Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Appropriations Subcommittee on Education

HB 2554

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.

Brief Summary of Bill

Expands the number of recipients of the Urban School Turnaround Initiative Grant by a maximum of four schools in two urban districts, if funds are appropriated.

Directs the Superintendent of Public Instruction to monitor the activities of the recipient schools and submit a report to the Legislature by December 1, 2017.

Background:

The Urban School Turnaround Initiative (USTI) was created under Chapter 7, 2012 Laws 2nd Special Session PV (3ESHB 2127)

with the intent to improve learning achievement of students in low performing urban schools. The USTI limited the grant to two schools from the largest urban school district in the state. The selected schools were required to be among the state's lowest-performing schools, and were required to be within the same community, have significant educational achievement gaps and be a mix of elementary, middle or high schools.

The USTI provided one-time grants to be used for intensive supplemental instruction, services, and materials in the selected schools. Certain specific expenditure categories are permitted. These categories include: professional development for school staff; updated curriculum, materials, and technology; extended learning opportunities for students; reductions to class sizes; summer enrichment activities; school-based health clinics; and other research-based initiatives to turn around the performance and close the achievement gap in the selected schools.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) is required to monitor the activities in the selected schools. Additionally, the SPI was required to submit a report to the Legislature by December 1, 2013, detailing the outcomes that resulted from the USTI grant, including a comparison of student learning achievement in the selected schools as compared with schools of comparable demographics that were not recipients of the grant.

The two schools selected to receive the USTI grant were Aki Kurose middle school and Rainier Beach high school. Each school received $1 million to be spent by August 31, 2015.

Summary of Bill:

Subject to funds appropriated, the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) is directed to select up to four schools in two large urban school districts to participate in the Urban School Turnaround Initiative (USTI) in the 2014-15 school year. The SPI must select the recipient schools from a large urban district in Eastern Washington and a large urban district in Western Washington. The SPI may not select schools from the school district in which previous recipients are located.

The SPI is directed to submit a report to the Legislature by December 1, 2017. The report must include the outcomes resulting from the grant and include a comparison of learning achievement in the selected schools with non-recipient schools of comparable demographics.