SENATE BILL REPORT

                                   ESSB 6326

                      AS PASSED SENATE, FEBRUARY 11, 1992

Brief Description:  Changing the Washington award for excellence.

SPONSORS: Senate Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Senators Gaspard, Bailey, Rinehart and Bauer)

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6326 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass. 

      Signed by Senators Bailey, Chairman; Erwin, Vice Chairman; Anderson, Craswell, Metcalf, Murray, Oke, Pelz, and Rinehart.

Staff:  Larry Davis (786‑7422)

Hearing Dates: January 27, 1992; January 30, 1992

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

BACKGROUND:

Under the Washington Award for Excellence in Education Program, teachers, principals or administrators, classified staff, superintendents and school boards are recognized for their leadership, contributions, and commitment to education. 

Teachers and principals or administrators may elect to receive an academic grant not to exceed the current full-time equivalent resident graduate tuition for courses taken at one of the state's public, four-year institutions of higher education.  Clarification of the statutory language regarding this award option would make it easier to administrate.

SUMMARY:

Recipients selecting the academic grant shall be reimbursed for tuition and fees up to 45 quarter and 30 semester credits.  A single rate of reimbursement per credit hour is established and shall not exceed the resident, graduate, part-time cost per credit hour at the University of Washington in the year the recipient takes the credits.

Existing language setting the dollar value of the academic grant at a level not to exceed the full-time resident graduate tuition at the research or regional universities and college is repealed.

The change in determining the value of the academic grant applies to all recipients regardless of the year in which they received their award.

A stipend not to exceed $1,000 is reinstated to accompany the academic grant for reimbursement of costs incurred in taking courses covered by the academic grant.  Reinstatement of the stipend of up to $1,000 to accompany the academic grant shall apply only to recipients for 1992 and beyond, and only if the stipends are funded in the budget.

The provision which grants 30 clock hours credit toward the State Board of Education's 150 clock hours continuing education requirement, for recipients who use the academic grant to take courses related to their responsibilities or assignments, is repealed.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  requested January 24, 1992

Effective Date:  The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect April 30, 1992.

TESTIMONY FOR:

The bill makes technical changes intended to simplify administration of the academic grant and eliminate confusion about what is the rate of reimbursement.

TESTIMONY AGAINST:  None

TESTIFIED:  Marilyn Sjolund, Higher Education Coordinating Board (pro); Marcia Costello, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (pro)

HOUSE AMENDMENT(S):

An internal reference to vocational-technical institutes is changed to reference technical colleges.

Language in the bill is restated in an additional section to clarify that for 1992 recipients and beyond, a $1,000 stipend to accompany the academic grant will be provided only if funds are provided in the budget.