AN ACT Relating to K-12 education personnel training and recruitment; amending RCW 28A.415.010 and 28A.630.400; creating new sections; and recodifying RCW 28A.305.260, 28A.305.270, and 28A.405.450.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. It is the intent of RCW 28A.415.010 and 28A.405.450 as recodified by this act to foster and consolidate K-12 educational staff recruitment and training programs and to provide a continuum of coordinated, comprehensive, regionalized programs designed to enhance the quality of instruction, as well as to improve the ethnic and racial diversity reflected in Washington's K-12 education personnel.

Sec. 2. RCW 28A.415.010 and 1990 c 33 s 414 are each amended to read as follows:

It shall be the responsibility of each educational service district board to establish a center for the improvement of teaching. The center shall administer, coordinate, and act as fiscal agent for such programs related to the recruitment and training of certificated and classified K-12 education personnel as may be delegated to the center by the superintendent of public instruction under RCW 28A.310.470, or the state board of education under RCW 28A.310.480. To assist in these activities, each educational service district board shall establish an improvement of teaching coordinating council to include, at a minimum, representatives as specified in RCW 28A.415.040. An existing in-service training task force, established pursuant to RCW 28A.415.040, may serve as the improvement of teaching coordinating council. The educational service district board shall ensure coordination of programs established pursuant to RCW 28A.415.030, 28A.410.060, and 28A.405.450 as recodified by this 1991 act.

The educational service district board may arrange each year for the holding of one or more teachers' institutes and/or workshops for professional staff preparation and in‑service training in such manner and at such time as the board believes will be of benefit to the teachers and other professional staff of school districts within the educational service district and shall comply with rules and regulations of the state board of education pursuant to RCW 28A.410.060 or the superintendent of public instruction or state board of education pursuant to RCW 28A.405.450 as recodified by this 1991 act. The board may provide such additional means of teacher and other professional staff preparation and in‑service training as it may deem necessary or appropriate and there shall be a proper charge against the educational service district general expense fund when approved by the educational service district board.

Educational service district boards of contiguous educational service districts, by mutual arrangements, may hold joint institutes and/or workshops, the expenses to be shared in proportion to the numbers of certificated personnel as shown by the last annual reports of the educational service districts holding such joint institutes or workshops.

In local school districts employing more than one hundred teachers and other professional staff, the school district superintendent may hold a teachers' institute of one or more days in such district, said institute when so held by the school district superintendent to be in all respects governed by the provisions of this title and state board of education rules and regulations relating to teachers' institutes held by educational service district superintendents.

Sec. 3. RCW 28A.630.400 and 1989 c 370 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The state board of education and the state board for community college education, in consultation with the superintendent of public instruction, the higher education coordinating board, the state apprenticeship training council, and community colleges, shall work cooperatively to develop by September 1, 1992, ((~~a ninety unit~~)) an educational paraprofessional associate of arts degree.

(2) As used in this section, an "educational paraprofessional" is an individual who has completed an associate of arts degree for an educational paraprofessional. The educational paraprofessional may be hired by a school district to assist certificated instructional staff in the direct instruction of children in small and large groups, individualized instruction, testing of children, recordkeeping, and preparation of materials. The educational paraprofessional shall work under the direction of instructional certificated staff.

(3) The training program for an educational paraprofessional associate of arts degree shall include, but is not limited to, the general requirements for receipt of an associate of arts degree and training in the areas of introduction to childhood education, orientation to handicapped children, fundamentals of childhood education, creative activities for children, instructional materials for children, fine art experiences for children, the psychology of learning, introduction to education, child health and safety, child development and guidance, first aid, and a practicum in a school setting.

(4) In developing the program, consideration shall be given to transferability of credit earned in this program to teacher preparation programs at colleges and universities.

(5) The agencies identified under subsection (1) of this section shall adopt rules as necessary under chapter 34.05 RCW to implement this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. RCW 28A.305.260, 28A.305.270, and 28A.405.450 are each recodified as sections in chapter 28A.415 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The code reviser shall correct all references in the revised code of Washington to the sections of the code that are recodified by section 4 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. If specific funding for the purposes of this act, referencing this act by bill number, is not provided by June 30, 1991, in the omnibus appropriations act, this act shall be null and void.