S-2058.1          _______________________________________________

                            SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5539

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State of Washington              54th Legislature             1995 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Senators McAuliffe, Hochstatter and Rasmussen; by request of Board of Education and Superintendent of Public Instruction)

Read first time 02/28/95.

Authorizing waivers for educational restructuring.

     AN ACT Relating to educational waivers; and adding a new section to chapter 28A.630 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.630 RCW to read as follows:

     (1) The state board of education, where appropriate, or the superintendent of public instruction, where appropriate, may grant waivers to districts from the provisions of statutes or rules relating to:  The length of the school year; student-to-teacher ratios; and other administrative rules that in the opinion of the state board of education or the opinion of the superintendent of public instruction may need to be waived in order for a district to implement a plan for restructuring its educational program or the educational program of individual schools within the district.

     (2) School districts may use the application process in RCW 28A.305.140 or 28A.300.138 to apply for the waivers under subsection (1) of this section.

     (3) The joint select committee on education restructuring shall study which waivers of state laws or rules are necessary for school districts to implement education restructuring.  The committee shall study whether the waivers are used to implement specific essential academic learning requirements and student learning goals.  The committee shall study the availability of waivers under the schools for the twenty-first century program created by chapter 525, Laws of 1987, and the use of those waivers by schools participating in that program.  The committee shall also study the use of waivers authorized under RCW 28A.305.140.  The committee shall report its findings to the legislature by December 1, 1997.

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