BILL REQ. #:  S-4369.1 

Read first time 01/17/2006.   Referred to Committee on Early Learning, K-12 & Higher Education.

     AN ACT Relating to establishing the Washington teach math-science program to increase the number and enhance the preparation of secondary school mathematics and science teachers; amending RCW 28B.102.040, 28B.102.060, and 28A.660.050; reenacting and amending RCW 43.84.092; adding a new section to chapter 28B.76 RCW; adding a new chapter to Title 28B RCW; making appropriations; and providing an effective date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The legislature finds that Washington students are not adequately prepared in mathematics and science:
     (a) Despite steady annual improvement, fewer than half of the seventh and tenth grade students met the state standard in mathematics on the Washington assessment of student learning in 2004;
     (b) Early results from the eighth grade students taking the Washington assessment of student learning in science show that under forty percent met the standard;
     (c) In 2003, nearly half of recent high school graduates attending community and technical colleges enrolled in remedial mathematics courses because they were not ready for college-level mathematics; and
     (d) In 2003, fewer than seventeen percent of bachelor's degrees awarded by public colleges and universities in Washington were in science and engineering fields, a proportion that declined over the previous ten years.
     (2) The legislature further finds that knowledge and skills in mathematics and science are critical for Washington's future economic development and the state's overall well-being:
     (a) Jobs at all levels of training and in multiple fields - from manufacturing and construction, to accounting and finance, to computer technical support and programming - increasingly require workers to perform calculations and analysis at higher levels of complexity;
     (b) Shortages in the state's health care work force are well documented. Health care providers at all levels need strong backgrounds in physical and life sciences;
     (c) Growth in the state's technology, biotechnology, and engineering industries is dependent on ready access to individuals with advanced training and degrees in mathematics and science.
     (3) Finally, the legislature finds that a critical bottleneck for future improvement in students' mathematics and science capabilities is the availability of highly qualified mathematics and science teachers, particularly in secondary schools.
     (4) Therefore, the legislature intends to take a comprehensive approach to improving the quantity and quality of secondary school mathematics and science teachers by creating the Washington teach math-science program.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   The Washington teach math-science program is hereby created. The program consists of the following components:
     (1) The teacher preparation programs developed under section 4 of this act;
     (2) The public-private advisory committee established under section 5 of this act;
     (3) Targeted conditional scholarships and loan repayments for future secondary mathematics and science teachers authorized under section 6 of this act; and
     (4) Targeted alternative routes conditional scholarships and loan repayments for future mathematics and science teachers authorized under section 8 of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
     (1) "Residency certification" means the first-level teaching certification established under RCW 28A.410.010.
     (2) "Secondary mathematics or science" means academic courses and majors that would qualify a teacher for an endorsement on his or her teaching certificate in middle-level mathematics and science; secondary mathematics; secondary science; or the secondary designated sciences of biology, chemistry, earth science, or physics.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   (1) The higher education coordinating board and the professional educator standards board shall jointly select two institutions of higher education, as defined in RCW 28B.10.016, to develop and implement a comprehensive program to prepare secondary mathematics and science teachers. The programs shall be available for students by the fall 2007 term and shall include the following components:
     (a) A streamlined curriculum collaboratively designed by the college of education and the college of arts and sciences or their equivalents that permits students to earn a bachelor's degree and residency certification in secondary mathematics or science within four academic years; and
     (b) Recruitment and outreach to prospective high school and college students who have expressed interest in mathematics and science, informing them about the program and encouraging them to explore a teaching career.
     (2) Requests for proposals to participate under subsection (1) of this section shall be developed and released by the higher education coordinating board and the professional educator standards board by June 15, 2006.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   A new section is added to chapter 28B.76 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The board and the professional educator standards board shall convene an advisory committee consisting of business and community leaders. The advisory committee shall:
     (a) Solicit for and accept grants and donations from public and private sources for authorized professional development opportunities for students participating in a program established under section 4 of this act and for practicing teachers who completed a program established under section 4 of this act;
     (b) Assist in the identification and development of authorized professional development opportunities for students participating in a program established under section 4 of this act and for practicing teachers who completed a program established under section 4 of this act, including:
     (i) Internship experiences during students' first two years of college that provide early exposure to secondary mathematics and science classrooms, in addition to required student teaching experiences;
     (ii) Best practice seminars taught by exemplary secondary mathematics and science teachers;
     (iii) Mentors and other supports for teachers during the first five years of their teaching careers; and
     (iv) Summer work experiences for teachers in businesses and industries related to mathematics and science; and
     (c) Advise the board and the professional educator standards board on development of rules regarding awards under this section.
