HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  SB 5806

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                          Education

Title:  An act relating to school district budget development dates.

Brief Description:  Allowing the superintendent of public instruction to delay the time at which school district budgets are made public if the state's operating budget is not finally approved before June 1st.

Sponsors:  Senators Johnson and McAuliffe.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Education:  3/24/95, 3/28/95 [DP].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 19 members:  Representatives Brumsickle, Chairman; Elliot, Vice Chairman; Johnson, Vice Chairman; Cole, Ranking Minority Member; Poulsen, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Clements; Dickerson; G. Fisher; Fuhrman; Hatfield; McMahan; Pelesky; Quall; Radcliff; Smith; Talcott; B. Thomas; Thompson and Veloria.

Staff:  Robert Butts (786-7111).

Background:  School districts must follow a timeline provided in state law when preparing, adopting and filing the district's annual budget.  Each school district must prepare its budget for the upcoming fiscal year before July 10.  Second-class districts must submit their budget to the Educational Service District (ESD) by July 15 for review and comment.  First-class school districts must submit their budget to the ESD by July 20 for review and comment.

School districts' budgets are based in large part on funds appropriated by the Legislature in the state's operating budget.  In some years the operating budget is not passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor until after June 1.

Summary of Bill:  In years when the state operating budget is approved prior to June 1, the date in which all school districts must submit their budgets to the appropriate ESD is changed to July 10.

In years when the state operating budget is not approved until after June 1, the Superintendent of Public Instruction has the authority to delay the date when districts must complete their preliminary budgets and submit their budgets to the appropriate ESD.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Testimony For:  In years when the state operating budget is not passed until June, school districts are required to put together hypothetical budgets that do not serve the public or the district.  This legislation will allow districts to prepare budgets with knowledge about the actual amounts of state funds that will be received.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Dwayne Slate, Washington State School Directors' Association.