HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1288

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                          Education

Title:  An act relating to changing the name of the noncertificated employee category.

Brief Description:  Changing the name of the noncertificated employee category.

Sponsors:  Representatives Johnson, Hickel, Conway, Cody, Cole, Quall, Smith, Blalock, L. Thomas and D. Schmidt.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Education:  2/4/97, 2/6/97 [DP].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 10 members:  Representatives Johnson, Chairman; Hickel, Vice Chairman; Cole, Ranking Minority Member; Keiser, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Linville; Smith; Sterk; Sump; Talcott and Veloria.

Staff:  Joe Hauth (786-7111).

Background:  School district personnel include Acertificated@ and Aclassified@ personnel.  The Superintendent of Public Instruction issues four types of certificates:

$teacher certificates;

$administrator certificates for principals, superintendents, or program administrators;

$educational staff associate certificates for personnel such as counselors, librarians, school nurses, and psychologists; and

$vocational certificates for vocational education instructors.

Classified personnel include clerks, custodians, bus drivers, educational assistants, maintenance employees, food service workers, and supervisors.  The Superintendent of Public Instruction does not certify classified personnel.

Currently, the terms  Aclassified@ and Anoncertificated@ are used synonymously in the education code.

Summary of Bill:  References to Anoncertificated@ staff are changed to Aclassified.@

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.  However, section 2 of this act takes effect September 1, 2000 unless a law is enacted stating that a school accountability and academic assessment system is not in place.

Testimony For:  Replacing the term Anoncertificated@ with Aclassified@ explains what we are rather than what we aren=t.  The name change will not have a significant effect on the current laws.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Tamara Warnke, Kathy Whitlock, Jim Richardson, and Ken McCulloch, Public School Employees.