BILL REQ. #: S-3472.2
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2012 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/11/12. Referred to Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education.
AN ACT Relating to encouraging multiple career pathways through information, exploration, planning, and program coordination; amending RCW 28A.150.200, 28A.150.220, 28A.230.097, 28C.18.060, 28B.76.526, 28C.18.162, 28C.18.164, 28C.18.166, 28B.92.030, 28B.92.084, 28A.700.060, 28A.600.045, 28A.230.090, 28A.230.010, and 28B.50.140; amending 2009 c 238 s 11 (uncodified); reenacting and amending RCW 28A.600.160; adding a new section to chapter 28A.320 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.230 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.410 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28B.10 RCW; adding a new chapter to Title 28C RCW; creating new sections; recodifying RCW 28A.700.060; and providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 101 (1) The legislature finds that multiple
pathways lead to marketable job skills and productive careers and
intends that the value and dignity of all careers be reflected in
career exploration materials and curricula, high school graduation
requirements, and other communication to students, parents, educators,
and the community.
(2) The legislature further intends that the state of Washington
distinguish itself in the national and global economy by becoming the
fastest-growing supplier of highly skilled workers for targeted
industries.
(3) To accomplish these objectives, the legislature intends to:
(a) Facilitate increased opportunities for work-based learning and
internships for high school students and teachers, as well as
mentorships for the business community in public schools;
(b) Create structures to encourage greater connections between
businesses, schools, and institutions of higher education;
(c) Make career exploration a routine part of middle and high
school instruction and encourage students to select career goals or
majors while in middle and high school, with flexibility to change them
based on further exploration;
(d) Beginning in middle school, better inform parents and students
of career opportunities that are tied to the needs of the local,
regional, and state economy;
(e) Continually emphasize the dignity and economic value of
nonbaccalaureate career pathways equally with baccalaureate pathways,
including skilled trades, preapprenticeships, apprenticeships, industry
certifications, workforce training programs, one and two-year degrees,
and baccalaureate and postbaccalaureate opportunities; and
(f) Measurably increase completion rates at all levels of secondary
and postsecondary education and measurably increase student success
after completion.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 201 The definitions in this section apply
throughout this chapter and to RCW 28A.600.045, 28A.600.160, and
section 408 of this act unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
(1) "Career cluster" means a grouping of occupations and industries
based on common aspects that provide students with a context for
planning and studying academic and technical courses related to a
career.
(2) "Career pathway" means a series of coordinated education and
training programs and support services aligned with a career cluster.
Career pathways begin in the secondary education system, align with
postsecondary education, and offer multiple points for students to exit
one program of study or pathway, enter a new program or pathway, and
access further education and training throughout their lives.
(3) "High demand occupation or career" means an occupation or
career with a substantial number of current or projected employment
opportunities.
(4) "High employer demand program of study" has the same definition
as in RCW 28B.50.030.
(5) "Middle-income bracket" has the same definition as in RCW
28B.145.060.
(6) "Program of study" means a coordinated, nonduplicative
progression of courses within a career pathway that aligns academic and
career and technical education in secondary education with
postsecondary education. A program of study offers coherent and
rigorous academic content aligned with state learning standards and
relevant career and technical content, includes opportunities for
students to earn dual high school and college credit, provides work-based learning experiences, prepares students to enter postsecondary
education and employment, and culminates in an industry-recognized
credential. Integration of academic and career and technical education
content is encouraged.
(7) "State education and workforce agencies" means the office of
the superintendent of public instruction, the state board of education,
the state board for community and technical colleges, the higher
education coordinating board or its successor agency, the workforce
training and education coordinating board, and the employment security
department.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 202 The goal of increasing the percentage of
Washington households living in the middle-income bracket is adopted.
Increasing the number of secondary and postsecondary program graduates
and completers in the state, especially in fields with high economic
demand, is adopted as one strategy for reaching this goal.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 203 The state education and workforce
agencies, the department of commerce, the Washington state
apprenticeship and training council, and the department of social and
health services must incorporate the goal and strategy adopted under
section 202 of this act into their respective strategic plans and
include in those plans specific additional strategies appropriate to
their respective missions for reaching the goal.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 204 (1) All materials and communications
produced and distributed by the state education and workforce agencies
after the effective date of this section regarding career opportunities
or career exploration must include information about multiple career
pathways across all levels of postsecondary education, including
skilled trades, preapprenticeships, apprenticeships, industry
certifications, workforce training programs, one and two-year degrees,
and baccalaureate and postbaccalaureate opportunities. The materials
and communications must emphasize the value of each of the pathways so
that individuals are encouraged to conduct a meaningful exploration of
the multiple opportunities available to them.
(2) All materials and communications produced and distributed by
the state board of education after the effective date of this section
regarding high school graduation requirements must illustrate options
and strategies for students to pursue any of multiple career pathways
while meeting graduation requirements, including a clearly-articulated
nonbaccalaureate pathway that may include career and technical
education, enrollment in a skill center, or preapprenticeship.
(3) Analyses produced and presented by the state education and
workforce agencies that compare employment prospects and earnings for
high school graduates, two-year degrees, or baccalaureate degrees must
also provide information about employment prospects and earnings for
apprenticeships and, to the extent data is available, must disaggregate
information about two-year and baccalaureate degrees by academic major
or by major academic unit. Major academic unit includes the college of
arts and sciences, the college of business, the college of education,
and other similar units.
(4) As used in this section, materials and communications include
but are not limited to brochures, information on the agency web site,
curriculum, reports, presentations, and strategic plans.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 205 (1) The workforce training and education
coordinating board shall identify a sample of online tools that
students and parents may use to explore multiple career pathways and
shall publicize these tools on the board's web site. Within available
funds, the board may modify or supplement existing online tools to make
them more user-friendly or to provide additional information specific
to the Washington education system and economy.
(2) The workforce training and education coordinating board must
annually create a brief, summary list of promising careers based on
analysis of employment openings and future growth, as well as
sustainable wages. The list must include careers that require various
levels of postsecondary education and must illustrate the career
pathways students may take to pursue the careers. The purpose of the
list is to illustrate a sample of high quality, high-demand careers
available through multiple pathways and encourage students and parents
to engage in career exploration using available tools. The list must
be publicized along with the career exploration tools identified under
subsection (1) of this section and may be linked to other, more
comprehensive analyses and information regarding high-demand careers
and career projections.