     (2) The Washington teach math-science professional development account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All receipts from private moneys solicited from public and private sources for authorized professional development opportunities under this section must be deposited into the account. Expenditures from the account may be used only for professional development opportunities as provided under this section. Only the director of the higher education coordinating board or the director's designee may authorize expenditures from the account. The account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures.

Sec. 6   RCW 28B.102.040 and 2005 c 518 s 918 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The board may select participants based on an application process conducted by the board or the board may ((utilize)) use selection processes for similar students in cooperation with the professional educator standards board or the office of the superintendent of public instruction.
     (2) If the board selects participants for the program, it shall establish a selection committee for screening and selecting recipients of the conditional scholarships. The criteria shall emphasize factors demonstrating excellence including but not limited to superior scholastic achievement, leadership ability, community contributions, bilingual ability, willingness to commit to providing teaching service in shortage areas, and an ability to act as a role model for students. Priority will be given to individuals seeking certification or an additional endorsement in math, science, technology, or special education.
     (3) Beginning July 1, 2006, the board shall increase the number of conditional scholarships awarded by seventy to eligible students who intend to teach secondary mathematics or science over the number awarded to prospective secondary mathematics or science teachers for the 2005-06 academic year.
     (4) For fiscal years 2006 and 2007, additional priority shall be given to such individuals who are also bilingual. It is the intent of the legislature to develop a pool of dual-language teachers in order to meet the challenge of educating students who are dominant in languages other than English.

Sec. 7   RCW 28B.102.060 and 2004 c 58 s 7 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Participants in the conditional scholarship program incur an obligation to repay the conditional scholarship, with interest and an equalization fee, unless they teach for two years in an approved education program for each year of scholarship received, under rules adopted by the board. Participants who teach in a designated teacher shortage area or those receiving funds under RCW 28B.102.040(3) shall have one year of loan canceled for each year they teach in the shortage area.
     (2) The interest rate shall be determined annually by the board. Participants who fail to complete the teaching service shall incur an equalization fee based on the remaining unforgiven balance of the loan. The equalization fee shall be added to the remaining balance and repaid by the participant.
     (3) The minimum payment shall be set by the board. The maximum period for repayment shall be ten years, with payments of principal and interest accruing quarterly commencing six months from the date the participant completes or discontinues the course of study. Provisions for deferral of payment shall be determined by the board.
     (4) The entire principal and interest of each payment shall be forgiven for each payment period in which the participant teaches in an approved education program until the entire repayment obligation is satisfied. Should the participant cease to teach in an approved education program in this state before the participant's repayment obligation is completed, payments on the unsatisfied portion of the principal and interest shall begin the next payment period and continue until the remainder of the participant's repayment obligation is satisfied.
     (5) The board is responsible for collection of repayments made under this section and shall exercise due diligence in such collection, maintaining all necessary records to insure that maximum repayments are made. Collection and servicing of repayments under this section shall be pursued using the full extent of the law, including wage garnishment if necessary. The board is responsible to forgive all or parts of such repayments under the criteria established in this section and shall maintain all necessary records of forgiven payments.
     (6) Receipts from the payment of principal or interest or any other subsidies to which the board as administrator is entitled, which are paid by or on behalf of participants under this section, shall be deposited in the future teachers conditional scholarship account and shall be used to cover the costs of granting the conditional scholarships, maintaining necessary records, and making collections under subsection (5) of this section. The board shall maintain accurate records of these costs, and all receipts beyond those necessary to pay such costs shall be used to grant conditional scholarships to eligible students.
     (7) The board shall adopt rules to define the terms of repayment, including applicable interest rates, fees, and deferments.

Sec. 8   RCW 28A.660.050 and 2004 c 23 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:
     The alternative route conditional scholarship program is created under the following guidelines:
     (1) The program shall be administered by the higher education coordinating board. In administering the program, the higher education coordinating board has the following powers and duties:
     (a) To adopt necessary rules and develop guidelines to administer the program;
     (b) To collect and manage repayments from participants who do not meet their service obligations; and
     (c) To accept grants and donations from public and private sources for the program.
