SENATE BILL REPORT
ESSB 5753
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. |
As Passed Senate, March 7, 2013
Title: An act relating to flexibility in the education system.
Brief Description: Providing flexibility in the education system.
Sponsors: Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education (originally sponsored by Senators Hobbs, Tom, Hewitt, King and McAuliffe).
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Early Learning & K-12 Education: 2/20/13, 2/21/13 [DPS, DNP, w/oRec].
Passed Senate: 3/07/13, 45-4.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EARLY LEARNING & K-12 EDUCATION |
Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5753 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.
Signed by Senators Litzow, Chair; Dammeier, Vice Chair; McAuliffe, Ranking Member; Brown, Fain, Hill and Rivers.
Minority Report: Do not pass.
Signed by Senators Rolfes, Assistant Ranking Member; Cleveland and Mullet.
Minority Report: That it be referred without recommendation.
Signed by Senator Billig.
Staff: Susan Mielke (786-7422)
Background: Current law contains a number of requirements for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), school districts, and schools to complete. These requirements include providing information, specific programs, and training.
Summary of Engrossed Substitute Bill: The following laws are repealed, suspended until July 1, 2015, or amended.
The repealed laws include the following:
public schools must observe Temperance and Good Citizenship Day, and OSPI must annually produce a program for teachers for the day;
if schools operate garden or farms for educational purposes, students must be given the opportunity to be involved and must learn about both organic and conventional growing methods; and
Student Learning Plans are required for eighth grade students who were not successful on any or all of the content areas of the state assessment or who may not be on track to graduate due to credit deficiencies or absences.
The requirement that OSPI must provide high schools the contact information for programs offering college credit, including online advanced placement classes, and that the schools must publish entrance requirements and availability of local programs that lead to college credits is suspended until July 1, 2015.
The amended laws include the following:
to the extent funds are available, public school districts must comply with high-performance public buildings requirements, and all major facility projects of public school districts receiving any funding in a state capital budget must be designed and constructed to at least the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver standard or the Washington Sustainable School design protocol; and
OSPI must collect, and disseminate to districts, information on child abuse and neglect prevention curriculum and adopt rules for the prevention of child abuse for curriculum use. Providing online access to this information is sufficient, unless a parent specifically requests that the information be provided in writing.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.
Effective Date: The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony on Proposed Substitute as Heard in Committee: PRO: Our schools are burdened by so many unfunded mandates. This bill tries to provide some relief from some of those, such as observing Temperance Day.
CON: We appreciate the intent of this bill in providing flexibility and savings for school districts. We are concerned with not keeping the requirement for school directors to be a member of WSSDA. More than half of the board members have less than five years of experience and it is critical to have a resource for them to go to that provides support and training.
OTHER: We appreciate the intent and the effort that has gone into this bill but the same bill has been introduced multiple times before and it did not make it through the entire legislative process. We strongly support the suspension of the two green building requirements. We support removing the provision making WSSDA permissive. WSSDA gives the school board directors a universal voice and that is important.
Persons Testifying: PRO: Senator Steve Hobbs, prime sponsor.
CON: Mari Taylor, WSSDA.
OTHER: Dan Steele, WA Assn. of School Administrators.