(3) The state education and workforce agencies and all public
institutions of higher education must publicize the online tools and
promising careers identified under subsections (1) and (2) of this
section on their respective web sites. Worksource centers and public
libraries must include information about the online tools in existing
publications, including newsletters, posters, brochures, or other print
materials, and must provide directions and options for public internet
access to the online tools.
(4) The workforce training and education coordinating board shall
work with statewide business organizations to develop an online mentor
program using volunteer mentors employed in various career fields who
provide advice or answer inquiries from students and parents as they
explore multiple career pathways using the online tools. The mentor
program must be supported by business organizations or foundations
through cash or in-kind contributions for the development and operation
of the program. The workforce board shall inform the legislature if
business and foundation support is not available for this purpose and
may recommend state matching support if necessary.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 206 A new section is added to chapter 28A.320
RCW to read as follows:
The workforce training and education coordinating board shall
develop a graphic advertisement regarding the importance of early
career exploration and including an electronic link to the online tools
and information about promising careers identified under section 205 of
this act. School districts must provide information to all enrolled
students in grades six through twelve about the opportunity to explore
multiple career pathways by, at a minimum, copying the graphic
advertisement into school newsletters, routine communication to
parents, and the district web site. School districts may provide
additional career exploration information through additional means.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 207 (1) The career exploration partnership
zone program is established to increase connections and access to
internship, training, and employment opportunities and provide a forum
for the exchange of ideas, innovations, and expertise between local
business and labor communities, public schools, apprenticeship
councils, and institutions of higher education.
(2) The workforce training and education coordinating board shall
develop criteria and an application process for designating regional
coordinators for partnership zones. It is the legislature's intent
that between eight and twelve partnership zones be designated. The
purpose of the designation is to establish a single point of contact
for local coordination, reduce duplication of effort, achieve economies
of scale, and create opportunities for successful grant seeking from
the public and private sectors.
(3) Career exploration partnership zone coordinators must, in
collaboration with business and labor communities and public education
institutions:
(a) Serve as a clearinghouse for summer and year-round youth
employment opportunities and work with local businesses to develop new
opportunities;
(b) Recruit businesses to provide internships for students and
educators;
(c) Work with school districts, colleges, universities,
apprenticeship and preapprenticeship programs, and workforce training
programs to develop internship, mentoring, and advising opportunities
for individuals in the local business and labor communities;
(d) Design and develop other partnerships to provide opportunities
for continuing education and training;
(e) Seek public and private sector funding to support the
partnership zone;
(f) Recruit and encourage students, parents, and schools to use the
online career exploration tools and online mentor programs under
section 205 of this act; and
(g) Report annually to the workforce training and education
coordinating board as provided under subsection (5) of this section.
(4) Partnerships and collaborative activities under a partnership
zone are voluntary and intended to benefit all partners. Partners are
encouraged to use creation of a partnership zone as a means to
strengthen competitive grant applications. Partners who achieve
savings by reducing duplication of effort through the partnership zone
may contribute funding to the partnership zone.
(5) The workforce training and education coordinating board shall
design a performance monitoring report for career exploration
partnership zones that tracks the expansion and improvement in youth
employment, number of internships, number of career exploration and
other partnership activities, and whether the options provided under
subsection (4) of this section were exercised.
Sec. 208 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, including
preapprenticeship, apprenticeship, workforce training programs,
community and technical colleges, and baccalaureate and
postbaccalaureate opportunities, 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;
(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.
Sec. 209 RCW 28A.150.220 and 2011 1st sp.s. c 27 s 1 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,
including preapprenticeship, apprenticeship, workforce training
programs, community and technical colleges, and baccalaureate and
postbaccalaureate opportunities, 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, but not before the 2014-15 school year; 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; and
(h) Programs in career and technical education that prepare
students for postsecondary education, including preapprenticeship,
apprenticeship, workforce training programs, community and technical
colleges, and baccalaureate and postbaccalaureate opportunities.
(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. 210 RCW 28A.230.097 and 2008 c 170 s 202 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) Each high school or school district board of directors shall
adopt course equivalencies for career and technical high school courses
offered to students in high schools and skill centers. A career and
technical course equivalency may be for whole or partial credit. Each
school district board of directors shall develop a course equivalency
approval procedure.
(2) Career and technical courses determined to be equivalent to
academic core courses, in full or in part, by the high school or school
district shall be accepted as meeting core requirements, including
graduation requirements, if the courses are recorded on the student's
transcript using the equivalent academic high school department
designation and title. Full or partial credit shall be recorded as
appropriate. The high school or school district may not prohibit a
student from enrolling in a career and technical course equivalency, if
available, if the student has not been successful in the equivalent
academic course. The high school or school district shall also issue
and keep record of course completion certificates that demonstrate that
the career and technical courses were successfully completed as needed
for industry certification, college credit, or preapprenticeship, as
applicable. The certificate shall be either part of the student's high
school and beyond plan or the student's culminating project, as
determined by the student. The office of the superintendent of public
instruction shall develop and make available electronic samples of
certificates of course completion.
