SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 5556
AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 1, 1993
Brief Description: Changing provisions relating to state schools for the blind, deaf, and sensory impaired.
SPONSORS: Senators Bauer, Snyder, Deccio and Sutherland; by request of Washington State School for the Blind and Washington State School for the Deaf
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5556 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.
Signed by Senators Pelz, Chairman; McAuliffe, Vice Chairman; Gaspard, Hochstatter, McDonald, Moyer, Nelson, M. Rasmussen, Rinehart, Skratek, A. Smith, and Winsley.
Staff: Susan Mielke (786‑7439)
Hearing Dates: February 26, 1993; March 1, 1993
BACKGROUND:
The State School for the Blind and the State School for the Deaf are located in Vancouver, Washington. The School for the Blind serves 65-80 students on-campus and provides vision services to an additional 60 students. The School for the Deaf provides services to 160-170 students on-campus.
SUMMARY:
The mandatory requirement that the Department of Social and Health Services provide services if the state schools for the blind, deaf, and sensory impaired request services, is deleted.
The mandatory requirement that the superintendents of state schools for the blind, deaf, and sensory impaired adopt rules, consistent with collective bargaining agreements, regarding the transferability of employees between the schools, is made permissive. Working conditions at the schools for the blind, deaf, and sensory impaired are required to be consistent with all state merit rules and regulations as well as collective bargaining agreements.
The duties of the superintendent of each state school are expanded to include providing instructional leadership.
Services may be extended to eligible children ages birth through three years but the state is not obligated to fund these extended services.
The program providing weekend transportation to and from the schools is clarified so that it shall be provided at no cost to the students or their families as allowed within the budgets of each school.
The eligibility for ex-officio membership on the boards is expanded to include a representative of any employee in a bargaining unit for classified employees. The minimum number of meetings per year required of each board of trustees is changed from six to four.
The requirement for local advisory committees for each school is repealed.
EFFECT OF PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE:
Technical amendments to clarify and correct language are made.
Appropriation: none
Revenue: none
Fiscal Note: requested February 16, 1993
TESTIMONY FOR:
The changes make the statutory language consistent with current practices of the State School for the Blind and the State School for the Deaf. The change of the minimum of meetings of the boards of trustees would save money.
TESTIMONY AGAINST: None
TESTIFIED: Dean Stenjhem, State School for the Blind (pro); Gary Holman, State School for the Deaf (pro)