BILL REQ. #: S-1265.4
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2011 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 02/17/11.
AN ACT Relating to education funding; amending RCW 28A.150.198, 28A.150.200, 28A.150.220, 28A.150.260, 28A.150.315, 28A.160.150, 28A.160.192, and 28A.400.201; reenacting and amending RCW 28A.290.010; adding a new section to chapter 43.79 RCW; creating a new section; repealing 2010 c 236 s 1 (uncodified); providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 In 2009, the legislature took the first step
in the process of redefining the instructional program of a basic
education and the new funding allocation model to be phased-in
according to an implementation schedule adopted by the legislature. In
that legislation, several working groups of experienced educators,
school professionals, and representatives of key educational
stakeholders were established to encourage considerable dialogue about
the detailed and complicated issues necessary to achieve education
reform. The intent was that each group's recommendations would provide
informed guidance to the legislature and recommendations for a phase-in
plan. Having a comprehensive set of recommendations from all of the
working groups will better enable the legislature to identify common
priorities and develop a reasonable and rational implementation
schedule that uses all of the information available, not just the early
information. Only by having an understanding of the entire package of
recommendations for the reform efforts can the legislature implement a
schedule that has the greatest positive impact on student achievement
and takes into realistic account the system's capacity to implement the
necessary changes.
Sec. 2 RCW 28A.150.198 and 2009 c 548 s 1 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) Public education in Washington state has evolved since the
enactment of the Washington basic education act of 1977. Decisions by
the courts have played a part in this evolution, as have studies and
research about education practices and education funding. The
legislature finds ample evidence of a need for continuing to refine the
program of basic education that is funded by the state and delivered by
school districts.
(2) The legislature reaffirms the work of Washington Learns and
other educational task forces that have been convened over the past
four years and their recommendations to make bold reforms to the entire
educational system in order to educate all students to a higher level;
to focus on the individualized instructional needs of students; to
strive towards closing the achievement gap and reducing dropout rates;
and to prepare students for a constantly evolving workforce and
increasingly demanding global economy. In enacting this legislation,
the legislature intends to continue to review, evaluate, and revise the
definition and funding of basic education in order to continue to
fulfill the state obligation under Article IX of the state
Constitution. The legislature also intends to continue to strengthen
and modify the structure of the entire K-12 educational system,
including nonbasic education programmatic elements, in order to build
the capacity to anticipate and support potential future enhancements to
basic education as the educational needs of our citizens continue to
evolve.
(3) The legislature recognizes that the first step in revising the
definition and funding of basic education is to create a transparent
funding system for both allocations and expenditures so that not only
policymakers and educators understand how the state supports basic
education but also taxpayers. An adequate data system that enables the
legislature to make rational, data-driven decisions on which
educational programs impact student learning in order to more
effectively and efficiently deliver the resources necessary to provide
an ample program of basic education is also a necessity. A new
prototypical funding system will allow the legislature to better
understand how current resources are being used. A more complete and
accurate educational data system will allow the legislature to
understand whether current basic education programs are supporting
student learning. Only with both of these systems in place can the
legislature make informed decisions on how to best implement a dynamic
and evolving system of basic education.
(4) For practical and educational reasons, major changes of the
program of basic education and the funding formulas to support it
cannot occur instantaneously. The legislature intends to build upon
the previous efforts of the legislature and the basic education task
force in order to develop a realistic implementation strategy for a new
instructional program after technical experts develop the details of
the prototypical schools funding formulas and the data and reporting
system that will support a new instructional program. The legislature
also intends to establish a formal structure for monitoring the
implementation by the legislature of an evolving program of basic
education and the financing necessary to support such a program. ((The
legislature intends that the redefined program of basic education and
funding for the program be fully implemented by 2018.))
(5) It is the further intent of the legislature to also address
additional issues that are of importance to the legislature but are not
part of basic education.
Sec. 3 RCW 28A.150.200 and 2009 c 548 s 101 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The program of basic education established under this chapter
is deemed by the legislature to comply with the requirements of Article
IX, section 1 of the state Constitution, which states that "It is the
paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education
of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or
preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex," and is adopted
pursuant to Article IX, section 2 of the state Constitution, which
states that "The legislature shall provide for a general and uniform
system of public schools."