Sec. 211 RCW 28C.18.060 and 2009 c 151 s 6 are each amended to
read as follows:
The board, in cooperation with the operating agencies of the state
training system and private career schools and colleges, shall:
(1) Concentrate its major efforts on planning, coordination
evaluation, policy analysis, and recommending improvements to the
state's training system;
(2) Advocate for the state training system and for meeting the
needs of employers and the workforce for workforce education and
training;
(3) Establish and maintain an inventory of the programs of the
state training system, and related state programs, and perform a
biennial assessment of the ((vocational)) career and technical
education, training, and adult basic education and literacy needs of
the state; identify ongoing and strategic education needs; and assess
the extent to which employment, training, ((vocational)) career and
technical and basic education, rehabilitation services, and public
assistance services represent a consistent, integrated approach to meet
such needs;
(4) Develop and maintain a state comprehensive plan for workforce
training and education, including but not limited to, goals,
objectives, and priorities for the state training system, and review
the state training system for consistency with the state comprehensive
plan. In developing the state comprehensive plan for workforce
training and education, the board shall use, but shall not be limited
to: Economic, labor market, and populations trends reports in office
of financial management forecasts; joint office of financial management
and employment security department labor force, industry employment,
and occupational forecasts; the results of scientifically based
outcome, net-impact and cost-benefit evaluations; the needs of
employers as evidenced in formal employer surveys and other employer
input; and the needs of program participants and workers as evidenced
in formal surveys and other input from program participants and the
labor community;
(5) In consultation with the higher education coordinating board or
its successor agency, review and make recommendations to the office of
financial management and the legislature on operating and capital
facilities budget requests for operating agencies of the state training
system for purposes of consistency with the state comprehensive plan
for workforce training and education;
(6) Provide for coordination among the different operating agencies
and components of the state training system at the state level and at
the regional level;
(7) Develop a consistent and reliable database on ((vocational))
career and technical education enrollments, costs, program activities,
and job placements from publicly funded ((vocational)) career and
technical education programs in this state;
(8)(a) Establish standards for data collection and maintenance for
the operating agencies of the state training system in a format that is
accessible to use by the board. The board shall require a minimum of
common core data to be collected by each operating agency of the state
training system;
(b) Develop requirements for minimum common core data in
consultation with the office of financial management and the operating
agencies of the training system;
(9) Establish minimum standards for program evaluation for the
operating agencies of the state training system, including, but not
limited to, the use of common survey instruments and procedures for
measuring perceptions of program participants and employers of program
participants, and monitor such program evaluation;
(10) Every two years administer scientifically based outcome
evaluations of the state training system, including, but not limited
to, surveys of program participants, surveys of employers of program
participants, and matches with employment security department payroll
and wage files. Every five years administer scientifically based net-impact and cost-benefit evaluations of the state training system;
(11) In cooperation with the employment security department,
provide for the improvement and maintenance of quality and utility in
occupational information and forecasts for use in training system
planning and evaluation. Improvements shall include, but not be
limited to, development of state-based occupational change factors
involving input by employers and employees, and delineation of skill
and training requirements by education level associated with current
and forecasted occupations;
(12) Provide for the development of common course description
formats, common reporting requirements, and common definitions for
operating agencies of the training system;
(13) Provide for effectiveness and efficiency reviews of the state
training system;
(14) In cooperation with the higher education coordinating board or
its successor agency, facilitate transfer of credit policies and
agreements between institutions of the state training system, and
encourage articulation agreements for programs encompassing two years
of secondary workforce education and two years of postsecondary
workforce education;
(15) In cooperation with the higher education coordinating board or
its successor agency, facilitate transfer of credit policies and
agreements between private training institutions and institutions of
the state training system;
(16) Develop policy objectives for the workforce investment act,
P.L. 105-220, or its successor; develop coordination criteria for
activities under the act with related programs and services provided by
state and local education and training agencies; and ensure that
entrepreneurial training opportunities are available through programs
of each local workforce investment board in the state;
(17) Make recommendations to ((the commission of student
assessment,)) the state board of education((,)) and the superintendent
of public instruction, concerning basic skill competencies and
essential core competencies for K-12 education. Basic skills for this
purpose shall be reading, writing, computation, speaking, and critical
thinking, essential core competencies for this purpose shall be
English, math, science/technology, history, geography, and critical
thinking. The board shall monitor the development of and provide
advice concerning secondary curriculum which integrates ((vocational))
career and technical and academic education;
(18) Establish and administer programs for marketing and outreach
to businesses and potential program participants;
(19) Facilitate the location of support services, including but not
limited to, child care, financial aid, career counseling, and job
placement services, for students and trainees at institutions in the
state training system, and advocate for support services for trainees
and students in the state training system;
(20) Facilitate private sector assistance for the state training
system, including but not limited to: Financial assistance, rotation
of private and public personnel, and vocational counseling;
(21) Facilitate the development of programs ((for school-to-work
transition that combine classroom education and on-the-job training,
including entrepreneurial education and training, in industries and
occupations without a significant number of apprenticeship programs))
of study as defined in section 201 of this act;
(22) Include in the planning requirements for local workforce
investment boards a requirement that the local workforce investment
boards specify how entrepreneurial training is to be offered through
the one-stop system required under the workforce investment act, P.L.
105-220, or its successor;
(23) Encourage and assess progress for the equitable representation
of racial and ethnic minorities, women, and people with disabilities
among the students, teachers, and administrators of the state training
system. Equitable, for this purpose, shall mean substantially
proportional to their percentage of the state population in the
geographic area served. This function of the board shall in no way
lessen more stringent state or federal requirements for representation
of racial and ethnic minorities, women, and people with disabilities;
(24) Participate in the planning and policy development of governor
set-aside grants under P.L. 97-300, as amended;
(25) Administer veterans' programs, licensure of private vocational
schools, the job skills program, and the Washington award for
vocational excellence;
(26) Allocate funding from the state job training trust fund;
(27) Work with the director of ((community, trade, and economic
development and the economic development commission)) commerce to
ensure coordination among workforce training priorities, the long-term
economic development strategy of the economic development commission,
and economic development and entrepreneurial development efforts,
including but not limited to assistance to industry clusters;
(28) Conduct research into workforce development programs designed
to reduce the high unemployment rate among young people between
approximately eighteen and twenty-four years of age. In consultation
with the operating agencies, the board shall advise the governor and
legislature on policies and programs to alleviate the high unemployment
rate among young people. The research shall include disaggregated
demographic information and, to the extent possible, income data for
adult youth. The research shall also include a comparison of the
effectiveness of programs examined as a part of the research conducted
in this subsection in relation to the public investment made in these
programs in reducing unemployment of young adults. The board shall
report to the appropriate committees of the legislature by November 15,
2008, and every two years thereafter. Where possible, the data
reported to the legislative committees should be reported in numbers
and in percentages;
(29) Perform the functions assigned to the board under chapter
28C.--- RCW (the new chapter created in section 501 of this act); and
(30) Adopt rules as necessary to implement this chapter.
The board may delegate to the director any of the functions of this
section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 301 (1) The state education and workforce
agencies shall work together to ensure that programs established by the
legislature to provide opportunities for individuals to increase their
knowledge, skills, and earnings potential through education and
training operate seamlessly, without unnecessary duplication and
overlap, and without unnecessary barriers that may hinder students'
transition from one program to another.
(2) Programs under this section include opportunity internships
under RCW 28C.18.160, opportunity grants under RCW 28B.50.271, worker
retraining and other programs supported by the opportunity express
account under RCW 28B.50.286, the college bound scholarship under
chapter 28B.118 RCW, and the pay for actual student success program
under RCW 28A.175.130 through 28A.175.160.
(3) The agencies may make recommendations to the legislature for
increasing efficiency and effectiveness among the programs and for
reducing barriers for students.
