HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 SSB 6267

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                          Education

Title:  An act relating to the principal internship support program.

Brief Description:  Changing provisions relating to the principal internship support program.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Senators McAuliffe, Sheldon, Johnson, Winsley, Rasmussen, Hochstatter, Drew and Smith).

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Education:  2/15/96, 2/22/96 [DP].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 18 members:  Representatives Brumsickle, Chairman; Elliot, Vice Chairman; Johnson, Vice Chairman; Cole, Ranking Minority Member; Keiser, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Clements; Fuhrman; Hatfield; Linville; McMahan; Pelesky; Poulsen; Quall; Radcliff; Smith; Talcott; B. Thomas and Thompson.

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

Staff:  Susan Ronn (786-7292).

Background:  In 1993, the Legislature created principal, superintendent, and administrator internship support programs.  The programs provide funds to school districts to hire substitutes for employees who are in these internship programs.  Currently, the districts must provide at least 45 student days of release time for the internships.  The maximum amount of state funding for each internship cannot exceed the statewide average cost of providing a substitute teacher for 45 days.

Candidates for internships must be enrolled in a state board-approved preparation program.  The candidate applies in writing to his or her local school district, then the school district determines which applicants meet its criteria for participation in the internship support program and notifies the educational service district (ESD) of those selected.  The district identifies a mentor for each intern and agrees to provide the release time.  The ESD, with the assistance of an advisory board, selects the internship participants.

Interns should be selected to reflect the percentage of minorities of the student population in the ESD, and should reflect, to the extent possible, an equal number of men and women.  If these requirements are not met, positions remain unfilled.  The unspent funds revert to the state general fund.

Summary of Bill:  Funds provided for the internship support programs are not limited to paying substitute costs, but may be used in a variety of ways to provide release time for interns.  The release time provided through this funding source is not to exceed 45 student days.

Language requiring candidates for the internship programs to reflect the percentage of minorities of the student population in the ESD and to represent an equal number of men and women is deleted.  If it is not possible to find qualified candidates within the ESD, the positions remain unfilled.  The unspent funds revert to the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI).  SPI then allocates these funds among ESDs with qualified candidates and not enough positions.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on January 10, 1996.

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

Testimony For:  Good, on-the-job training is provided in the 45 release days.  In some districts there is not a qualified pool of candidates, but in other districts there is a surplus.  This bill provides the flexibility to move the funds to districts that have more qualified candidates than available internship positions.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Barbara Eliason, Myra Baughman, Tom Churchill and Jim Eisenhardt, Association of School Principals.