(2) The legislature defines the program of basic education under
this chapter as that which is necessary to provide the opportunity to
develop the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the state-established high school graduation requirements that are intended to
allow students to have the opportunity to graduate with a meaningful
diploma that prepares them for postsecondary education, gainful
employment, and citizenship. Basic education by necessity is an
evolving program of instruction intended to reflect the changing
educational opportunities that are needed to equip students for their
role as productive citizens and includes the following:
(a) The instructional program of basic education the minimum
components of which are described in RCW 28A.150.220, which shall be
phased-in according to an implementation schedule adopted by the
legislature;
(b) The program of education provided by chapter 28A.190 RCW for
students in residential schools as defined by RCW 28A.190.020 and for
juveniles in detention facilities as identified by RCW 28A.190.010;
(c) The program of education provided by chapter 28A.193 RCW for
individuals under the age of eighteen who are incarcerated in adult
correctional facilities; and
(d) Transportation and transportation services to and from school
for eligible students as provided under RCW 28A.160.150 through
28A.160.180, which shall be phased-in according to an implementation
schedule adopted by the legislature.
Sec. 4 RCW 28A.150.220 and 2009 c 548 s 104 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) In order for students to have the opportunity to develop the
basic education knowledge and skills under RCW 28A.150.210, school
districts must provide instruction of sufficient quantity and quality
and give students the opportunity to complete graduation requirements
that are intended to prepare them for postsecondary education, gainful
employment, and citizenship. The program established under this
section shall be the minimum instructional program of basic education
offered by school districts.
(2) Each school district shall make available to students the
following minimum instructional offering each school year:
(a) For students enrolled in grades one through twelve, at least a
district-wide annual average of one thousand hours, which shall be
increased to at least one thousand eighty instructional hours for
students enrolled in each of grades seven through twelve and at least
one thousand instructional hours for students in each of grades one
through six according to an implementation schedule adopted by the
legislature; and
(b) For students enrolled in kindergarten, at least four hundred
fifty instructional hours, which shall be increased to at least one
thousand instructional hours according to the implementation schedule
under RCW 28A.150.315.
(3) The instructional program of basic education provided by each
school district shall include:
(a) Instruction in the essential academic learning requirements
under RCW 28A.655.070;
(b) Instruction that provides students the opportunity to complete
twenty-four credits for high school graduation, subject to a phased-in
implementation of the twenty-four credits as established by the
legislature. Course distribution requirements may be established by
the state board of education under RCW 28A.230.090;
(c) If the essential academic learning requirements include a
requirement of languages other than English, the requirement may be met
by students receiving instruction in one or more American Indian
languages;
(d) Supplemental instruction and services for underachieving
students through the learning assistance program under RCW 28A.165.005
through 28A.165.065;
(e) Supplemental instruction and services for eligible and enrolled
students whose primary language is other than English through the
transitional bilingual instruction program under RCW 28A.180.010
through 28A.180.080;
(f) The opportunity for an appropriate education at public expense
as defined by RCW 28A.155.020 for all eligible students with
disabilities as defined in RCW 28A.155.020; and
(g) Programs for highly capable students under RCW 28A.185.010
through 28A.185.030, according to an implementation schedule adopted by
the legislature.
(4) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to require
individual students to attend school for any particular number of hours
per day or to take any particular courses.
(5) Each school district's kindergarten through twelfth grade basic
educational program shall be accessible to all students who are five
years of age, as provided by RCW 28A.225.160, and less than twenty-one
years of age and shall consist of a minimum of one hundred eighty
school days per school year in such grades as are conducted by a school
district, and one hundred eighty half-days of instruction, or
equivalent, in kindergarten, to be increased to a minimum of one
hundred eighty school days per school year according to the
implementation schedule under RCW 28A.150.315. However, effective May
1, 1979, a school district may schedule the last five school days of
the one hundred and eighty day school year for noninstructional
purposes in the case of students who are graduating from high school,
including, but not limited to, the observance of graduation and early
release from school upon the request of a student, and all such
students may be claimed as a full-time equivalent student to the extent
they could otherwise have been so claimed for the purposes of RCW
28A.150.250 and 28A.150.260.
(6) Nothing in this section precludes a school district from
enriching the instructional program of basic education, such as
offering additional instruction or providing additional services,
programs, or activities that the school district determines to be
appropriate for the education of the school district's students.
(7) The state board of education shall adopt rules to implement and
ensure compliance with the program requirements imposed by this
section, RCW 28A.150.250 and 28A.150.260, and such related supplemental
program approval requirements as the state board may establish.
Sec. 5 RCW 28A.150.260 and 2010 c 236 s 2 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.155, 28A.165, 28A.180, or 28A.185 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 and an
implementation schedule have been adopted by the legislature and except
when specifically provided as a school district allocation, 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.
(4)(a) 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 the following
general education average class size of full-time equivalent students
per teacher:
General education
average
class size
Grades K-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.23
Grade 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.00
Grades 5-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.00
Grades 7-8 . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.53
Grades 9-12 . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.74
(b) ((During the 2011-2013 biennium and)) Beginning with schools
with the highest percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals in the prior school year, the general education average
class size for grades K-3 shall be reduced until the average class size
funded under this subsection (4) is no more than 17.0 full-time
equivalent students per teacher ((beginning in the 2017-18 school
year)), which shall be phased-in according to an implementation
schedule adopted by the legislature.