Sec. 302 RCW 28B.76.526 and 2010 1st sp.s. c 27 s 2 are each
amended to read as follows:
The Washington opportunity pathways account is created in the state
treasury. Expenditures from the account may be used only for programs
in chapter 28B.12 RCW (state work-study), chapter 28B.50 RCW
(opportunity grant), RCW 28B.76.660 (Washington scholars award), RCW
28B.76.670 (Washington award for vocational excellence), chapter 28B.92
RCW (state need grant program), ((chapter 28B.101 RCW (educational
opportunity grant),)) chapter 28B.105 RCW (GET ready for math and
science scholarship), chapter 28B.117 RCW (passport to college
promise), chapter 28B.118 RCW (college bound scholarship), chapter
28B.119 RCW (Washington promise scholarship), chapter 43.215 RCW (early
childhood education and assistance program), programs supported by RCW
28B.50.286 (opportunity express account), RCW 28C.18.160 through
28C.18.168 (opportunity internship program), and RCW 43.330.280
(recruitment of entrepreneurial researchers, innovation partnership
zones and research teams).
Sec. 303 RCW 28C.18.162 and 2009 c 238 s 3 are each amended to
read as follows:
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in
this section apply throughout this section and RCW 28C.18.160 and
28C.18.164 through 28C.18.168.
(1) "High-demand occupation" means an occupation with a substantial
number of current or projected employment opportunities.
(2) "Low-income high school student" means a student who is
enrolled in grade((s)) ten, eleven, or twelve in a public high school
and who ((qualifies for federal free or reduced-price meals)): (a)
Would qualify for a state need grant under chapter 28B.92 RCW on the
basis of financial need; or (b) qualifies to participate in the Title
I-B youth program under the federal workforce investment act of 1988.
If a student qualifies at the time the student begins participating in
the opportunity internship program, the student remains eligible even
if the student ((does not receive free or reduced-price meals)) would
not qualify thereafter. To participate in the program, the student
must remain enrolled in high school until the student receives a high
school diploma or receives a GED.
(3) "Opportunity internship consortium" means a local consortium
formed for the purpose of participating in the opportunity internship
program and which may be composed of a local workforce development
council, economic development council, area high schools, community or
technical colleges, apprenticeship councils, preapprenticeship programs
such as running start for the trades, private vocational schools
licensed under chapter 28C.10 RCW, public and private four-year
institutions of higher education, employers in targeted industries, and
labor organizations.
(4) "Opportunity internship graduate" means a low-income high
school student who successfully completes an opportunity internship
program and either graduates from high school or receives a GED.
(5) "Postsecondary program of study" means an undergraduate or
graduate certificate, apprenticeship, or degree program.
(6) "Preapprenticeship" means a program of at least ninety hours
and not more than one hundred eighty hours in length that provides
practical experience, education, preparation, and the development of
skills that would be beneficial for entry into state-approved
apprenticeship programs, including but not limited to construction
industry structure and the construction process; orientation to state-approved apprenticeship; tools of the various trades and safe handling
of power tools; and industry standards of safety, responsibility, and
craft excellence.
(7) "Targeted industry" means a business or industry identified by
a local workforce development council as having high-demand occupations
that require candidates to have completed a postsecondary program of
study.
Sec. 304 RCW 28C.18.164 and 2010 1st sp.s. c 24 s 4 are each
amended to read as follows:
(1) Opportunity internship consortia may apply to the board to
offer an opportunity internship program.
(a) The board, in consultation with the Washington state
apprenticeship and training council, may select those consortia that
demonstrate the strongest commitment and readiness to implement a high
quality opportunity internship program for low-income high school
students. The board shall place a priority on consortia with
demonstrated experience working with similar populations of students
and demonstrated capacity to assist a large number of students through
the progression of internship or preapprenticeship, high school
graduation or receipt of a GED, postsecondary education or
apprenticeship, and retention in a high-demand occupation. The board
shall place a priority on programs that emphasize secondary career and
technical education and nonbaccalaureate postsecondary education;
however, programs that target four-year postsecondary degrees are
eligible to participate.
(b)(i) Except as provided in (b)(ii) of this subsection (1), the
board shall enter into a contract with each consortium selected to
participate in the program. No more than ten consortia per year shall
be selected to participate in the program, and to the extent possible,
the board shall assure a geographic distribution of consortia in
regions across the state emphasizing a variety of targeted industries.
Each consortium may select no more than one hundred low-income high
school students per year to participate in the program.
(ii) For fiscal years 2011 through 2013, the board shall enter into
a contract with each consortium selected to participate in the program.
No more than twelve consortia per year shall be selected to participate
in the program, and to the extent possible, the board shall assure a
geographic distribution of consortia in regions across the state
emphasizing a variety of targeted industries. No more than five
thousand low-income high school students per year may be selected to
participate in the program.
(2) Under the terms of an opportunity internship program contract,
an opportunity internship consortium shall commit to the following
activities which shall be conducted using existing federal, state,
local, or private funds available to the consortium:
(a) Identify high-demand occupations in targeted industries for
which opportunity internships or preapprenticeships shall be developed
and provided;
(b) Develop and implement the components of opportunity
internships, including paid or unpaid internships or preapprenticeships
of at least ninety hours in length in high-demand occupations with
employers in the consortium, mentoring and guidance for students who
participate in the program, assistance with applications for
postsecondary programs and financial aid, and a guarantee of a job
interview with a participating employer for all opportunity internship
graduates who successfully complete a postsecondary program of study;
(c) Once the internship or preapprenticeship components have been
developed, conduct outreach efforts to inform low-income high school
students about high-demand occupations, the opportunity internship
program, options for postsecondary programs of study, and the
incentives and opportunities provided to students who participate in
the program;
(d) Obtain appropriate documentation of the low-income status of
students who participate in the program;
(e) Award each opportunity internship graduate with the certificate
produced by the office of student financial assistance under RCW
28B.92.084 that notifies graduates of their eligibility for a state
need grant;
(f) Maintain communication with opportunity internship graduates of
the consortium who enroll in postsecondary programs of study; and
(((f))) (g) Submit an annual report to the board on the progress of
and participation in the opportunity internship program of the
consortium.
(3) Opportunity internship consortia are encouraged to:
(a) Provide paid opportunity internships or preapprenticeships,
including during the summer months to encourage students to stay
enrolled in high school;
(b) Work with high schools to offer opportunity internships as
approved worksite learning experiences where students can earn high
school credit;
(c) Designate the local workforce development council as fiscal
agent for the opportunity internship program contract;
(d) Work with area high schools to incorporate the opportunity
internship program into comprehensive guidance and counseling programs
such as the navigation 101 program; ((and))
(e) Coordinate the opportunity internship program with other
workforce development and postsecondary education programs, including
opportunity grants, the college bound scholarship program, federal
workforce investment act initiatives, and college access challenge
grants; and
(f) Provide stipends or financial incentives for internship and
preapprenticeship completion.
