Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Appropriations Committee

HB 1067

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Background:

Teacher and Principal Evaluation Systems.

Performance evaluations for certificated school employees are specified in statute. Legislation enacted in 2010 directed development of a revised evaluation system specifically for teachers and principals. The revised system was implemented in eight pilot districts as well as a consortium of small school districts, with all districts required to implement the revised evaluation system beginning with the 2013-14 school year. The pilot evaluation system was further refined by legislation enacted in 2012, and set requirements for full implementation by all districts.

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction was required to adopt up to three preferred research-based instructional frameworks and up to three leadership frameworks by September 1, 2012. School districts are required to adopt one of each of the preferred frameworks, and begin transitioning teachers and principals to the new evaluation systems beginning no later than the 2013-14 school year. Principals and administrators who are evaluators must engage in professional development to implement the revised evaluation systems before they are implemented and before evaluating teachers. Districts must transition all teachers and principals to the new systems by the 2015-16 school year.

Under the new system, annual evaluations must be conducted for teachers and principals who have been transitioned to the new systems. Additionally, a comprehensive evaluation using all eight evaluative criteria identified in statute must occur at least every four years. Provisional teachers, principals with fewer than three years' experience or new to the district, and any teacher or principal scoring at Level 1 or 2 in the previous year must receive annual comprehensive evaluations.

Prototypical Schools.

Legislation enacted in 2009 and 2010 redefined basic education and restructured the K-12 funding formulas. The first was Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2261 (Chapter 548, Laws of 2009), which expanded the definition of basic education and established the framework for a new K-12 funding allocation formula based on prototypical schools. The second bill, Substitute House Bill 2776 (Chapter 236, Laws of 2010) enacted in statute the new prototypical school allocation formulas at funding levels that represented the 2009-10 school year state spending on basic education.

The prototypical school funding formula for basic education took effect September 1, 2011. The formula allocates funds to school districts based on assumed levels of staff and other resources necessary to support a "prototypical" school that serves an assumed number of students at defined elementary, middle, and high school levels. The structure of the formula, which appears in statute, provides allocations for classroom teachers at an assumed class size, plus other building-level staff such as principals, teacher-librarians, counselors, and office support. The allocations to a school district are adjusted to reflect the full-time equivalent enrolled students, in proportion to the prototypical school ratios. The funding provided to school districts through the prototypical school formulas is for allocation purposes only. Districts have discretion over how the money is spent, subject to some limits.