HOUSE BILL REPORT

                E2SHB 1156

                    As Amended by Senate

Title:  An act relating to assisting school districts to establish and develop educational foundations.

Brief Description:  Requiring  the DCTED to provide support to individuals and organizations for the establishment of nonprofit education foundations.

Sponsors:  By House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Dickerson, Brumsickle, Radcliff, Chopp, Mason, Cody, Hatfield, Poulsen, Veloria, Morris, Cole, Skinner, Tokuda, Costa, Elliot, Wolfe and Ogden).

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Education:  1/24/95, 1/26/95, 1/31/95 [DPS];

Appropriations:  3/1/95, 3/4/95 [DP2S(w/o sub ED)].

Floor Activity:

Passed House:  3/10/95, 90-8.

Senate Amended.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 18 members:  Representatives Brumsickle, Chair; Elliot, Vice Chair; Johnson, Vice Chair; Cole, Ranking Minority Member; Poulsen, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Clements; Dickerson; G. Fisher; Fuhrman; Hatfield; Pelesky; Quall; Radcliff; Smith; Talcott; B. Thomas; Thompson and Veloria.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.  Signed by 1 member:  Representative McMahan.

Staff:  Robert Butts (786-7111).

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Majority Report:  The second substitute bill be substituted therefor and the second substitute bill do pass and do not pass the substitute bill by Committee on Education.  Signed by 17 members:  Representatives Silver, Chairman; Clements, Vice Chairman; Huff, Vice Chairman; Sommers, Ranking Minority Member; Valle, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Brumsickle; Chappell; G. Fisher; Grant; Jacobsen; Poulsen; Reams; Rust; Sehlin; Sheahan; Thibaudeau and Wolfe.

Minority Report:  Without recommendation.  Signed by 12 members:  Representatives Pelesky, Vice Chairman; Beeksma; Carlson; Cooke; Crouse; Foreman; Hargrove; Hickel; Lambert; Lisk; McMorris and Talcott.

Staff:  Jack Daray (786-7178).

Background:  Educational foundations are private, nonprofit partnerships between school districts and local communities that are created to provide financial and other support to school districts.  Foundations often access private, federal, and local resources that may not otherwise be available and are able to serve students in innovative ways. 

There are approximately 20 public school foundations in the state.  Types of existing efforts supported or administered by foundations include drop-out prevention programs, homeschool partnership programs, technology support, and innovative classroom grants.

Summary of Bill:  The Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development  is directed to hire a contractor to provide support, guidance, training, and technical assistance to individuals and organizations for the establishment and development of nonprofit educational foundations.   The department is to solicit proposals from identified organizations and others who have the necessary expertise and experience.

The department also is to contract with a third party to evaluate the effectiveness of efforts to assist educational foundations and to submit the evaluation to the Legislature by December 1, 1999.

The act expires on December 31, 1999.

EFFECT OF SENATE AMENDMENT(S):

The expiration date of the assistance program is changed from December 31, 1999, to December 31, 1997.  A third-party evaluation of the program is removed.  A technical change is made.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on January 18, 1995.

Effective Date of Bill:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.  However, the bill is null and void if not funded in the budget.

Testimony For:   (Education)  Existing educational foundations assist school districts in many ways: they get community members more involved in our schools,  provide financial assistance, and reward good teachers through classroom grants.  To start a foundation, however, is complicated.  One must file with the IRS, write bylaws, develop an operating agreement with the school district, and select board members. This bill will provide assistance to those who want to start new foundations in districts that currently do not have one.

 (Appropriations)  Same as Education Committee.

Testimony Against:  (Education)  None.

 (Appropriations)  None.

Testified:  (Education)  Christina Peterson, Coalition of Public Schools Foundations (pro); Cheryl Marshall, citizen (pro); Rep. Dickerson, prime sponsor (pro); Jean Ameluxen, Superintendent of Public Instruction (pro); Judy Hartmann, Washington Education Association (pro);  Jan Stout, Washington Association of Partners in Education (pro); and Dwayne Slate, Washington State School Directors' Association (pro).

(Appropriations)  Christina Peterson, Coalition of Public Schools Foundations (pro); Cheryl Marshall, citizen (pro); Rep. Dickerson, prime sponsor (pro); Jean Ameluxen, Superintendent of Public Instruction (pro); Judy Hartmann, Washington Education Association (pro);  Jan Stout, Washington Association of Partners in Education (pro); and Dwayne Slate, Washington State School Directors' Association (pro).

Votes on Final Passage:

Yeas 90; Nays 8

Nays:  Cairnes, Chandler, Cooke, Hargrove, Honeyford, Lisk, Mielke, Mulliken