(4) The board shall seek federal funds that may be used to support
the opportunity internship program, including providing the incentive
payments under RCW 28C.18.168.
Sec. 305 RCW 28C.18.166 and 2011 1st sp.s. c 11 s 242 are each
amended to read as follows:
On an annual basis, each opportunity internship consortium shall
provide the board with a list of the opportunity internship graduates
from the consortium. The board shall compile the lists from all
consortia and shall notify the office of student financial assistance
of the eligibility of each graduate on the lists to receive a state
need grant under chapter 28B.92 RCW if the graduate enrolls in a
postsecondary program of study within one year of high school
graduation or receipt of a GED.
Sec. 306 RCW 28B.92.030 and 2011 1st sp.s. c 11 s 159 are each
amended to read as follows:
As used in this chapter:
(1) "Disadvantaged student" means a posthigh school student who by
reason of adverse cultural, educational, environmental, experiential,
familial or other circumstances is unable to qualify for enrollment as
a full-time student in an institution of higher education, who would
otherwise qualify as a needy student, and who is attending an
institution of higher education under an established program designed
to qualify the student for enrollment as a full-time student.
(2) "Financial aid" means loans and/or grants to needy students
enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a student at institutions of
higher education.
(3) "Institution" or "institutions of higher education" means:
(a) Any public university, college, community college, or technical
college operated by the state of Washington or any political
subdivision thereof; or
(b) Any other university, college, school, or institute in the
state of Washington offering instruction beyond the high school level
which is a member institution of an accrediting association recognized
by rule of the board or successor agency for the purposes of this
section: PROVIDED, That any institution, branch, extension or facility
operating within the state of Washington which is affiliated with an
institution operating in another state must be a separately accredited
member institution of any such accrediting association, or a branch of
a member institution of an accrediting association recognized by rule
of the board or successor agency for purposes of this section, that is
eligible for federal student financial aid assistance and has operated
as a nonprofit college or university delivering on-site classroom
instruction for a minimum of twenty consecutive years within the state
of Washington, and has an annual enrollment of at least seven hundred
full-time equivalent students: PROVIDED FURTHER, That no institution
of higher education shall be eligible to participate in a student
financial aid program unless it agrees to and complies with program
rules and regulations adopted pursuant to RCW 28B.92.150.
(4) "Needy student" means a posthigh school student of an
institution of higher education who demonstrates to the ((board))
office the financial inability, either through the student's parents,
family and/or personally, to meet the total cost of board, room, books,
and tuition and incidental fees for any semester or quarter. "Needy
student" also means an opportunity internship graduate as defined by
RCW 28C.18.162 who enrolls in a postsecondary program of study as
defined in RCW 28C.18.162 within one year of high school graduation or
receipt of a GED.
(5) "Office" means the office of student financial assistance.
(6) "Placebound student" means a student who (a) is unable to
complete a college program because of family or employment commitments,
health concerns, monetary inability, or other similar factors; and (b)
may be influenced by the receipt of an enhanced student financial aid
award to complete a baccalaureate degree at an eligible institution.
Sec. 307 RCW 28B.92.084 and 2011 1st sp.s. c 11 s 163 are each
amended to read as follows:
(1) The office shall work with institutions of higher education to
assure that the institutions are aware of the eligibility of
opportunity internship graduates for an award under this chapter. The
office shall also create certificates that notify opportunity
internship graduates of their eligibility for an award under this
chapter and the importance of early filing of the free application for
federal student aid (FAFSA) to secure their eligibility. The office
shall provide the certificates to opportunity internship consortia for
distribution.
(2) If an opportunity internship graduate enrolls within one year
of high school graduation or receipt of a GED in a postsecondary
program of study in an institution of higher education, including in an
apprenticeship program with related and supplemental instruction
provided through an institution of higher education, the graduate is
eligible to receive a state need grant for up to one year. The
graduate shall not be required to be enrolled on at least a half-time
basis. The related and supplemental instruction provided to a graduate
through an apprenticeship program shall not be required to lead to a
degree or certificate.
(3) Except for the eligibility criteria for an opportunity
internship graduate that are provided under this section, other rules
pertaining to award of a state need grant apply.
(4) Nothing in this section precludes an opportunity internship
graduate from being eligible to receive additional state need grants
after the one-year grant provided in this section if the graduate meets
other criteria as a needy or disadvantaged student.
Sec. 308 2009 c 238 s 11 (uncodified) is amended to read as
follows:
(1) The workforce training and education coordinating board shall
conduct an outcome evaluation of opportunity internship programs. At
a minimum, the analysis shall examine the financial benefits of on-time
graduation, youth employment while in high school, postsecondary
education enrollment and completion, and adult employment in high-demand occupations compared to the local and state costs of the
programs.
(2) The board shall submit a preliminary analysis to the governor
and the education and higher education committees of the legislature by
December 1, 2012, and a final analysis by December 1, 2014. The board
shall include in its final analysis whether the performance of the
opportunity internship program warrants expanding participation to
include students from middle-income families who do not qualify under
the income criteria for the program.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 309 (1) The workforce training and education
coordinating board, in consultation with the employment security
department and business and labor organizations, shall develop a
proposal to establish an employee benefit account for the purpose of
supporting continuing education and training to improve an employee's
knowledge, skills, and earnings potential that employers may offer as
one of the elements of a comprehensive benefits package and that may be
funded by employer, employee, and state contributions.
(2) The board shall submit the proposal to the legislature by
December 1, 2012.
Sec. 401 RCW 28A.700.060 and 2008 c 170 s 107 are each amended to
read as follows:
(((1))) The office of the superintendent of public instruction, the
workforce training and education coordinating board, the state board
for community and technical colleges, the higher education coordinating
board or its successor agency, and the council of presidents shall work
with local school districts, ((workforce education programs in
colleges, tech prep consortia)) community and technical colleges, and
four-year institutions of higher education to:
(1) Develop model ((career and technical education)) programs of
study ((as described by this section.)) within career pathways;
(2) Career and technical education programs of study:
(a) Incorporate secondary and postsecondary education elements;
(b) Include coherent and rigorous academic content aligned with
state learning standards and relevant career and technical content in
a coordinated, nonduplicative progression of courses that are aligned
with postsecondary education in a related field;
(c) Include opportunities for students to earn dual high school and
college credit; and
(d) Lead to an industry-recognized credential or certificate at the
postsecondary level, or an associate or baccalaureate degree.
