"NEW SECTION.  Sec. 114   A new section is added to chapter 28A.150 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The basic education steering committee is established to monitor and oversee implementation of the new definition of basic education. The steering committee shall be composed of the following members:
     (a) Four members of the house of representatives, with two members representing each of the major caucuses and appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;
     (b) Four members of the senate, with two members representing each of the major caucuses and appointed by the president of the senate; and
     (c) One representative each from the office of the governor, office of the superintendent of public instruction, state board of education, workforce training and education coordinating board, department of early learning, and the office of financial management.
     (2) The chair or cochairs of the steering committee shall be selected by the members of the committee.
     (3) The steering committee shall:
     (a) Develop the details of the funding formulas under RCW 28A.150.260;
     (b) Recommend an implementation schedule for phasing-in any increased program or instructional requirements concurrently with increases in funding for adoption by the legislature;
     (c) Examine possible sources of revenue to support increases in funding allocations and present options to the legislature for consideration;
     (d) Recommend options for a compensation system that provides support for effective teaching and recruitment and retention of high quality staff, including:
     (i) A plan to equalize school employee salaries across the state;
     (ii) Cost-of-living adjustments;
     (iii) A state salary schedule for superintendents that is capped at a maximum salary and limits the amount of local funds that can be used for the salaries;
     (iv) Individual or building-based bonuses based on employee performance. The bonus criteria may consider measures of improvement in student achievement, attendance, and dropout and graduation rates, and other factors; and
     (v) Merit pools to balance longevity with productivity and value added.
     (e) Develop options for a new system of supplemental school funding through local school levies and local effort assistance and recommend a phase-in plan that reduces reliance on local school levies concurrently with increased state funding and assures that no district suffers a decrease in overall funding from one school year to the next due to implementation of the new systems.
     (4) The steering committee may request updates and progress reports from the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the state board of education, the professional educator standards board, and the department of early learning on the implementation of this act. The steering committee shall also monitor and request updates and progress reports from groups or agencies developing comprehensive education data systems.
     (5) The steering committee shall submit an initial report to the governor and the legislature by January 1, 2010, detailing its recommendations, including recommendations for resolving issues or decisions requiring legislative action during the 2010 legislative session, and recommendations for any funding necessary to continue development and implementation of this act. The initial report from the steering committee shall also contain a recommended schedule for the concurrent phase-in of any changes in the instructional program of basic education and the implementation of the funding formulas and allocations to support the instructional program of basic education. The objective of the schedule is to assure that increases in funding allocations occur concurrently with increases in program and instructional requirements.
     (6) The steering committee shall submit subsequent reports to the governor and the legislature by November 15, 2010, and annually thereafter, ending November 15, 2016.
     (7) Staff support for the basic education steering committee shall be provided by the state agencies with representatives on the committee, the senate committee services, and the office of program research of the house of representatives. Legislative members of the steering committee shall be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. If funding is specifically provided, the committee may contract for services to complete the tasks assigned under this section.
     (8) This section expires June 30, 2017."