BILL REQ. #:  H-3920.1 

Read first time 01/14/2004.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     WHEREAS, The education of Washington's children is the state's paramount duty and the state has an obligation to define and fund a basic education for each child in the state's public school system; and
     WHEREAS, Through education reform laws and revisions to the state's basic education act, the state has determined that children need to have educational opportunities based on academic standards set at internationally competitive levels; and
     WHEREAS, The legislature has not reexamined the components of the state's basic education law since the passage of either the state education reform act in 1993 or the federal "No Child Left Behind Act" in 2002; and
     WHEREAS, The state has not reexamined the definition of basic education to determine its alignment with the expectations that colleges and universities have for incoming freshmen; and
     WHEREAS, The state has an obligation to fund its definition of basic education so the definition needs to take into account the state's expectations for students and its ability to pay for those expectations for at least a generation of students; and
     WHEREAS, The state also needs to stabilize and clarify its educational expectations of parents, students, teachers, taxpayers, employers and others on the types of achievement expected as a result of a student receiving a basic education and the types of accountability measures that need to be in place to address those expectations;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the House of Representatives of the state of Washington, the Senate concurring, That a joint select committee be convened to review and make recommendations on the state's basic education laws; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the committee be composed of eight legislators, of which two from each major caucus, shall appoint, and shall appoint two from each major caucus; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That members of the joint select committee shall receive staff support from the office of program research and senate committee services and per diem and travel per RCW 44.04.120; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That members of the joint select committee shall examine the statutory definition of basic education to determine whether the current requirements align with and support the goals and requirements of the state's education reform laws and the national education reform act, entitled the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001" and shall recommend to the legislature any refinements or modifications needed to align the basic education laws to the state's education reform laws; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the joint select committee shall hold at least one widely publicized public hearing in each legislative district to accept public comment on the existing definition of basic education and on possible modifications to that definition; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the joint select committee may consult with and create subcommittees that include, but need not be limited to parents, students, education professionals, and interested community members; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the joint select committee report its findings and recommendations to the legislature by January 3, 2007; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the joint select committee be dissolved by June 30, 2007.