Brief Description: Authorizing incentive funds to maintain or increase the number of students in skill centers.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Early Learning, K-12 & Higher Education (originally sponsored by Senators Rockefeller, Benton, Fairley, Oke, Keiser, Zarelli, Shin, Rasmussen and Kohl-Welles).

Hearing Date: 3/28/05

Staff: Susan Morrissey (786-7111).

Background:

Ten skills centers currently provide Washington high school students with instruction in career and technical skills. Skills centers operate under cooperative agreements between participating school districts and are governed by an administrative council comprised of the superintendents of the participating districts, with each district having an equal vote in decision making. The centers generate full-time equivalent (FTE) funding and receive enhanced funding for those courses approved as career and technical education courses by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

Students may be enrolled at a high school and a skills center simultaneously for an aggregate of instructional hours in excess of 1.0 FTE. Under current apportionment rules adopted by the OSPI, a student may not generate funding of more than 1.0 FTE regardless of the aggregate enrolled hours of instruction between the high school and the skills center.

Under the Running Start program a student's enrollment in high school courses and his/her enrollment in college or university courses are determined separately, allowing the student to generate more than 1.0 FTE.

Summary of Bill:

To the extent funds are appropriated, the OSPI must provide incentive funds to school districts to maintain or increase the number of students attending skills centers. The OSPI may adopt rules to implement the incentive funds.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Requested on March 25, 2005.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.