Brief Description: Regarding skill centers.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Hobbs, Rockefeller, Rasmussen, Fairley, McAuliffe, Kohl-Welles, Pridemore, Hatfield, Clements, Jacobsen and Shin).

Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education
Senate Committee on Ways & Means
House Committee on Education
House Committee on Appropriations

Background: About 7,000 students from 85 school districts attend one of the ten skill centers operating in the state. Many of the students attend part-time. Skill centers operate under cooperative agreements among participating school districts and primarily provide students with instruction in career and technical education. The superintendents of the participating school districts serve on an administrative council that governs the skill center. Skill centers receive state funding based on the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) students at an enhanced funding rate. However, no student can be counted as more than one FTE, even if the time actually spent by the student at the skill center and the sending district adds up to more than one FTE.

Last session, the Legislature directed the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board to conduct a study and make recommendations for increasing access to skill centers.

Summary: A new RCW chapter is created addressing skill centers. Beginning in the 2007-08 school year, students attending skill centers will be funded for all classes at the skill center and the sending district up to 1.6 full time equivalent (FTE) students, or as determined in the omnibus appropriations act. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) must develop procedures for determining how to report the FTEs between the resident high school and the skill center.

OSPI must review and revise the guidelines for skill centers and create rules to encourage expansion of skill center programs including revising the threshold enrollment so that a program need not have a minimum of 70 percent of the students enrolled on the core campus, thereby encouraging satellite or branch campuses. Satellite and branch campuses are encouraged to address high-demand fields. OSPI must develop a ten-year capital plan for legislative review and, subject to funding, conduct additional feasibility studies and develop a master plan to connect skill centers to the K-20 network. Subject to funding, skill centers will provide access to late afternoon and evening sessions, and summer school programs. When possible, these programs will target school dropouts and students at risk of dropping out of school. Skill centers that receive this funding must participate in an evaluation of the programs. OSPI must establish and support skill centers of excellence in key economic sectors of regional significance. Once established, OSPI must develop and seek funding for a grant program for Running Start for career and technical programs that is targeted to high-demand occupations. Grant recipients must assist in replicating the model career and technical education programs of study. OSPI must have at least one staff person to serve as the director of skill centers. OSPI must ensure the funds generated by skill center students under Initiative 728 are returned to the skill centers.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate      47   0
House      96   0   (House amended)
Senate            (Senate refused to concur)
House      97   0   (House amended)
Senate      44   0   (Senate concurred)

Effective:   July 22, 2007

Partial Veto Summary: The Governor vetoed the requirement that OSPI ensure that the property tax funds generated by skill center students under Initiative 728 be returned to the skill centers.