     (2) Participation in the alternative route conditional scholarship program is limited to interns of the partnership grant programs under RCW 28A.660.040. The Washington professional educator standards board shall select interns to receive conditional scholarships.
     (3) In order to receive conditional scholarship awards, recipients shall be accepted and maintain enrollment in alternative certification routes through the partnership grant program, as provided in RCW 28A.660.040. Recipients must continue to make satisfactory progress towards completion of the alternative route certification program and receipt of a residency teaching certificate.
     (4) For the purpose of this chapter, a conditional scholarship is a loan that is forgiven in whole or in part in exchange for service as a certificated teacher employed in a Washington state K-12 public school. The state shall forgive one year of loan obligation for every two years a recipient teaches in a public school. Recipients that fail to continue a course of study leading to residency teacher certification or cease to teach in a public school in the state of Washington in their endorsement area are required to repay the remaining loan principal with interest.
     (5) Recipients who fail to fulfill the required teaching obligation are required to repay the remaining loan principal with interest and any other applicable fees. The higher education coordinating board shall adopt rules to define the terms for repayment, including applicable interest rates, fees, and deferments.
     (6) Beginning July 1, 2006, the board shall increase the number of conditional scholarships awarded to eligible participants who intend to teach secondary mathematics or science by thirty more than the number awarded to prospective secondary mathematics or science teachers for the 2005-06 academic year. Participants who teach mathematics or science shall have one year of loan canceled for each year they teach in a district with a documented shortage of mathematics or science teachers.
     (7) To the extent funds are appropriated for this specific purpose, the annual amount of the scholarship is the annual cost of tuition; fees; and educational expenses, including books, supplies, and transportation for the alternative route certification program in which the recipient is enrolled, not to exceed eight thousand dollars. The board may adjust the annual award by the average rate of resident undergraduate tuition and fee increases at the state universities as defined in RCW 28B.10.016.
     (((7))) (8) The higher education coordinating board may deposit all appropriations, collections, and any other funds received for the program in this chapter in the ((student loan)) account authorized in RCW 28B.102.060.

Sec. 9   RCW 43.84.092 and 2005 c 514 s 1106, 2005 c 353 s 4, 2005 c 339 s 23, 2005 c 314 s 110, 2005 c 312 s 8, and 2005 c 94 s 2 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     (1) All earnings of investments of surplus balances in the state treasury shall be deposited to the treasury income account, which account is hereby established in the state treasury.
     (2) The treasury income account shall be utilized to pay or receive funds associated with federal programs as required by the federal cash management improvement act of 1990. The treasury income account is subject in all respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for refunds or allocations of interest earnings required by the cash management improvement act. Refunds of interest to the federal treasury required under the cash management improvement act fall under RCW 43.88.180 and shall not require appropriation. The office of financial management shall determine the amounts due to or from the federal government pursuant to the cash management improvement act. The office of financial management may direct transfers of funds between accounts as deemed necessary to implement the provisions of the cash management improvement act, and this subsection. Refunds or allocations shall occur prior to the distributions of earnings set forth in subsection (4) of this section.
     (3) Except for the provisions of RCW 43.84.160, the treasury income account may be utilized for the payment of purchased banking services on behalf of treasury funds including, but not limited to, depository, safekeeping, and disbursement functions for the state treasury and affected state agencies. The treasury income account is subject in all respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for payments to financial institutions. Payments shall occur prior to distribution of earnings set forth in subsection (4) of this section.
