BILL REQ. #:  H-2029.1 

Read first time 02/17/09.   Referred to Committee on Education Appropriations.

     AN ACT Relating to a comprehensive restructuring of education finance and programs; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   INTENT. The legislature finds ample evidence of a need to redefine the program of education that is funded by the state and delivered by school districts to better align with the stated goal of a basic education. For practical and educational reasons, wholesale change of the program of basic education and the funding formulas to support it cannot occur instantaneously. At the same time, there must be a sense of urgency and a clear commitment to increase the resources for school districts to maintain educational programs that give all students the opportunity to meet the state's basic education goal.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   OVERSIGHT. (1) A basic education steering committee is established to monitor and oversee the development of a new definition of the program of basic education, including the funding formulas and systems of educator compensation, school and district accountability, and data necessary to support the implementation of that program. The steering committee shall be composed of representatives from the legislative and executive branches, as well as school administrators and educators.
     (2) The steering committee shall:
     (a) Provide policy guidance for the work conducted under sections 3 through 8 of this act. Each of the entities under sections 3 through 8 of this act shall submit a preliminary report to the steering committee by November 15, 2009, and a final report by September 1, 2010;
     (b) Develop a proposal for creating an ongoing and independent commission charged with monitoring and analyzing the relationship between education policies and finance, implementation of programs at the school and district level, and student achievement;
     (c) Recommend to the governor and the legislature a specific schedule for phasing-in a new program of basic education and funding formulas so that any increased requirements occur concurrently with increased resources for implementation; and
     (d) Submit an initial report to the governor and the legislature by January 1, 2010, and a final report by November 15, 2010.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   PROGRAM OF BASIC EDUCATION AND FUNDING FORMULAS. (1) The legislature intends to redefine the program of education that fulfills the obligations and requirements of Article IX of the state Constitution. The program must include an instructional program of basic education to be delivered by school districts based on minimum instructional hours, school days, content based on the essential academic learning requirements and graduation requirements, and supplemental learning opportunities for students with disabilities, underachieving students, and students whose primary language is other than English.
     (2) The legislature further intends to redesign the funding formulas necessary to support the program of basic education, including considering using a funding model based on prototypical schools.
     (3) The office of financial management and the superintendent of public instruction shall convene a basic education program and funding working group with broad and inclusive representation. The working group shall recommend a program of basic education and funding formulas to support that program, along with a concurrent implementation schedule.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND COMPENSATION. (1) The legislature intends to establish a comprehensive system of teacher certification and professional development that is directly aligned with a revised system of compensation and focused on providing support for effective teaching. The legislature further intends to provide adequate resources for school districts to recruit and retain high quality staff, including administrative and classified staff.
     (2) The office of financial management and the professional educator standards board shall convene an effective teaching and compensation working group with broad and inclusive representation. The working group shall recommend a compensation system that provides support for effective teaching and recruitment and retention of high quality staff, including any changes to teacher certification and professional development necessary to align with the system. The working group shall also recommend a schedule for implementing the new compensation system to assure that no educator experiences any reduction in compensation as a result of the new system.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   EARLY LEARNING. (1) The legislature intends to establish a program of early learning for at-risk children that is part of the program of basic education.
     (2) The superintendent of public instruction and the department of early learning shall convene an early learning working group with broad and inclusive representation. The working group shall recommend a program of early learning for at-risk children, along with a program delivery and governance structure and funding model.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6   ACCOUNTABLITITY. (1) The legislature finds that comprehensive education finance reform and the increased investment of public resources must be accompanied by an equally comprehensive system of school and school district accountability. The focus of the accountability system must be on providing assistance for continuous improvement of student achievement in all schools and all school districts.
     (2) The state board of education shall continue development of a comprehensive school and school district accountability system, including identifying the resources and support mechanisms necessary to implement the system.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7   LOCAL FINANCE. (1) The legislature finds that local levy authority and levy equalization remain important components of the overall finance system in support of the public schools even though they are outside the state's obligation for basic education. There must be an equitable basis for supplemental local funding and a mechanism for property tax-poor school districts to fairly access supplemental funding.
     (2) The office of financial management and the superintendent of public instruction shall convene a local finance working group with broad and inclusive representation. The working group shall develop options for a new system of supplemental school funding through local school levies and local effort assistance.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 8   EDUCATION DATA SYSTEMS. (1) It is the legislature's intent to establish comprehensive education data systems that monitor student progress, assure educator quality, monitor the costs of programs, provide for financial integrity, and have the capacity to link across these various data components by student, by school, by district, and statewide.
     (2) The superintendent of public instruction and the education research and data center shall convene a data working group with broad and inclusive representation. The working group shall create a needs requirement document detailing the specific information and technical capacity needed for comprehensive education data systems. The working group shall also develop a proposal for a data governance structure and identify the costs of implementing the data systems.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 9   Captions used in this act are not any part of the law.