Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Education Committee

SSB 6074

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Description: Enacting provisions to improve educational outcomes for homeless students.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education (originally sponsored by Senators Frockt, O'Ban, Mullet, Litzow, Rolfes, Fain, Billig, Rivers, Hasegawa, Kohl-Welles, Conway, Keiser, McAuliffe, Darneille, Fraser, Ranker, Kline and Brown).

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

  • Requires the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to report data on homeless students, which must be disaggregated by subgroups of students at both the state and district levels, to the Governor and the Legislature.

  • Requires the OSPI to post on its website a short video that provides information on identifying and providing support to homeless students, and why these activities are critical to student success.

  • Requires the OSPI to adopt and distribute best practices for choosing and training district-designated homeless student liaisons.

  • Requires school districts to report to the OSPI the dropout rates for homeless students in grades 7 through 12.

  • Requires school districts to strongly encourage additional training for staff and homeless student liaisons annually.

  • Requires school districts to include in existing information distributed with enrollment or annual information, information about services and support for homeless students.

Hearing Date: 2/24/14

Staff: Megan Wargacki (786-7194).

Background:

The federal McKinney-Vento Act requires local school districts to identify homeless students and provide them with support. Between 2005 and 2011, the number of homeless students identified in the State of Washington increased by 96 percent, to 27,300.

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is the agency charged with overseeing K-12 public education in Washington. The OSPI submits a report to the Legislature each year, accounting for the educational progress of each student in the state.

One component of these reports is the dropout rates for students in grades 7 through 12 by ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and disability status. The dropout rates for homeless students are not currently tracked or reported. The OSPI also tracks and reports transportation expenditures, including additional expenditures for transporting homeless students.

All school districts are required to post the educational rights of homeless students in all school buildings and throughout the community. The OSPI has a variety of posters related to this subject on its website that can be ordered or printed for free.

The OSPI has established a variety of programs that provide educational support and opportunities for students, including the Learning Assistance Program, the Highly Capable Program, and the Running Start Program.

Summary of Bill:

The OSPI must report data on homeless students to the Governor and the Legislature beginning January 10, 2015, and each odd-numbered year thereafter. This report should be disaggregated by subgroups of students, at both the state and district level, and include the following:

Rather than providing expenditures for tracking homeless students to the Council on Coordinated Transportation, the OSPI must post this information on its website.

By July 1, 2014, the OSPI must adopt and distribute to each school district best practices for choosing and training school district-designated homeless student liaisons and must collaborate with community experts on homelessness and homeless education policy to develop or acquire a short video to be posted on the OSPI's website. The video must provide information on identifying and providing support to homeless students, and why these activities are critical to student success.

In the school districts annual report to the OSPI, the districts must report dropout rates for identified homeless students in grades 7 through 12, in addition to the previously required data on the educational progress of students.

On an annual basis, school districts are required to strongly encourage an all-school staff review of the video, and a state training for the district-designated homeless student liaison. The school districts must include in existing materials shared with students, at the beginning of the school year or at enrollment, information about services and support for homeless students.

School districts may use the brochure posted on the OSPI's website and are strongly encouraged to use a variety of communications each year, including:

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.