Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Education Committee

HB 1459

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 Summary of Bill

Establishes, subject to specific legislative funding, the Running Start Summer School Pilot Program (Pilot Program).
Directs the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (College Board) to select three applicant institutions of higher education to participate in the Pilot Program.
Directs the College Board to report findings and recommendations on the Pilot Program to the Governor and the education committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate by November 15, 2021.

Background:

Running Start Program.

Established in 1990, the Running Start program (Program) allows students in grades 11 and 12 to enroll in college courses at certain institutions of higher education and to simultaneously earn both high school and college credit. Students choosing to participate in the Program are responsible for applying for admission to the institution of higher education. Students in the Program do not pay for tuition, but do pay for educational materials, course fees, and transportation costs.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, and the Student Achievement Council are jointly responsible for developing and adopting rules governing the Program.

The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (College Board) is the state agency charged with coordinating and advocating on behalf of the state's 34 community and technical colleges (CTCs). The CTCs have open door policies, and their purpose is to provide comprehensive education and training that meets the needs of the community, basic skills and literacy education, and apprenticeship opportunities. The College Board also establishes guidelines for the disbursement of funds and allocates funding to each of the colleges.

Summary of Bill:

Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the Running Start Summer School Pilot Program (Pilot Program) is established in the College Board. The Pilot Program expires December 31, 2021.

The purpose of the Pilot Program is to provide any student who has completed grade 10 or 11, and who will be eligible to enroll in grade 11 or 12 in the subsequent school year, with the opportunity to apply to a participating institution of higher education to enroll in and complete courses or programs offered by the institution during its summer academic term.

The College Board, in accordance with an application process developed by it for this purpose, and in consultation with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, must select three applicant institutions of higher education to participate in the Pilot Program. In making the selections, the College Board must consider geographic diversity and efforts to serve a diversity of students, including those underserved by institutions of higher education.

Students participating in the Pilot Program must be able to enroll in a course or program offered by a participating institution of higher education during a summer term that is no later than after the conclusion of the 2019-20 school year of the applicable high school. Institutions of higher education participating in the Pilot Program must agree to do so for a period of time that includes two consecutive summer academic terms.

The College Board must report findings and recommendations from the Pilot Program, including recommending whether the program should be extended, to the Governor and the education committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate by November 15, 2021.