SENATE BILL REPORT

                 E2SHB 1156

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

                   Education, March 28, 1995

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

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

Sponsors:  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:  3/21/95, 3/28/95 [DPA, DNP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.

  Signed by Senators McAuliffe, Chair; Pelz, Vice Chair; Gaspard and Rasmussen.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.

  Signed by Senators Finkbeiner, Hochstatter and Johnson.

Staff:  Susan Mielke (786-7422)

Background:  Educational foundations are private, nonprofit corporations organized for the purpose of benefitting education in districts and local communities.  The foundations provide financial and other support.  Foundations often can access private, federal, and local resources that may not otherwise be available to public schools.

Existing efforts supported or administered by foundations include drop-out prevention programs, innovative classroom grants, and math clubs for girls.

Summary of Amended 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 must also 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 is null and void if it does not specifically receive funding in the budget.

Amended Bill Compared to Substitute Bill:  Technical corrections are made.  The term "partnership" is replaced with the term "corporation."

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

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

Testimony For:  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.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Rep. Dickerson, prime sponsor (pro); Judy Hartmann, Washington Education Association (pro).