(c) The minimum allocation for each prototypical middle and high
school shall also provide for full-time equivalent classroom teachers
based on the following number of full-time equivalent students per
teacher in career and technical education:
Career and technical
education average
class size
Approved career and technical education offered at
the middle school and high school level . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.57
Skill center programs meeting the standards established
by the office of the superintendent of public
instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.76
(d) In addition, the omnibus appropriations act shall at a minimum
specify:
(i) A high-poverty average class size in schools where more than
fifty percent of the students are eligible for free and reduced-price
meals; and
(ii) A specialty average class size for laboratory science,
advanced placement, and international baccalaureate courses.
(5) The minimum allocation for each level of prototypical school
shall include allocations for the following types of staff in addition
to classroom teachers:
Elementary School | Middle School | High School | |
Principals, assistant principals, and other certificated building-level administrators . . . . . . . . . . . . | 1.253 | 1.353 | 1.880 |
Teacher librarians, a function that includes information literacy, technology, and media to support school library media programs . . . . . . . . . . . . | 0.663 | 0.519 | 0.523 |
Health and social services: | |||
School nurses . . . . . . . . . . . . | 0.076 | 0.060 | 0.096 |
Social workers . . . . . . . . . . . . | 0.042 | 0.006 | 0.015 |
Psychologists . . . . . . . . . . . . | 0.017 | 0.002 | 0.007 |
Guidance counselors, a function that includes parent outreach and graduation advising . . . . . . . . . . . . | 0.493 | 1.116 | 1.909 |
Teaching assistance, including any aspect of educational instructional services provided by classified employees . . . . . . . . . . . . | 0.936 | 0.700 | 0.652 |
Office support and other noninstructional aides . . . . . . . . . . . . | 2.012 | 2.325 | 3.269 |
Custodians . . . . . . . . . . . . | 1.657 | 1.942 | 2.965 |
Classified staff providing student and staff safety . . . . . . . . . . . . | 0.079 | 0.092 | 0.141 |
Parent involvement coordinators . . . . . . . . . . . . | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Sec. 6 RCW 28A.150.315 and 2010 c 236 s 4 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. ((During the 2011-2013
biennium,)) Funding shall continue to be phased-in ((each year))
according to an implementation schedule adopted by the legislature
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. 7 RCW 28A.160.150 and 2009 c 548 s 304 are each amended to
read as follows:
Funds allocated for transportation costs, except for funds provided
for transportation and transportation services to and from school in
accordance with an implementation schedule adopted by the legislature,
shall be in addition to the basic education allocation. The
distribution formula developed in RCW 28A.160.150 through 28A.160.180
shall be for allocation purposes only and shall not be construed as
mandating specific levels of pupil transportation services by local
districts. Operating costs as determined under RCW 28A.160.150 through
28A.160.180 shall be funded at one hundred percent or as close thereto
as reasonably possible for transportation of an eligible student to and
from school as defined in RCW 28A.160.160(3). In addition, funding
shall be provided for transportation services for students living
within the walk area as determined under RCW 28A.160.160(5).
Sec. 8 RCW 28A.160.192 and 2010 c 236 s 8 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 in accordance with an implementation
schedule adopted by the legislature. ((The phase-in shall begin no
later than the 2011-2013 biennium and be fully implemented by the 2013-2015 biennium.))
(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.
Sec. 9 RCW 28A.290.010 and 2010 c 236 s 15 and 2010 c 234 s 4 are
each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
(1) The quality education council is created to recommend and
inform the ongoing implementation by the legislature of an evolving
program of basic education and the financing necessary to support such
program. The council shall develop strategic recommendations on the
program of basic education for the common schools. The council shall
take into consideration the capacity report produced under RCW
28A.300.172 and the availability of data and progress of implementing
the data systems required under RCW 28A.655.210. Any recommendations
for modifications to the program of basic education shall be based on
evidence that the programs effectively support student learning. The
council shall update the statewide strategic recommendations every four
years. The recommendations of the council are intended to:
(a) Inform future educational policy and funding decisions of the
legislature and governor;
(b) Identify measurable goals and priorities for the educational
system in Washington state for a ten-year time period, including the
goals of basic education and ongoing strategies for coordinating
statewide efforts to eliminate the achievement gap and reduce student
dropout rates; and
(c) Enable the state of Washington to continue to implement an
evolving program of basic education.
(2) The council 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 work of the agencies as well as
educational working groups established by the legislature.