(3) During the 2008-09 school year, model career and technical
education programs of study shall be developed for the following
high-demand programs: Construction, health care, and information
technology. Each school year thereafter, the office of the
superintendent of public instruction, the state board for community and
technical colleges, the higher education coordinating board, and the
workforce training and education coordinating board shall select
additional programs of study to develop, with a priority on high-demand
programs as identified under RCW 28A.700.020
(2) Maximize opportunities for students to benefit from dual credit
programs, articulation agreements within and between secondary and
postsecondary education, and prior learning assessments for
postsecondary credit; and
(3) Partner with business and labor organizations to expand
opportunities for work-based learning.
Sec. 402 RCW 28A.600.045 and 2008 c 170 s 303 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The legislature encourages each middle school, junior high
school, and high school to implement a comprehensive guidance and
planning program for all students. The purpose of the program is to
support students as they navigate their education and plan their
future; encourage an ongoing and personal relationship between each
student and an adult in the school; and involve parents in students'
educational decisions and plans.
(2) A comprehensive guidance and planning program is a program that
contains at least the following components:
(a) A curriculum intended to provide the skills and knowledge
students need to select courses, explore options, plan for their
future, and take steps to implement their plans. ((The)) School
districts are encouraged to use a curriculum ((may)) that includes
((such)) the following topics ((as)): Analysis of students' test
results; diagnostic assessments of students' academic strengths and
weaknesses; use of assessment results in developing students' short-term and long-term plans; assessments of student interests and
aptitude; goal-setting skills; planning for high school course
selection; independent living skills; exploration, including online
exploration, of career pathway options ((and)), opportunities for
career and technical education at the secondary and postsecondary
level, and preapprenticeships and apprenticeships; exploration of
multiple career pathways and career opportunities in emerging and
high-demand programs ((including apprenticeships)); ((and))
postsecondary options and how to access them; and information on
potential job and earning prospects for occupations in all career
pathways;
(b) Regular meetings between each student and a teacher who serves
as an advisor throughout the student's enrollment at the school;
(c) Student-led conferences with the student's parents, guardians,
or family members and the student's advisor for the purpose of
demonstrating the student's accomplishments; identifying weaknesses;
planning and selecting courses; and setting long-term goals; ((and))
(d) To the extent possible, paper or electronic student planning
portfolios that enable students to save samples of their work, reflect
on their progress, and determine how they can improve their educational
performance, and which should also contain resumes, assessments, and
evidence of intentional and informed postsecondary planning and career
exploration;
(e) To the extent possible, scheduling of high school courses based
on student interests and demand; and
(f) Data collection that allows schools to monitor students'
progress.
(3) Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the office of
the superintendent of public instruction shall provide support for
comprehensive guidance and planning programs in public schools,
including providing ongoing development and improvement of the
curriculum described in subsection (2) of this section.
(4) The definitions in section 201 of this act apply to this
section.
Sec. 403 RCW 28A.230.090 and 2011 c 203 s 2 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) The state board of education shall establish high school
graduation requirements or equivalencies for students, except as
provided in RCW 28A.230.122 and except those equivalencies established
by local high schools or school districts under RCW 28A.230.097. The
purpose of a high school diploma is to declare that a student is ready
for success in postsecondary education, gainful employment, and
citizenship, and is equipped with the skills to be a lifelong learner.
(a) Any course in Washington state history and government used to
fulfill high school graduation requirements shall consider including
information on the culture, history, and government of the American
Indian peoples who were the first inhabitants of the state.
(b) The certificate of academic achievement requirements under RCW
28A.655.061 or the certificate of individual achievement requirements
under RCW 28A.155.045 are required for graduation from a public high
school but are not the only requirements for graduation.
(c) Any decision on whether a student has met the state board's
high school graduation requirements for a high school and beyond plan
shall remain at the local level.
(2)(a) In recognition of the statutory authority of the state board
of education to establish and enforce minimum high school graduation
requirements, the state board shall periodically reevaluate the
graduation requirements and shall report such findings to the
legislature in a timely manner as determined by the state board.
(b) The state board shall ((reevaluate the graduation requirements
for students enrolled in vocationally intensive and rigorous career and
technical education programs, particularly those programs that lead to
a certificate or credential that is state or nationally recognized.
The purpose of the evaluation is to)) ensure that graduation
requirements provide students ((enrolled in these programs have)) whose
high school and beyond plan does not include immediate entrance into a
four-year institution of higher education sufficient opportunity to
earn a certificate of academic achievement, complete ((the)) their
program ((and)) of study, earn the program's certificate or credential
if applicable, and complete other state and local graduation
requirements. Graduation requirements established by the board may not
impose additional administrative requirements or procedures, such as
waivers or permissions, for students seeking a nonbaccalaureate career
pathway.
(c) The state board shall forward any proposed changes to the high
school graduation requirements to the education committees of the
legislature for review and to the quality education council established
under RCW 28A.290.010. The legislature shall have the opportunity to
act during a regular legislative session before the changes are adopted
through administrative rule by the state board. Changes that have a
fiscal impact on school districts, as identified by a fiscal analysis
prepared by the office of the superintendent of public instruction,
shall take effect only if formally authorized and funded by the
legislature through the omnibus appropriations act or other enacted
legislation.
(3) Pursuant to any requirement for instruction in languages other
than English established by the state board of education or a local
school district, or both, for purposes of high school graduation,
students who receive instruction in American sign language or one or
more American Indian languages shall be considered to have satisfied
the state or local school district graduation requirement for
instruction in one or more languages other than English.
(4) If requested by the student and his or her family, a student
who has completed high school courses before attending high school
shall be given high school credit which shall be applied to fulfilling
high school graduation requirements if:
(a) The course was taken with high school students, if the academic
level of the course exceeds the requirements for seventh and eighth
grade classes, and the student has successfully passed by completing
the same course requirements and examinations as the high school
students enrolled in the class; or
(b) The academic level of the course exceeds the requirements for
seventh and eighth grade classes and the course would qualify for high
school credit, because the course is similar or equivalent to a course
offered at a high school in the district as determined by the school
district board of directors.
(5) Students who have taken and successfully completed high school
courses under the circumstances in subsection (4) of this section shall
not be required to take an additional competency examination or perform
any other additional assignment to receive credit.
