SENATE BILL REPORT
SSB 6823
As Passed Senate, March 12, 2002
Title: An act relating to the formula for determining certificated instructional staff salaries for state‑funded basic education certificated instructional staff.
Brief Description: Regarding the salary formula for state‑funded basic education certificated instructional staff.
Sponsors: Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Finkbeiner and McAuliffe).
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Ways & Means: 2/28/02, 3/1/02 DPS].
Passed Senate: 3/12/02, 48-0.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS
Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6823 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.
Signed by Senators Brown, Chair; Regala, Vice Chair; Fairley, Vice Chair; Fraser, Honeyford, Kline, Kohl‑Welles, Poulsen, Rasmussen, Rossi, B. Sheldon, Snyder, Spanel and Thibaudeau.
Staff: Bill Freund (786-7441)
Background: RCW 28A.150.410 requires the Legislature to establish in the appropriations act a salary allocation schedule to distribute state funds to school districts for basic education certificated instructional staff in the apportionment and special education programs. The salary allocation schedule is one of the documents used by the state to account for differences in the education and experience of each district's certificated instructional staff. Typically, the greater the experience and education of the district's staff, the higher the pay.
Currently two other documents are referenced in the appropriations act: a listing of each district's state funded beginning teacher salary; and a table of increments for experience and education. The salary allocation schedule by itself is not sufficient to calculate the salary allocation because there are 34 school districts with state funded salary levels above the salary schedule published in the appropriations act. Therefore, the statute is not consistent with the Legislature's method of funding certificated instructional staff salaries.
The calculation of average certificated instructional staff salaries is limited to two programs, apportionment and special education. The recently enacted federal "No Child Left Behind Act" and Initiative 728 provide school districts with funds that can be commingled with state basic education funds. This allows school districts some latitude in determining which program to assign a teacher to. If a district assigns its more experienced teachers and more educated teachers to the state basic education program and its less experienced teachers to the other programs, the district can increase its allocation of state funds.
Summary of Bill: The Superintendent of Public Instruction, when calculating salary allocations for certificated instructional staff, is required to use the state salary allocation schedule and related documents, conditions and limitations established by the omnibus appropriations act.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect on September 1, 2002.
Testimony For: None.
Testimony Against: None.
Testified: No one.