S-0554.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5159

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Senators Honeyford, Rasmussen and Benton

Read first time 01/14/1999.  Referred to Committee on Education.

Changing the school district's payment rate for running start students attending Oregon or Idaho community colleges.

    AN ACT Relating to payments for running start students; and amending RCW 28A.600.385.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 28A.600.385 and 1998 c 63 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) School districts in Washington and community colleges in Oregon and Idaho may enter into cooperative agreements under chapter 39.34 RCW for the purpose of allowing eleventh and twelfth grade students who are enrolled in the school districts to earn high school and college credit concurrently.

    (2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, if a school district exercises the authority granted in subsection (1) of this section, the provisions of RCW 28A.600.310 through 28A.600.360 and 28A.600.380 through 28A.600.400 shall apply to the agreements.

    (3) A school district may enter an agreement in which the community college agrees to accept an amount less than the state-wide uniform rate under RCW 28A.600.310(2) if the community college does not charge participating students tuition and fees.  A school district may not pay a per-credit rate in excess of the state-wide uniform rate under RCW 28A.600.310(2) for students enrolled in Washington community colleges.  For students enrolled in community colleges in Oregon or Idaho, a school district may not pay a per-credit rate in excess of the state-wide uniform rate under RCW 28A.600.310(2) or the college's out-of-state tuition rate plus ten percent, whichever is lower.

    (4) To the extent feasible, the agreements shall permit participating students to attend the community college without paying any tuition and fees.  The agreements shall not permit the community college to charge participating students nonresident tuition and fee rates.

    (5) The agreements shall ensure that participating students are permitted to enroll only in courses that are transferable to one or more institutions of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016.

                            --- END ---