(6) At the college or university level, five quarter or three
semester hours equals one high school credit.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 404 A new section is added to chapter 28A.230
RCW to read as follows:
School districts are encouraged to have each middle school, junior
high school, and high school student develop a high school and beyond
plan that includes at least the following components and activities to
be completed by each student:
(1) Identifying personal interests and achievable career goals;
(2) Establishing a four-year plan for course-taking beginning in
the ninth grade, including selecting a high school program of study by
the end of the eighth grade within a career pathway of interest to the
student;
(3) Conducting research on postsecondary training and education
related to the student's career interest, including comparative
information on the benefits and costs of available choices;
(4) Developing a budget for postsecondary education or training and
life based on personal and career interests;
(5) Participating in a postsecondary site visit or visits, which
may include a virtual visit; and
(6) Completing a resume and an application for postsecondary
education and training.
Sec. 405 RCW 28A.230.010 and 2003 c 49 s 1 are each amended to
read as follows:
School district boards of directors shall identify and offer
courses with content that meet or exceed: (1) The basic education
skills identified in RCW 28A.150.210; (2) the graduation requirements
under RCW 28A.230.090; (3) the courses required to meet the minimum
college entrance requirements under RCW ((28A.230.130)) 28B.10.050; and
(4) the course options for career development under RCW 28A.230.130.
Such courses may be applied or theoretical, academic, or ((vocational))
career and technical.
Sec. 406 RCW 28A.600.160 and 2009 c 556 s 14 and 2009 c 450 s 6
are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
((Any middle school, junior high school, or)) (1) All public high
schools ((using educational pathways shall ensure that all
participating students will continue to have access to the courses and
instruction necessary to meet admission requirements at baccalaureate
institutions)) are encouraged to offer multiple high school programs of
study within career pathways for students. Students shall be allowed
to enter the ((educational)) high school program of study and career
pathway of their choice. Before ((accepting)) a student ((into an
educational)) begins a high school program of study within a career
pathway, the school shall inform the student's parent of the program of
study and career pathway chosen, the opportunities available to the
student through the pathway, and the career objectives the student will
have exposure to while pursuing the pathway. Providing online access
to the information satisfies the requirements of this section unless a
parent or guardian specifically requests (([requests])) information to
be provided in written form. Parents and students dissatisfied with
the opportunities available through the selected ((educational))
program of study and career pathway shall be provided with the
opportunity to transfer the student to any other pathway provided in
the school. Schools may not develop ((educational)) programs of study
pathways that retain students in high school beyond the date they are
eligible to graduate, and may not require students who transfer between
programs of study or career pathways to complete ((pathway)) program of
study requirements beyond the date the student is eligible to graduate.
((Educational pathways may include, but are not limited to, programs
such as worksite learning, internships, tech prep, career and technical
education, running start, college in the high school, running start for
the trades, and preparation for technical college, community college,
or university education.))
(2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall
develop model frameworks for high school programs of study within
career pathways, working collaboratively with other education entities
as provided under RCW 28A.700.060 (as recodified by this act).
(3) Work-based learning opportunities provided within a high school
program of study may include any of the following:
(a) Career-related student competitions that involve teamwork and
demonstrate mastery through presentations or competitions with a
professional jury;
(b) Paid and unpaid internships that provide sustained work-based
learning experiences designed to enrich and expand the classroom;
(c) School-based enterprises that produce goods or services for
sale or use by others;
(d) Social enterprises for learning;
(e) Service learning;
(f) Simulated workplace experiences and enterprises where labor
laws or logistics make actual workplace experiences difficult;
(g) Technical mentoring that provides direct, systemic outside
professional input to students' work products;
(h) Unpaid and paid work experience; or
(i) Youth apprenticeships and preapprenticeships.
(4) For the purposes of this section, "program of study" and
"career pathway" have the same definitions as in section 201 of this
act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 407 A new section is added to chapter 28A.410
RCW to read as follows:
The professional educator standards board must include in standards
for teacher certification the requisite skills and knowledge to offer
contextualized learning activities for students, including project-based learning and teaching academic content in the context of the
world of work.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 408 A new section is added to chapter 28B.10
RCW to read as follows:
(1) Institutions of higher education are encouraged to offer
comprehensive career counseling to all students. Comprehensive career
counseling should include the following:
(a) Assistance in identifying the student's career pathway and a
program of study within the student's chosen career pathway whether the
student is new to or returning after having previously exited an
institution of higher education. The assistance should build on the
student's existing certifications or degrees to further the student's
credentials, particularly in areas of high employer demand;
(b) Labor market demand information for occupations;
(c) Assistance with barriers to completion of the student's
certificate or degree program; and
(d) If a student exits an education or training program before
completion of the student's program of study, information on what is
required for the student to obtain a certificate or degree before
exiting and alternatives the student may access if the student chooses
to return to an education or training program in the future.
(2) Institutions of higher education are encouraged to develop
partnerships with workforce development councils and worksource centers
to allow worksource center staff and partner staff affiliated with
worksource to provide career counseling services to students at the
institutions.
(3) For the purposes of this section, "program of study" and
"career pathway" have the definitions in section 201 of this act.
Sec. 409 RCW 28B.50.140 and 2010 c 51 s 4 are each amended to
read as follows:
Each board of trustees:
(1) Shall operate all existing community and technical colleges in
its district;
(2) Shall create comprehensive programs of community and technical
college education and training and maintain an open-door policy in
accordance with the provisions of RCW 28B.50.090(3);
(3) Shall employ for a period to be fixed by the board a college
president for each community and technical college and, may appoint a
president for the district, and fix their duties and compensation,
which may include elements other than salary. Compensation under this
subsection shall not affect but may supplement retirement, health care,
and other benefits that are otherwise applicable to the presidents as
state employees. The board shall also employ for a period to be fixed
by the board members of the faculty and such other administrative
officers and other employees as may be necessary or appropriate and fix
their salaries and duties. Compensation and salary increases under
this subsection shall not exceed the amount or percentage established
for those purposes in the state appropriations act by the legislature
as allocated to the board of trustees by the state board for community
and technical colleges. The state board for community and technical
colleges shall adopt rules defining the permissible elements of
compensation under this subsection;
(4) May establish, under the approval and direction of the college
board, new facilities as community needs and interests demand.
