SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 5642

               As Passed Senate, March 15, 1995

Title:  An act relating to the international exchange student and teacher program in public schools.

Brief Description:  Requiring annual training for educational service district staff about placing exchange students and teachers in public schools.

Sponsors:  Senators Fraser and Rasmussen.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Education:  2/17/95, 2/24/95 [DP].

Passed Senate, 3/15/95, 35-6.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.

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

Staff:  Susan Mielke (786-7422)

Background:  In 1993, the Legislature established the Washington Task Force on International Education and Cultural Exchanges.  The Task Force made recommendations on ways to improve and expand international education and cultural exchanges.  The Task Force submitted final recommendations in November 1994.

The Task Force recommended that the Superintendent of Public Instruction provide training about bringing international students into the public high schools.

Summary of Bill:  If funds are appropriated, the Superintendent of Public Instruction must provide annual training for appropriate educational service district staff about bringing international exchange students and teachers into the public schools.  The training must be done in consultation with the Secretary of State, and the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service.  The training must include information on the technical procedures for placing exchange students and teachers, strategies to successfully integrate the exchange students, and the educational value of exchange students in the student population.  The educational service district must provide general information on the same issues to each school district.

School districts must annually report the number and country of origin of the international exchange students and teachers attending schools in the district.  The Superintendent of Public Instruction must encourage school districts to report the number and country of origin of students and teachers participating in other exchange programs.

A statute that requires the superintendent to provide schools with the names of international student exchange visitor placement organizations, and general information regarding international exchange students is repealed.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on January 6, 1995.

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

Testimony For:  International exchanges are integral to world understanding.  This bill sets up an information network to facilitate international exchanges, and improve the positive educational experience of both the international and Washington State students.  Information on the procedures for student exchanges is available but is not directly distributed to school districts unless it is specifically requested.  This would be a coordinated effort to get this information out to all school districts.  It would be even more helpful if administrators, principals, and counselors received the training that the Educational Service District (ESD) staff receives.  There was a concern that there would be a fiscal impact on the ESDs.

Testimony Against: None.

Testified:  PRO:  Senator Fraser, prime sponsor; Larry Strickland, OSPI; Ralph Munro, Secretary of State; Burton Bard, ACE; Frank Brouillet; Barbara Mertens, WA Assoc. of School Administrators; Paull Shin.