     (4) Monthly, the state treasurer shall distribute the earnings credited to the treasury income account. The state treasurer shall credit the general fund with all the earnings credited to the treasury income account except:
     (a) The following accounts and funds shall receive their proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's and fund's average daily balance for the period: The capitol building construction account, the Cedar River channel construction and operation account, the Central Washington University capital projects account, the charitable, educational, penal and reformatory institutions account, the common school construction fund, the county criminal justice assistance account, the county sales and use tax equalization account, the data processing building construction account, the deferred compensation administrative account, the deferred compensation principal account, the department of retirement systems expense account, the developmental disabilities community trust account, the drinking water assistance account, the drinking water assistance administrative account, the drinking water assistance repayment account, the Eastern Washington University capital projects account, the education construction fund, the education legacy trust account, the election account, the emergency reserve fund, The Evergreen State College capital projects account, the federal forest revolving account, the freight mobility investment account, the health services account, the public health services account, the health system capacity account, the personal health services account, the state higher education construction account, the higher education construction account, the highway infrastructure account, the high-occupancy toll lanes operations account, the industrial insurance premium refund account, the judges' retirement account, the judicial retirement administrative account, the judicial retirement principal account, the local leasehold excise tax account, the local real estate excise tax account, the local sales and use tax account, the medical aid account, the mobile home park relocation fund, the multimodal transportation account, the municipal criminal justice assistance account, the municipal sales and use tax equalization account, the natural resources deposit account, the oyster reserve land account, the perpetual surveillance and maintenance account, the public employees' retirement system plan 1 account, the public employees' retirement system combined plan 2 and plan 3 account, the public facilities construction loan revolving account beginning July 1, 2004, the public health supplemental account, the public works assistance account, the Puyallup tribal settlement account, the real estate appraiser commission account, the regional transportation investment district account, the resource management cost account, the rural Washington loan fund, the site closure account, the small city pavement and sidewalk account, the special wildlife account, the state employees' insurance account, the state employees' insurance reserve account, the state investment board expense account, the state investment board commingled trust fund accounts, the supplemental pension account, the Tacoma Narrows toll bridge account, the teachers' retirement system plan 1 account, the teachers' retirement system combined plan 2 and plan 3 account, the tobacco prevention and control account, the tobacco settlement account, the transportation infrastructure account, the transportation partnership account, the tuition recovery trust fund, the University of Washington bond retirement fund, the University of Washington building account, the volunteer fire fighters' and reserve officers' relief and pension principal fund, the volunteer fire fighters' and reserve officers' administrative fund, the Washington fruit express account, the Washington judicial retirement system account, the Washington law enforcement officers' and fire fighters' system plan 1 retirement account, the Washington law enforcement officers' and fire fighters' system plan 2 retirement account, the Washington public safety employees' plan 2 retirement account, the Washington school employees' retirement system combined plan 2 and 3 account, the Washington state health insurance pool account, the Washington state patrol retirement account, the Washington State University building account, the Washington State University bond retirement fund, the Washington teach math-science professional development account, the water pollution control revolving fund, and the Western Washington University capital projects account. Earnings derived from investing balances of the agricultural permanent fund, the normal school permanent fund, the permanent common school fund, the scientific permanent fund, and the state university permanent fund shall be allocated to their respective beneficiary accounts. All earnings to be distributed under this subsection (4)(a) shall first be reduced by the allocation to the state treasurer's service fund pursuant to RCW 43.08.190.
     (b) The following accounts and funds shall receive eighty percent of their proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's or fund's average daily balance for the period: The aeronautics account, the aircraft search and rescue account, the county arterial preservation account, the department of licensing services account, the essential rail assistance account, the ferry bond retirement fund, the grade crossing protective fund, the high capacity transportation account, the highway bond retirement fund, the highway safety account, the motor vehicle fund, the motorcycle safety education account, the pilotage account, the public transportation systems account, the Puget Sound capital construction account, the Puget Sound ferry operations account, the recreational vehicle account, the rural arterial trust account, the safety and education account, the special category C account, the state patrol highway account, the transportation 2003 account (nickel account), the transportation equipment fund, the transportation fund, the transportation improvement account, the transportation improvement board bond retirement account, and the urban arterial trust account.
     (5) In conformance with Article II, section 37 of the state Constitution, no treasury accounts or funds shall be allocated earnings without the specific affirmative directive of this section.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 10   Sections 1 through 4 of this act constitute a new chapter in Title 28B RCW.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 11   Section 9 of this act takes effect July 1, 2006.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 12   The sum of five hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, from the general fund to the higher education coordinating board for the purposes of section 6(3) of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 13   The sum of two hundred fifty thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, from the general fund to the higher education coordinating board for the purposes of section 8(6) of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 14   The sum of one hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, from the general fund to the higher education coordinating board to develop programs described in section 4(1) of this act.