FINAL BILL REPORT

EHB 2748

C 234 L 02

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Requiring monitoring of programs for the education of highly capable students.

Sponsors:  By Representatives Schual‑Berke and Anderson.

House Committee on Education

Senate Committee on Education

Background:

School districts, individually or jointly, have the option of providing programs for highly capable students.  The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is required to administer a program for and allocate state funds to school districts that choose to provide programs for highly capable students.  The funds are provided to supplement basic education funding for these students.  For the 2001‑03 biennium, the budget limits the percentage of highly capable students eligible for funding in each school district to 2 percent of a district's full‑time equivalent enrollment.

The 2001‑03 biennial budget includes $12,840,000 for these programs.  This amounts to $328.10 per student in the first year of the biennium and $328.05 per student in the second biennial year, excluding salary and benefit adjustments included in the budget.

Summary:

Beginning with the 2002‑03 school year, the OSPI will monitor programs for highly capable students at least once every five years.  The OSPI may adopt rules for the program review and monitoring and may conduct them concurrently with other program reviews.  In the monitoring and review process, the OSPI will review district outreach efforts, expenditure patterns, and data on support performance.  Beginning on June 30, 2003, and every five years after that date, OSPI will report to the legislative education committees with a brief description of the different instructional programs offered to highly capable students.

Votes on Final Passage:

House971

Senate481(Senate amended)

House940(House concurred)

Effective:  June 13, 2002