: none
Fiscal Note: requested January 24, 1990
Effective Date:July 1, 1990