BILL REQ. #:  H-3520.1 

Read first time 01/13/12.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     AN ACT Relating to school employee workforce reductions; adding a new section to chapter 28A.405 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that educators deserve to be recognized for their ability to help students learn, and students deserve the opportunity to learn from the most competent teachers. Because the loss of any teachers has the potential to impact student learning, there is an urgent need to conduct workforce reductions in a way that retains the most effective teachers.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.405 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) School board policies or collective bargaining agreements that specify procedures and criteria for identifying certificated instructional staff to receive a notice of nonrenewal of contract under RCW 28A.405.210 or 28A.405.220 due to enrollment decline or loss of revenue must provide that the contracts of classroom teachers who received comparatively lower evaluation ratings, as described in RCW 28A.405.100, are nonrenewed before the contracts of classroom teachers who received comparatively higher evaluation ratings are nonrenewed.
     (2) School board policies or collective bargaining agreements that outline recall rights for certificated instructional staff must provide for the recall of classroom teachers in the reverse order that contracts were nonrenewed under subsection (1) of this section.
     (3) Nothing in this section may be construed as altering the terms, conditions, or practices contained in any collective bargaining agreement or employment contract in effect on the effective date of this section until the expiration date of the agreement or contract.
     (4) All collective bargaining agreements and other contracts entered into between a school district and an employee bargaining unit or an employee after the effective date of this section, as well as bargaining agreements existing on the effective date of this section but renewed or extended after the effective date of this section, must be consistent with this section.