HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1606

                       As Passed House

                       March 17, 1993

Title:  An act relating to teacher recruitment.

Brief Description:  Moving the teachers recruiting future teachers program from the office of the superintendent of public instruction to the professional development centers in educational service districts.

Sponsors:  Representatives Hansen, Cothern, Brumsickle, King and Rayburn; by request of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

Education, February 25, 1993, DP;

  Passed House, March 17, 1993, 91-6.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 14 members:  Representatives Dorn, Chair; Cothern, Vice Chair; Brough, Ranking Minority Member; Brumsickle; G. Cole; Eide; G. Fisher; Hansen; Holm; Jones; Karahalios; J. Kohl; Patterson; and Pruitt.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.  Signed by 4 members:  Representatives Thomas, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Carlson; Stevens; and Vance.

Staff:  Shirley Leckman (786-7291).

Background:  The Superintendent of Public Instruction is asking that the education code be changed to reflect actual procedure - the Teachers Recruiting Future Teachers program (TRFT) has been administered by the professional development centers in the Educational Service Districts (ESDs) since 1991.

The TRFT program was created in response to several issues evident in the teaching profession:  inability to attract people to the profession due to low professional esteem, predicted shortages of teachers, and lack of minority representation.  Middle and high school students, with an emphasis on minority students, are recruited to participate in year-long internships in classrooms.  Teacher mentors are assigned to each intern.

Summary of Bill:  The Teachers Recruiting Future Teachers program is moved from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to the professional development centers in the ESDs.

The mandate to promote and expand the annual education week at institutions of higher education is eliminated.

A mandate is added for the professional development centers to place special emphasis on recruitment of future teachers who are representative of the diversity of public school populations.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  The TRFT program is being moved from the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to the ESDs as a matter of efficiency.  The people who are working on this program are located at the ESDs, and it is more efficient for them to deal with the respective ESDs than to route everything through SPI in Olympia.

The program needs to be expanded across the state.  Participating students find the programs interesting and learn to understand a teacher's perspective.  They learn about learning styles, tutoring, speaking to groups and other skills that can all be applied to any job situation, as well as in their adult lives.

Testimony Against:  None.

Witnesses:  Susan Patrick, SPI; Jacquie Simonds, TRFT Program Executive Director; Rebecca Downey, TRFT teacher in North Thurston School District; Representative Basich; Dick Moody, Association of Educational Service Districts; Willard DeRowen, TRFT student; Nikki Mailey, TRFT student; Luan Le, TRFT student; and Ryan Eng, TRFT student.