SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 5249

BYSenators Bailey, Rinehart, Lee, Gaspard, Murray, Bauer and Fleming

Creating the fair start program.

Senate Committee on Education

Senate Hearing Date(s):January 12, 1989; January 19, 1989

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5249 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

      Signed by Senators Bailey, Chairman; Lee, Vice Chairman; Anderson, Bender, Benitz, Craswell, Fleming, Gaspard, Metcalf, Murray, Rinehart.

Senate Staff:Larry Davis (786-7422)

                  January 20, 1989

Senate Committee on Ways & Means

Senate Hearing Date(s):March 1, 1989; March 21, 1989

Majority Report:  That Second Substitute Senate Bill No. 5249 be substituted therefor, and the second substitute bill do pass.

      Signed by Senators McDonald, Chairman; Craswell, Vice Chairman; Amondson, Bailey, Bauer, Bluechel, Cantu, Fleming, Gaspard, Hayner, Johnson, Lee, Moore, Newhouse, Niemi, Owen, Saling, Smith, Talmadge, Warnke, Williams, Wojahn.

Senate Staff:Ken Kanikeberg (786-7715)

                  March 22, 1989

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS, MARCH 21, 1989

BACKGROUND:

Research findings from national and state studies and demographic data indicate that an increasing number of children are at risk of not performing to their potential in school and even dropping out of school.  Contributing reasons include such non-school based factors as child abuse and neglect, poverty, family transiency, substance abuse, and poor health and nutrition.  It is proposed that providing school-based counseling and related prevention/intervention services at the elementary grades level will enhance the educational experience for students and teachers.

SUMMARY:

The Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) will establish a voluntary grant program to assist school districts in providing prevention and intervention programs and services for children in preschool through grade six.  The name of the program is Fair Start.

Districts may apply for a grant to develop or enhance an elementary grades prevention and intervention program using early grades child intervention specialists (one of four educational staff associates (ESA):  a school counselor, school psychologist, school nurse or school social worker; or appropriate public or private professional health care providers).  To apply, districts must:  identify the goals of the proposed program and the services to be provided; document that school and district staff and the community were involved in developing the program; identify referral procedures; and identify how the program will be evaluated.

State funds will be allocated on a matching basis.  Grant applicants must provide a minimum 25 percent of the cost of the program.

Districts receiving a grant must assign to each elementary building included in the prevention/intervention program the equivalent of one full-time (FTE) child intervention specialist (school counselor, school psychologist, school nurse, or school social worker).  Districts may contract with community-based health care providers for services.  Such providers must spend the majority of the contracted time in the school(s) under the general supervision of the ESA child intervention specialist.

A district must use a portion of the grant to provide ESA inservice training in supervision skills and inservice to certificated and classified staff in student emotional, social, and behavioral issues.

The SPI, the Department of Community Development (DCD), and the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) will conduct jointly a study of state-funded programs and services for children.  The agencies must develop a plan containing recommendations to coordinate or integrate a variety of children's programs and report to the Legislature by January 15, 1991.

EFFECT OF PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE:

Grant application requirements are modified.  No comprehensive plan is required as part of the application but districts must address certain issues in their policy on the district's elementary prevention and intervention program, including, goals, referral procedures, liability issues, program evaluation and use of grant funds for related in-service purposes.

Districts are not required to assign to each participating elementary building the equivalent of one full-time school counselor, psychologist, nurse or social worker.  Districts are responsible for determining how school and community health care providers will provide prevention and intervention services under the local program.

Districts are authorized to use funds from the state grant programs for dropout prevention and substance abuse awareness toward the 25 percent match requirement.

The OSPI is required rather than authorized to establish an advisory committee.

The director of the Department of Health, if established, will participate in the multiple-state agency study of state-funded children's programs.

Internal report dates are changed from January 15, 1991, to December 1, 1990, and the Governor will receive the reports on Fair Start and the multiple agency study in addition to the Legislature.

The authority of OSPI to accept gifts, grants, and contributions for Fair Start is deleted.

EFFECT OF PROPOSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE:

Districts are required to develop as a policy goal a student to intervention specialist ratio and give first consideration to using educational staff associates (intervention specialists) in each participating elementary building.

The multiple state agency development of a plan to coordinate a number of children's programs is deleted.  The several agencies are directed to coordinate such programs and provide a progress report to the Legislature and Governor by December 1, 1990.

The appropriations of $88 million for Fair Start and $49,500 for the multiple agency study are deleted.  The act is null and void if specific funding is not provided.

Appropriation:    none

Revenue:    none

Fiscal Note:      requested January 9, 1989

Senate Committee - Testified: EDUCATION:  FOR:  Kip Tokuda, Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect; John Morefield, Gary Stevens, Louise McKinney, Gary Tubbs, Seattle School District; John Kvamme, Tacoma School District; John Oliver, Larry Stranz, Carol O'Connell, North Thurston School District; Bob Garrison, Tacoma Council PTA; Don Glabe, Tacoma School District; Suzy Mygatt Wakefield, Washington School Counselors Association; Gary Ness, HARK (Helping At-Risk Kids) Coalition; Cynthia Durday, Washington Association of School Psychologists; Amy Johnson, Bethel School District; David Addicott, Washington School Counselors Association; Phil Sorensen, Edmonds School District; Ellen Stoecker, School Nurse Organization of Washington; Barbara Myers, Washington Education Association - Educational Staff Associate Commission; Fred Schwindt, Morton School District; Bob Fisher, Washington Education Association; Lonnie Johns-Brown, Washington Association of Child Abuse Councils; Donna Shy, Washington State PTA; Dwayne Slate, Washington State School Directors' Association; Christine Van Vleck, Bethel School District

Senate Committee - Testified: WAYS & MEANS:  FOR: Senator Cliff Bailey, prime sponsor; Senator Nita Rinehart, sponsor; Lillian Barna, Superintendent, Tacoma School District; Bill Honeysett, Economic Development Board; Suzy Mygatt-Wakefield, Washington School Counselors Association; Karen Davis, Washington Education Association; Kris Van Gorkom, Washington Association of School Administrators; Donna Shy, Washington State PTA; Ted Nykriem, self; Dwayne Slate, Washington State School Directors Association; Don Johnson, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction