SHB 2776 -
By Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 (1) It is the legislature's intent to
continue implementation of chapter 548, Laws of 2009, by adopting the
technical details of a new distribution formula for the instructional
program of basic education and authorizing a phase-in of implementation
of a new distribution formula for pupil transportation, both to take
effect September 1, 2011. Unless otherwise stated, the numeric values
adopted in section 3 of this act represent the translation of 2009-2010
state funding levels for the basic education act into the funding
factors of the prototypical school funding formula, based on the expert
advice and extensive work of the funding formula technical working
group established by the legislature for this purpose. The legislature
intends to continue to review and revise the formulas and may make
revisions as necessary for technical purposes and consistency in the
event of mathematical or other technical errors.
(2) It is also the legislature's intent to adopt an implementation
schedule for phasing-in enhancements to the baseline funding levels of
2009-10 beginning in the 2011-12 school year for pupil transportation,
class size allocations for grades kindergarten through three, full-day
kindergarten, and allocations for maintenance, supplies, and operating
costs.
(3) Finally, it is the legislature's intent to adjust the timelines
for other working groups so that their expertise and advice can be
received as soon as possible and to make technical adjustments to
certain provisions of chapter 548, Laws of 2009.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 The legislature finds that:
(1) The Washington supreme court has determined that the state must
rely on dependable and regular tax sources to support basic education;
(2) Washington, like most states across the country, relies on the
property tax to provide financial support for public schools;
(3) Property tax support for public schools has been shifting from
the statewide, uniform tax to increasing reliance on excess property
tax levies that are not dependable and vary widely from school district
to school district;
(4) A dependable and regular source of financing for K-12 capital
facilities has not been identified; and
(5) Individual citizens have proposed innovative, comprehensive
solutions to provide ongoing, substantial financial support for K-12
public schools, and these solutions should be thoughtfully considered
for their possible adoption as a new state education finance policy.
Sec. 3 RCW 28A.150.260 and 2009 c 548 s 106 are each amended to
read as follows:
The purpose of this section is to provide for the allocation of
state funding that the legislature deems necessary to support school
districts in offering the minimum instructional program of basic
education under RCW 28A.150.220. The allocation shall be determined as
follows:
(1) The governor shall and the superintendent of public instruction
may recommend to the legislature a formula for the distribution of a
basic education instructional allocation for each common school
district.
(2) The distribution formula under this section shall be for
allocation purposes only. Except as may be required under chapter
28A.165, 28A.180, 28A.185, or 28A.155 RCW, or federal laws and
regulations, nothing in this section requires school districts to use
basic education instructional funds to implement a particular
instructional approach or service. Nothing in this section requires
school districts to maintain a particular classroom teacher-to-student
ratio or other staff-to-student ratio or to use allocated funds to pay
for particular types or classifications of staff. Nothing in this
section entitles an individual teacher to a particular teacher planning
period.
(3)(a) To the extent the technical details of the formula have been
adopted by the legislature, the distribution formula for the basic
education instructional allocation shall be based on minimum staffing
and nonstaff costs the legislature deems necessary to support
instruction and operations in prototypical schools serving high,
middle, and elementary school students as provided in this section.
The use of prototypical schools for the distribution formula does not
constitute legislative intent that schools should be operated or
structured in a similar fashion as the prototypes. Prototypical
schools illustrate the level of resources needed to operate a school of
a particular size with particular types and grade levels of students
using commonly understood terms and inputs, such as class size, hours
of instruction, and various categories of school staff. It is the
intent that the funding allocations to school districts be adjusted
from the school prototypes based on the actual number of annual average
full-time equivalent students in each grade level at each school in the
district and not based on the grade-level configuration of the school
to the extent that data is available. The allocations shall be further
adjusted from the school prototypes with minimum allocations for small
schools and to reflect other factors identified in the omnibus
appropriations act.
(b) For the purposes of this section, prototypical schools are
defined as follows:
(i) A prototypical high school has six hundred average annual full-time equivalent students in grades nine through twelve;
(ii) A prototypical middle school has four hundred thirty-two
average annual full-time equivalent students in grades seven and eight;
and
(iii) A prototypical elementary school has four hundred average
annual full-time equivalent students in grades kindergarten through
six.
(c) The minimum allocation for each level of prototypical school
shall be based on the number of full-time equivalent classroom teachers
needed to provide instruction over the minimum required annual
instructional hours under RCW 28A.150.220 and provide at least one
teacher planning period per school day, and based on an average class
size as specified in the omnibus appropriations act. The omnibus
appropriations act shall at a minimum specify the following:
(i) Basic average class size((;)) for:
(A) Grades kindergarten through three . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.23
(B) Grade four . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.00
(C) Grades five and six . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.00
(D) Grades seven and eight . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.53
(E) Grades nine through twelve . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.74
(ii) Basic average class size for grades kindergarten through three
shall be reduced each year beginning in the 2011-12 school year and
beginning with schools with the highest percent of students eligible
for free and reduced-price meals in the prior school year until the
following basic average class size is specified beginning in the 2015-16 school year. . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.00
(iii) Average class size in schools where more than fifty percent
of the students are eligible for free and reduced-price meals, which
shall not exceed the average class sizes specified in (c)(i) and (ii)
of this subsection;
(((iii))) (iv) Average class size for:
(A) Exploratory and preparatory career and technical education((,))
in middle and high schools . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.57
(B) Preparatory career and technical education in skill
centers . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.76
(C) Laboratory science((,)) . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.74
(D) Advanced placement((,)) and international baccalaureate
courses((; and)) . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.74
(iv) Average class size in grades kindergarten through
three.
(d) The minimum allocation for each level of prototypical school
shall include allocations for the following types of staff in addition
to classroom teachers:
Elementary Middle High
School School School
(i) Principals, including
assistant principals, and
other certificated building-level
administrators((;)) . . . . . . . . 1.253 1.353 1.880
(ii) Teacher librarians,
performing functions including
information literacy, technology,
and media to support school
library media programs((;)) . . . . 0.663 0.519 0.523
(iii) Student health services,
a function that includes
school nurses, whether
certificated instructional
or classified employee, and
social workers((;)) . . . . . . . . 0.135 0.068 0.118
(iv) Guidance counselors,
performing functions including
parent outreach and graduation
advisor((;)) . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.493 1.116 1.909
(v) ((Professional development coaches;)) Teaching assistance,
(vi)
which includes any aspect of
educational instructional
services provided by classified
employees((;)) . . . . . . . . . . . 0.936 0.700 0.652
(((vii))) (vi) Office support((, technology support,))
and other noninstructional
aides((;)) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.012 2.325 3.269
(((viii))) (vii) Custodians((, warehouse,)) . . . . . . . . . . 1.657 1.942 2.965
maintenance, laborer, and professional
and technical education support
employees; and
(((ix))) (viii) Classified
staff providing student and staff
safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.079 0.092 0.141
(e) The distribution formula shall include staffing allocations to
school districts for career and technical education and skill center
administrative staff, as specified in the omnibus appropriations act.
(4)(a) The minimum allocation for each school district shall
include allocations per annual average full-time equivalent student for
the following materials, supplies, and operating costs, which shall be
adjusted annually for inflation from the following 2008-09 school year
funding values as specified in the omnibus appropriations act:
((Student))
(i) Technology((;)) . . . . . . . . . . . . $54.43
(ii) Utilities((;)) and insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . $147.90
(iii) Curriculum((,)) and textbooks((,)) . . . . . . . . . . . . $58.44
(iv) Other supplies and library
materials((, and instructional supplies;)) . . . . . . . . . . . . $124.07
(v) Instructional professional development
for both certificated and classified
staff((; other building-level costs)) . . . . . . . . . . . . $9.04
including
(vi) Facilities maintenance((, custodial, and)) . . . . . . . . . . . . $73.27
(vii) Security((;)) and central office
administration((.)) . . . . . . . . . . . . $50.76
(b) Beginning in the 2011-12 school year, the allocations based on
the funding values in (a) of this subsection shall be increased
annually after being adjusted for inflation until the following 2007-08
school year funding values, adjusted for inflation, are provided in the
2013-14 school year, after which the funding values shall be adjusted
annually for inflation as specified in the omnibus appropriations act:
(i) Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . $113.80
(ii) Utilities and insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . $309.21
(iii) Curriculum and textbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . $122.17
(iv) Other supplies and library materials . . . . . . . . . . . . $259.39
(v) Instructional professional development for both
certificated and classified staff . . . . . . . . . . . . $18.89
(vi) Facilities maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . $153.18
(vii) Security and central office administration . . . . . . . . . . . . $106.12
(c) The annual average full-time equivalent student amounts in (a)
and (b) of this subsection shall be ((enhanced)) multiplied by the
following minimum percentages based on full-time equivalent student
enrollment in the following courses:
(i) Exploratory career and technical education courses for students
in grades seven through twelve((; laboratory science courses for
students in grades nine through twelve;)) . . . . . . . . . . . . 247.54%
(ii) Preparatory career and technical education courses for
students in grades nine through twelve offered in a high school((;
and)) . . . . . . . . . . . . 247.54%
(iii) Preparatory career and technical education courses for
students in grades eleven and twelve offered through a skill
center((.)) . . . . . . . . . . . . 224.65%
(5) The allocations provided under subsections (3) and (4) of this
section shall be enhanced as follows to provide additional allocations
for classroom teachers and maintenance, supplies, and operating costs:
(a) To provide supplemental instruction and services for
underachieving students through the learning assistance program under
RCW 28A.165.005 through 28A.165.065, allocations shall be based on the
prior year enrollment and prior year percent of students in each school
who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. The minimum
allocation for the learning assistance program shall provide ((an
extended school day and extended school year)) the following resources
for each level of prototypical school ((and a per student allocation
for maintenance, supplies, and operating costs.)), on a statewide
average:
Instructional hours per week in a
class size of fifteen . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.5156
(b) To provide supplemental instruction and services for students
whose primary language is other than English, allocations shall be
based on the number of students in each school who are eligible for and
enrolled in the transitional bilingual instruction program under RCW
28A.180.010 through 28A.180.080. The minimum allocation for each level
of prototypical school shall provide ((for supplemental instruction
based on percent of the school day a student is assumed to receive
supplemental instruction and a per student allocation for maintenance,
supplies, and operating costs.)), on a statewide average, the following
resources:
Instructional hours per week in a
class size of fifteen . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.778
(6) The allocations provided under subsections (3) and (4) of this
section shall be enhanced to provide additional allocations to support
programs for highly capable students under RCW 28A.185.010 through
28A.185.030, based on two and three hundred fourteen one-thousandths
percent of each school district's full-time equivalent enrollment. The
minimum allocation for the programs shall provide ((an extended school
day and extended school year)) the following resources for each level
of prototypical school ((and a per student allocation for maintenance,
supplies, and operating costs.)), on a statewide average:
Instructional hours per week in a
class size of fifteen . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.159
(7) The allocations under subsections (3)(b), (c)(i) and (ii), and
(d), (4)(a) and (b), ((and)) (8), and (9) of this section shall be
enhanced as provided under RCW 28A.150.390 on an excess cost basis to
provide supplemental instructional resources for students with
disabilities.
(8) The distribution formula shall include minimum staffing
allocations per one thousand annual average full-time equivalent
students enrolled in grades kindergarten through twelve in the district
for the following district-wide support activities:
(a) Technology support . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.628
(b) Facilities maintenance and grounds . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.813
(c) Warehouse, laborers, and mechanics . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.332
(9) The distribution formula shall include allocations to school
districts to support certificated and classified staffing of central
office administration. The minimum staffing units allocation shall be
calculated as ((a percentage, identified in the omnibus appropriations
act,)) five and three-tenths percent of the total staffing units
allocations ((for staff)) under subsections (3)(c)(i) and (ii) and (d)
and (((6))) (8) of this section for all schools in the district.
(((9))) (10)(a) For the purposes of allocations for prototypical
high schools and middle schools under subsections (3) and (5) of this
section that are based on the percent of students in the school who are
eligible for free and reduced-price meals, the actual percent of such
students in a school shall be adjusted by a factor identified in the
omnibus appropriations act to reflect underreporting of free and
reduced-price meal eligibility among middle and high school students.
(b) Allocations or enhancements provided under subsections (3) and
(4) of this section for exploratory and preparatory career and
technical education courses shall be provided only for courses approved
by the office of the superintendent of public instruction under chapter
28A.700 RCW.
(((10))) (11)(a) This formula for distribution of basic education
funds shall be reviewed biennially by the superintendent and governor.
The recommended formula shall be subject to approval, amendment or
rejection by the legislature.
(b) In the event the legislature rejects the distribution formula
recommended by the governor, without adopting a new distribution
formula, the distribution formula for the previous school year shall
remain in effect.
(c) The enrollment of any district shall be the annual average
number of full-time equivalent students and part-time students as
provided in RCW 28A.150.350, enrolled on the first school day of each
month, including students who are in attendance pursuant to RCW
28A.335.160 and 28A.225.250 who do not reside within the servicing
school district. The definition of full-time equivalent student shall
be determined by rules of the superintendent of public instruction and
shall be included as part of the superintendent's biennial budget
request. The definition shall be based on the minimum instructional
hour offerings required under RCW 28A.150.220. Any revision of the
present definition shall not take effect until approved by the house
ways and means committee and the senate ways and means committee.
(d) The office of financial management shall make a monthly review
of the superintendent's reported full-time equivalent students in the
common schools in conjunction with RCW 43.62.050.
Sec. 4 RCW 28A.150.390 and 2009 c 548 s 108 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The superintendent of public instruction shall submit to each
regular session of the legislature during an odd-numbered year a
programmed budget request for special education programs for students
with disabilities. Funding for programs operated by local school
districts shall be on an excess cost basis from appropriations provided
by the legislature for special education programs for students with
disabilities and shall take account of state funds accruing through RCW
28A.150.260 (3)(b), (c)(i) and (ii), and (d), (4)(a) and (b), ((and))
(8) ((and federal medical assistance and private funds accruing under
RCW 74.09.5249 through 74.09.5253 and 74.09.5254 through 74.09.5256)),
and (9).
(2) The excess cost allocation to school districts shall be based
on the following:
(a) A district's annual average headcount enrollment of students
ages birth through four and those five year olds not yet enrolled in
kindergarten who are eligible for and enrolled in special education,
multiplied by the district's base allocation per full-time equivalent
student, multiplied by 1.15; and
(b) A district's annual average full-time equivalent basic
education enrollment, multiplied by the district's funded enrollment
percent, multiplied by the district's base allocation per full-time
equivalent student, multiplied by 0.9309.
(3) As used in this section:
(a) "Base allocation" means the total state allocation to all
schools in the district generated by the distribution formula under RCW
28A.150.260 (3)(b), (c)(i) and (ii), and (d), (4)(a) and (b), ((and))
(8), and (9), to be divided by the district's full-time equivalent
enrollment.
(b) "Basic education enrollment" means enrollment of resident
students including nonresident students enrolled under RCW 28A.225.225
and students from nonhigh districts enrolled under RCW 28A.225.210 and
excluding students residing in another district enrolled as part of an
interdistrict cooperative program under RCW 28A.225.250.
(c) "Enrollment percent" means the district's resident special
education annual average enrollment, excluding students ages birth
through four and those five year olds not yet enrolled in kindergarten,
as a percent of the district's annual average full-time equivalent
basic education enrollment.
(d) "Funded enrollment percent" means the lesser of the district's
actual enrollment percent or twelve and seven-tenths percent.
Sec. 5 RCW 28A.150.315 and 2009 c 548 s 107 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) Beginning with the 2007-08 school year, funding for voluntary
all-day kindergarten programs shall be phased-in beginning with schools
with the highest poverty levels, defined as those schools with the
highest percentages of students qualifying for free and reduced-price
lunch support in the prior school year. Beginning with the 2011-12
school year, funding shall continue to be phased-in incrementally each
year until full statewide implementation of all-day kindergarten is
achieved in the 2017-18 school year. Once a school receives funding
for the all-day kindergarten program, that school shall remain eligible
for funding in subsequent school years regardless of changes in the
school's percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price
lunches as long as other program requirements are fulfilled.
Additionally, schools receiving all-day kindergarten program support
shall agree to the following conditions:
(a) Provide at least a one thousand-hour instructional program;
(b) Provide a curriculum that offers a rich, varied set of
experiences that assist students in:
(i) Developing initial skills in the academic areas of reading,
mathematics, and writing;
(ii) Developing a variety of communication skills;
(iii) Providing experiences in science, social studies, arts,
health and physical education, and a world language other than English;
(iv) Acquiring large and small motor skills;
(v) Acquiring social and emotional skills including successful
participation in learning activities as an individual and as part of a
group; and
(vi) Learning through hands-on experiences;
(c) Establish learning environments that are developmentally
appropriate and promote creativity;
(d) Demonstrate strong connections and communication with early
learning community providers; and
(e) Participate in kindergarten program readiness activities with
early learning providers and parents.
(2) Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the
superintendent of public instruction shall designate one or more school
districts to serve as resources and examples of best practices in
designing and operating a high-quality all-day kindergarten program.
Designated school districts shall serve as lighthouse programs and
provide technical assistance to other school districts in the initial
stages of implementing an all-day kindergarten program. Examples of
topics addressed by the technical assistance include strategic
planning, developing the instructional program and curriculum, working
with early learning providers to identify students and communicate with
parents, and developing kindergarten program readiness activities.
Sec. 6 2009 c 548 s 112 (uncodified) is amended to read as
follows:
(1) The legislature intends to continue to redefine the
instructional program of education under RCW 28A.150.220 that fulfills
the obligations and requirements of Article IX of the state
Constitution. The funding formulas under RCW 28A.150.260 to support
the instructional program shall be implemented to the extent the
technical details of the formula have been established and according to
an implementation schedule to be adopted by the legislature. The
object of the schedule is to assure that any increases in funding
allocations are timely, predictable, and occur concurrently with any
increases in program or instructional requirements. It is the intent
of the legislature that no increased programmatic or instructional
expectations be imposed upon schools or school districts without an
accompanying increase in resources as necessary to support those
increased expectations.
(2) The office of financial management, with assistance and support
from the office of the superintendent of public instruction, shall
convene a technical working group to:
(a) Develop the details of the funding formulas under RCW
28A.150.260;
(b) Recommend to the legislature an implementation schedule for
phasing-in any increased program or instructional requirements
concurrently with increases in funding for adoption by the legislature;
and
(c) Examine possible sources of revenue to support increases in
funding allocations and present options to the legislature and the
quality education council created in ((section 114 of this act)) RCW
28A.290.010 for consideration.
(3) The working group shall include representatives of the
legislative evaluation and accountability program committee, school
district and educational service district financial managers, the
Washington association of school business officers, the Washington
education association, the Washington association of school
administrators, the association of Washington school principals, the
Washington state school directors' association, the public school
employees of Washington, and other interested stakeholders with
expertise in education finance. The working group may convene advisory
subgroups on specific topics as necessary to assure participation and
input from a broad array of diverse stakeholders.
(4) The working group shall be monitored and overseen by the
legislature and the quality education council established in ((section
114 of this act)) RCW 28A.290.010. The working group shall submit its
recommendations to the legislature by December 1, 2009.
(5) After the 2009 report to the legislature, the office of
financial management and the office of the superintendent of public
instruction shall periodically reconvene the working group to monitor
and provide advice on further development and implementation of the
funding formulas under RCW 28A.150.260 and provide technical assistance
to the ongoing work of the quality education council.
Sec. 7 2009 c 548 s 302 (uncodified) is amended to read as
follows:
(1) Beginning ((July)) April 1, 2010, the office of financial
management, with assistance and support from the office of the
superintendent of public instruction, shall convene a technical working
group to develop options for a new system of supplemental school
funding through local school levies and local effort assistance.
(2) The working group shall consider the impact on overall school
district revenues of the new basic education funding system established
under ((this act)) chapter 548, Laws of 2009 and shall recommend a
phase-in plan that ensures that no school district suffers a decrease
in funding from one school year to the next due to implementation of
the new system of supplemental funding.
(3)(a) The working group shall also examine options for a
comprehensive K-12 finance policy based on the following principles:
(i) Increasing support for public schools through the statewide
property tax;
(ii) Reducing reliance on property taxes from voter-approved excess
levies;
(iii) Removing historical inequities caused by grandfathering of
levy lids in certain school districts;
(iv) Providing a consistent source of financing to support K-12
capital facilities; and
(v) Providing a fair and equitable means of adjusting tax burden
for property-poor school districts.
(b) The working group shall consider innovative proposals that have
previously been developed, identify possible alternatives, analyze
their strengths and weaknesses, and examine the impact on taxpayers in
various regions of the state. The working group shall report to the
quality education council and the legislature on its findings and
analysis of options under this subsection (3) by November 30, 2010.
(4) The working group shall also:
(a) Examine local school district capacity to address facility
needs associated with phasing-in full-day kindergarten across the state
and reducing class size in kindergarten through third grade; and
(b) Provide the quality education council with analysis on the
potential use of local funds that may become available for redeployment
and redirection as a result of increased state funding allocations for
pupil transportation and maintenance, supplies, and operating costs.
(5) The working group shall be composed of representatives from the
department of revenue, the legislative evaluation and accountability
program committee, school district and educational service district
financial managers, and representatives of the Washington association
of school business officers, the Washington education association, the
Washington association of school administrators, the association of
Washington school principals, the Washington state school directors'
association, the public school employees of Washington, and other
interested stakeholders with expertise in education finance. The
working group may convene advisory subgroups on specific topics as
necessary to assure participation and input from a broad array of
diverse stakeholders. In addition to the staff support provided by the
office of financial management and the office of the superintendent of
public instruction, the department of revenue shall provide technical
assistance, including financial and legal analysis, to support the
working group's findings and analysis under subsection (3) of this
section.
(((4))) (6) The local funding working group shall be monitored and
overseen by the legislature and by the quality education council
created in ((section 114 of this act)) RCW 28A.290.010. The working
group shall report to the legislature ((December 1)) June 30, 2011.
Sec. 8 RCW 43.41.398 and 2009 c 548 s 601 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The legislature recognizes that providing students with the
opportunity to access a world-class educational system depends on our
continuing ability to provide students with access to world-class
educators. The legislature also understands that continuing to attract
and retain the highest quality educators will require increased
investments. The legislature intends to enhance the current salary
allocation model and recognizes that changes to the current model
cannot be imposed without great deliberation and input from teachers,
administrators, and classified employees. Therefore, it is the intent
of the legislature to begin the process of developing an enhanced
salary allocation model that is collaboratively designed to ensure the
rationality of any conclusions regarding what constitutes adequate
compensation.
(2) Beginning July 1, 2011, the office of the superintendent of
public instruction, in collaboration with the office of financial
management, shall convene a technical working group to recommend the
details of an enhanced salary allocation model that aligns state
expectations for educator development and certification with the
compensation system and establishes recommendations for a concurrent
implementation schedule. In addition to any other details the
technical working group deems necessary, the technical working group
shall make recommendations on the following:
(a) How to reduce the number of tiers within the existing salary
allocation model;
(b) How to account for labor market adjustments;
(c) How to account for different geographic regions of the state
where districts may encounter difficulty recruiting and retaining
teachers;
(d) The role of and types of bonuses available;
(e) Ways to accomplish salary equalization over a set number of
years; and
(f) Initial fiscal estimates for implementing the recommendations
including a recognition that staff on the existing salary allocation
model would have the option to grandfather in permanently to the
existing schedule.
(3) As part of its work, the technical working group shall conduct
or contract for a preliminary comparative labor market analysis of
salaries and other compensation for school district employees to be
conducted and shall include the results in any reports to the
legislature. For the purposes of this subsection, "salaries and other
compensation" includes average base salaries, average total salaries,
average employee basic benefits, and retirement benefits.
(4) The analysis required under subsection (1) of this section
must:
(a) Examine salaries and other compensation for teachers, other
certificated instructional staff, principals, and other building-level
certificated administrators, and the types of classified employees for
whom salaries are allocated;
(b) Be calculated at a statewide level that identifies labor
markets in Washington through the use of data from the United States
bureau of the census and the bureau of labor statistics; and
(c) Include a comparison of salaries and other compensation to the
appropriate labor market for at least the following subgroups of
educators: Beginning teachers and types of educational staff
associates.
(5) The working group shall include representatives of the
department of personnel, the professional educator standards board, the
office of the superintendent of public instruction, the Washington
education association, the Washington association of school
administrators, the association of Washington school principals, the
Washington state school directors' association, the public school
employees of Washington, and other interested stakeholders with
appropriate expertise in compensation related matters. The working
group may convene advisory subgroups on specific topics as necessary to
assure participation and input from a broad array of diverse
stakeholders.
(6) The working group shall be monitored and overseen by the
legislature and the quality education council created in RCW
28A.290.010. The working group shall make an initial report to the
legislature by ((December 1)) June 30, 2012, and shall include in its
report recommendations for whether additional further work of the group
is necessary.
Sec. 9 RCW 28A.160.192 and 2009 c 548 s 311 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The superintendent of public instruction shall phase-in the
implementation of the distribution formula under this chapter for
allocating state funds to school districts for the transportation of
students to and from school. The phase-in shall ((be according to the
implementation schedule adopted by the legislature and shall)) begin no
later than the ((2013-14)) 2011-12 school year and be fully implemented
by the 2013-14 school year.
(a) The formula must be developed and revised on an ongoing basis
using the major cost factors in student transportation, including basic
and special student loads, school district land area, average distance
to school, roadway miles, and number of locations served. Factors must
include all those site characteristics that are statistically
significant after analysis of the data required by the revised
reporting process.
(b) The formula must allocate funds to school districts based on
the average predicted costs of transporting students to and from
school, using a regression analysis.
(2) During the phase-in period, funding provided to school
districts for student transportation operations shall be distributed on
the following basis:
(a) Annually, each school district shall receive the lesser of the
previous school year's pupil transportation operations allocation, or
the total of allowable pupil transportation expenditures identified on
the previous school year's final expenditure report to the state plus
district indirect expenses using the state recovery rate identified by
the superintendent; and
(b) Annually, any funds appropriated by the legislature in excess
of the maintenance level funding amount for student transportation
shall be distributed among school districts on a prorated basis using
the difference between the amount identified in (a) of this subsection
and the amount determined under the formula in RCW 28A.160.180.
(((3) The superintendent shall develop, implement, and provide a
copy of the rules specifying the student transportation reporting
requirements to the legislature and school districts no later than
December 1, 2009.))
(4) Beginning in December 2009, and continuing until December 2014,
the superintendent shall provide quarterly updates and progress reports
to the fiscal committees of the legislature on the implementation and
testing of the distribution formula.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 10 A new section is added to chapter 28A.160
RCW to read as follows:
(1) The superintendent of public instruction shall develop,
implement, and provide a copy of the rules specifying the student
transportation reporting requirements to the legislature and school
districts no later than December 1, 2010.
(2) Beginning in December 2010, and continuing until December 2014,
the superintendent shall provide quarterly updates and progress reports
to the fiscal committees of the legislature on the implementation and
testing of the distribution formula.
(3) This section expires June 30, 2015.
Sec. 11 RCW 28A.150.410 and 2007 c 403 s 1 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The legislature shall establish for each school year in the
appropriations act a statewide salary allocation schedule, for
allocation purposes only, to be used to distribute funds for basic
education certificated instructional staff salaries under RCW
28A.150.260. For the purposes of this section, the staff allocations
for classroom teachers, teacher librarians, guidance counselors, and
student health services staff under RCW 28A.150.260 are considered
allocations for certificated instructional staff.
(2) Salary allocations for state-funded basic education
certificated instructional staff shall be calculated by the
superintendent of public instruction by determining the district's
average salary for certificated instructional staff, using the
statewide salary allocation schedule and related documents, conditions,
and limitations established by the omnibus appropriations act.
(3) Beginning January 1, 1992, no more than ninety college quarter-hour credits received by any employee after the baccalaureate degree
may be used to determine compensation allocations under the state
salary allocation schedule and LEAP documents referenced in the omnibus
appropriations act, or any replacement schedules and documents, unless:
(a) The employee has a master's degree; or
(b) The credits were used in generating state salary allocations
before January 1, 1992.
(4) Beginning in the 2007-08 school year, the calculation of years
of service for occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, nurses, social workers,
counselors, and psychologists regulated under Title 18 RCW may include
experience in schools and other nonschool positions as occupational
therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists,
audiologists, nurses, social workers, counselors, or psychologists.
The calculation shall be that one year of service in a nonschool
position counts as one year of service for purposes of this chapter, up
to a limit of two years of nonschool service. Nonschool years of
service included in calculations under this subsection shall not be
applied to service credit totals for purposes of any retirement benefit
under chapter 41.32, 41.35, or 41.40 RCW, or any other state retirement
system benefits.
Sec. 12 RCW 28A.175.010 and 2005 c 207 s 3 are each amended to
read as follows:
Each school district shall account for the educational progress of
each of its students. To achieve this, school districts shall be
required to report annually to the superintendent of public
instruction:
(1) For students enrolled in each of a school district's high
school programs:
(a) The number of students who graduate in fewer than four years;
(b) The number of students who graduate in four years;
(c) The number of students who remain in school for more than four
years but who eventually graduate and the number of students who remain
in school for more than four years but do not graduate;
(d) The number of students who transfer to other schools;
(e) The number of students in the ninth through twelfth grade who
drop out of school over a four-year period; and
(f) The number of students whose status is unknown.
(2) Dropout rates of students in each of the grades seven through
twelve.
(3) Dropout rates for student populations in each of the grades
seven through twelve by:
(a) Ethnicity;
(b) Gender;
(c) Socioeconomic status; and
(d) Disability status.
(4) The causes or reasons, or both, attributed to students for
having dropped out of school in grades seven through twelve.
(5) The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules
under chapter 34.05 RCW to assure uniformity in the information
districts are required to report under subsections (1) through (4) of
this section. In developing rules, the superintendent of public
instruction shall consult with school districts, including
administrative and counseling personnel, with regard to the methods
through which information is to be collected and reported.
(6) In reporting on the causes or reasons, or both, attributed to
students for having dropped out of school, school building officials
shall, to the extent reasonably practical, obtain such information
directly from students. In lieu of obtaining such information directly
from students, building principals and counselors shall identify the
causes or reasons, or both, based on their professional judgment.
(7) The superintendent of public instruction shall report annually
to the legislature the information collected under subsections (1)
through (4) of this section.
(8) The Washington state institute for public policy shall
calculate an annual estimate of the savings to taxpayers resulting from
any improvement compared to the prior school year in the extended
graduation rate, as calculated by the superintendent of public
instruction. The superintendent shall include the estimate from the
institute in an appendix of the report required under subsection (7) of
this section, beginning with the 2010 report.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 13 A new section is added to chapter 28A.300
RCW to read as follows:
The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall
implement and maintain an internet-based portal that provides ready
public access to the state's prototypical school funding model for
basic education under RCW 28A.150.260. The portal must provide
citizens the opportunity to view, for each local school building, the
staffing levels and other prototypical school funding elements that are
assumed under the state funding formula. The portal must also provide
a matrix displaying how individual school districts are deploying those
same state resources through their allocation of staff and other
resources to school buildings, so that citizens are able to compare the
state assumptions to district allocation decisions for each local
school building.
Sec. 14 2009 c 548 s 805 (uncodified) is amended to read as
follows:
Sections 304 through 311 of this act take effect September 1,
((2013)) 2011.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 15 2009 c 548 s 112, as amended by section 6
of this act, is codified as a section in chapter 28A.290 RCW.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 16 RCW 43.41.398 is recodified as a section in
chapter 28A.400 RCW.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 17 Sections 3, 4, 5, 9, and 11 of this act
take effect September 1, 2011.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 18 Section 7 of this act is necessary for the
immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or
support of the state government and its existing public institutions,
and takes effect immediately."
SHB 2776 -
By Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education
On page 1, line 2 of the title, after "education;" strike the remainder of the title and insert "amending RCW 28A.150.260, 28A.150.390, 28A.150.315, 43.41.398, 28A.160.192, 28A.150.410, and 28A.175.010; amending 2009 c 548 s 112 (uncodified); amending 2009 c 548 s 302 (uncodified); amending 2009 c 548 s 805 (uncodified); adding a new section to chapter 28A.160 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.290 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.400 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; creating new sections; recodifying RCW 43.41.398; providing an effective date; providing an expiration date; and declaring an emergency."
EFFECT: The technical working group created in 2009 to develop
options for a new system of supplemental school funding must also
examine options for a comprehensive K-12 finance policy based on the
following principles: Increasing support for public schools through
the statewide property tax; reducing reliance on property taxes from
voter-approved excess levies; removing historical inequities caused by
grandfathering of levy lids in certain school districts; providing a
consistent source of financing to support K-12 capital facilities; and
providing a fair and equitable means of adjusting tax burden for
property-poor school districts.
The working group must consider innovative proposals that have
previously been developed, identify possible alternatives, analyze
their strengths and weaknesses, and examine the impact on taxpayers in
various regions of the state. The Department of Revenue (DOR) must
provide technical assistance, including financial and legal analysis.
Strikes the basic education level of funding in the prototypical
school model for classified education support employees and inserts the
current level of funding.