(3) The chair of the council shall be selected from the
councilmembers. The council 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;
(c) One representative each from the office of the governor, office
of the superintendent of public instruction, state board of education,
professional educator standards board, and department of early
learning; and
(d) One nonlegislative representative from the achievement gap
oversight and accountability committee established under RCW
28A.300.136, to be selected by the members of the committee.
(4) In the 2009 fiscal year, the council shall meet as often as
necessary as determined by the chair. In subsequent years, the council
shall meet no more than four times a year.
(5)(a) The council 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 chapter 548, Laws of 2009.
(b) The initial report shall, at a minimum, include:
(i) Consideration of how to establish a statewide beginning teacher
mentoring and support system;
(ii) Recommendations for a program of early learning for at-risk
children;
(iii) A recommended schedule for the concurrent phase-in of the
changes to the instructional program of basic education and the
implementation of the funding formulas and allocations to support the
new instructional program of basic education as established under
chapter 548, Laws of 2009((. The phase-in schedule shall have full
implementation completed by September 1, 2018)); and
(iv) A recommended schedule for phased-in implementation of the new
distribution formula for allocating state funds to school districts for
the transportation of students to and from school, with phase-in
beginning no later than September 1, 2013.
(6) The council shall submit a report to the legislature by January
1, 2012, detailing its recommendations for a comprehensive plan for a
voluntary program of early learning. Before submitting the report, the
council shall seek input from the early learning advisory council
created in RCW 43.215.090.
(7) The council shall submit a report to the governor and the
legislature by December 1, 2010, that includes:
(a) Recommendations for specific strategies, programs, and funding,
including funding allocations through the funding distribution formula
in RCW 28A.150.260, that are designed to close the achievement gap and
increase the high school graduation rate in Washington public schools.
The council shall consult with the achievement gap oversight and
accountability committee and the building bridges work group in
developing its recommendations; and
(b) Recommendations for assuring adequate levels of state-funded
classified staff to support essential school and district services.
(8)(a) By January 1, 2013, the council shall synthesize the
recommendations and reports from the working groups and entities in (b)
of this subsection to develop a concurrent phase-in schedule for the
legislature to fully implement the changes to the instructional program
of basic education and the enhancements of the funding formulas.
(b) Recommendations from the following shall be considered in
developing the phase-in schedule under this subsection (8):
(i) The funding formula technical working group;
(ii) The local funding technical working group;
(iii) The compensation technical working group;
(iv) The highly capable program technical working group;
(v) The learning assistance program technical working group;
(vi) The transitional bilingual instruction program technical
working group;
(vii) The state board of education, regarding high school
graduation requirements; and
(viii) The office of the superintendent of public instruction's
capacity report.
(c) The council is encouraged to also consider other major policy
changes that schools and districts are being required to implement,
such as the new common core standards, the new assessments of the
common core, the new high school graduation requirements, and the new
teacher and principal evaluation pilot programs when developing the
recommendations due by January 1, 2013.
(9) The council shall be staffed by the office of the
superintendent of public instruction and the office of financial
management. Additional staff support shall be provided by the state
entities with representatives on the council. Senate committee
services and the house of representatives office of program research
may provide additional staff support.
(((9))) (10) Legislative members of the council shall serve without
additional compensation but may be reimbursed for travel expenses in
accordance with RCW 44.04.120 while attending sessions of the council
or on official business authorized by the council. Nonlegislative
members of the council may be reimbursed for travel expenses in
accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.
Sec. 10 RCW 28A.400.201 and 2010 c 236 s 7 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) Whether Initiative 732 should be removed as a separate funding
source but the funds folded into the basic education allocations; and
(g) 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 June 30, 2012, and shall include in its report
recommendations for whether additional further work of the group is
necessary.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 11 A new section is added to chapter 43.79 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) The education stabilization account is created in the state
treasury. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation
and solely for the purpose of implementing the basic education program
as established in chapter 548, Laws of 2009. All receipts from
subsection (2) of this section shall be deposited into the account.
(2) By September 30, 2013, and by September 30th of each odd-numbered year thereafter, at least sixty percent of all general state
revenues that exceed the state revenues from the previous fiscal
biennium shall be transferred to the account to be used solely for the
purpose of implementing the basic education program established in
chapter 548, Laws of 2009.
(3) For the purposes of this section, "general state revenues"
shall be as defined by Article VIII, section 1 of the state
Constitution.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 12 2010 c 236 s 1 (uncodified) is repealed.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 13 Sections 3 through 8 of this act take
effect September 1, 2011.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 14 Sections 9 and 10 of this act are necessary
for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety,
or support of the state government and its existing public
institutions, and take effect immediately.