However, the authority of boards of trustees to purchase or lease major
off-campus facilities shall be subject to the approval of the higher
education coordinating board or its successor agency pursuant to RCW
28B.76.230;
(5) May establish or lease, operate, equip and maintain
dormitories, food service facilities, bookstores and other self-supporting facilities connected with the operation of the community and
technical college;
(6) May, with the approval of the college board, borrow money and
issue and sell revenue bonds or other evidences of indebtedness for the
construction, reconstruction, erection, equipping with permanent
fixtures, demolition and major alteration of buildings or other capital
assets, and the acquisition of sites, rights-of-way, easements,
improvements or appurtenances, for dormitories, food service
facilities, and other self-supporting facilities connected with the
operation of the community and technical college in accordance with the
provisions of RCW 28B.10.300 through 28B.10.330 where applicable;
(7) May establish fees and charges for the facilities authorized
hereunder, including reasonable rules and regulations for the
government thereof, not inconsistent with the rules of the college
board; each board of trustees operating a community and technical
college may enter into agreements, subject to rules of the college
board, with owners of facilities to be used for housing regarding the
management, operation, and government of such facilities, and any board
entering into such an agreement may:
(a) Make rules for the government, management and operation of such
housing facilities deemed necessary or advisable; and
(b) Employ necessary employees to govern, manage and operate the
same;
(8) May receive such gifts, grants, conveyances, devises and
bequests of real or personal property from private sources, as may be
made from time to time, in trust or otherwise, whenever the terms and
conditions thereof will aid in carrying out the community and technical
college programs as specified by law and the rules of the state college
board; sell, lease or exchange, invest or expend the same or the
proceeds, rents, profits and income thereof according to the terms and
conditions thereof; and adopt rules to govern the receipt and
expenditure of the proceeds, rents, profits and income thereof;
(9) May establish and maintain night schools whenever in the
discretion of the board of trustees it is deemed advisable, and
authorize classrooms and other facilities to be used for summer or
night schools, or for public meetings and for any other uses consistent
with the use of such classrooms or facilities for community and
technical college purposes;
(10) May make rules for pedestrian and vehicular traffic on
property owned, operated, or maintained by the district;
(11) Shall prescribe, with the assistance of the faculty, the
course of study in the various departments of the community and
technical college or colleges under its control, and publish such
catalogues and bulletins as may become necessary. Each college shall
offer integrated basic education and skills training programs for
students requiring basic skills and literacy in order to participate in
college-level courses;
(12) May grant to every student, upon graduation or completion of
a course of study, a suitable diploma, degree, or certificate under the
rules of the state board for community and technical colleges that are
appropriate to their mission. The purposes of these diplomas,
certificates, and degrees are to lead individuals directly to
employment in a specific occupation or prepare individuals for a
bachelor's degree or beyond. Technical colleges may only offer
transfer degrees that prepare students for bachelor's degrees in
professional fields, subject to rules adopted by the college board. In
adopting rules, the college board, where possible, shall create
consistency between community and technical colleges and may address
issues related to tuition and fee rates; tuition waivers; enrollment
counting, including the use of credits instead of clock hours; degree
granting authority; or any other rules necessary to offer the associate
degrees that prepare students for transfer to bachelor's degrees in
professional areas. Only ((pilot)) colleges under RCW 28B.50.810 may
award baccalaureate degrees. The board, upon recommendation of the
faculty, may also confer honorary associate of arts degrees upon
persons other than graduates of the community college, in recognition
of their learning or devotion to education, literature, art, or
science. No degree may be conferred in consideration of the payment of
money or the donation of any kind of property;
(13) Shall enforce the rules prescribed by the state board for
community and technical colleges for the government of community and
technical colleges, students and teachers, and adopt such rules and
perform all other acts not inconsistent with law or rules of the state
board for community and technical colleges as the board of trustees may
in its discretion deem necessary or appropriate to the administration
of college districts: PROVIDED, That such rules shall include, but not
be limited to, rules relating to housing, scholarships, conduct at the
various community and technical college facilities, and discipline:
PROVIDED, FURTHER, That the board of trustees may suspend or expel from
community and technical colleges students who refuse to obey any of the
duly adopted rules;
(14) May, by written order filed in its office, delegate to the
president or district president any of the powers and duties vested in
or imposed upon it by this chapter. Such delegated powers and duties
may be exercised in the name of the district board;
(15) May perform such other activities consistent with this chapter
and not in conflict with the directives of the college board;
(16) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, may offer
educational services on a contractual basis other than the tuition and
fee basis set forth in chapter 28B.15 RCW for a special fee to private
or governmental entities, consistent with rules adopted by the state
board for community and technical colleges: PROVIDED, That the whole
of such special fee shall go to the college district and be not less
than the full instructional costs of such services including any salary
increases authorized by the legislature for community and technical
college employees during the term of the agreement: PROVIDED FURTHER,
That enrollments generated hereunder shall not be counted toward the
official enrollment level of the college district for state funding
purposes;
(17) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, may offer
educational services on a contractual basis, charging tuition and fees
as set forth in chapter 28B.15 RCW, counting such enrollments for state
funding purposes, and may additionally charge a special supplemental
fee when necessary to cover the full instructional costs of such
services: PROVIDED, That such contracts shall be subject to review by
the state board for community and technical colleges and to such rules
as the state board may adopt for that purpose in order to assure that
the sum of the supplemental fee and the normal state funding shall not
exceed the projected total cost of offering the educational service:
PROVIDED FURTHER, That enrollments generated by courses offered on the
basis of contracts requiring payment of a share of the normal costs of
the course will be discounted to the percentage provided by the
college;
(18) Shall be authorized to pay dues to any association of trustees
that may be formed by the various boards of trustees; such association
may expend any or all of such funds to submit biennially, or more often
if necessary, to the governor and to the legislature, the
recommendations of the association regarding changes which would affect
the efficiency of such association;
(19) May participate in higher education centers and consortia that
involve any four-year public or independent college or university:
PROVIDED, That new degree programs or off-campus programs offered by a
four-year public or independent college or university in collaboration
with a community or technical college are subject to approval by the
higher education coordinating board or its successor agency under RCW
28B.76.230;
(20) Shall perform any other duties and responsibilities imposed by
law or rule of the state board; and
(21) May confer honorary associate of arts degrees upon persons who
request an honorary degree if they were students at the college in 1942
and did not graduate because they were ordered into an internment camp.
The honorary degree may also be requested by a representative of
deceased persons who meet these requirements. For the purposes of this
subsection, "internment camp" means a relocation center to which
persons were ordered evacuated by Presidential Executive Order 9066,
signed on February 19, 1942.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 501 Sections 201 through 205, 207, and 301 of
this act constitute a new chapter in Title
NEW SECTION. Sec. 502 RCW 28A.700.060 is recodified as a section
in chapter 28C.--- RCW (the new chapter created in section 501 of this
act).
NEW SECTION. Sec. 503 Sections 305, 306, and 307 of this act
take effect July 1, 2012.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 504 This act shall be known and may be cited
as the career pathways act.