BILL REQ. #:  S-3328.1 

Read first time 01/16/14.   Referred to Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education.

     AN ACT Relating to requiring state funding to support professional development for K-12 educators; adding a new section to chapter 28A.415 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature recognizes that implementation of the common core state standards, increased emphasis on closing the educational opportunity gap, expectations for improvement on multiple measures of student learning and achievement, and implementation of new teacher and principal evaluation systems are only a few of the significant changes made in recent years to the public school system. The legislature further acknowledges that in order to address these changes, school staff need to spend time working together to gain knowledge and skills, develop strategies, and evaluate results. This professional development time is critical, but should not come at the expense of providing instruction to students. Therefore, the legislature intends to provide funding to support professional development outside the regular school year.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.415 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The legislature must appropriate sufficient funds to provide, beginning in the 2014-15 school year, at least two professional development days per year for all state-funded certificated instructional staff, state-funded certificated building-level administrators, and state-funded classified teaching or instructional assistants.
     (2) For the purposes of this section, "state-funded" means funds and staffing units allocated under RCW 28A.150.260, including funds allocated for the learning assistance program, the transitional bilingual instruction program, special education, and the highly capable program. The method of calculation for providing the funds under this section shall be specified in the omnibus appropriations act.
     (3) School districts must provide the two professional development days under this section outside the minimum one hundred eighty-day school calendar. School districts may organize the time as portions of days rather than two single full days as long as the total time equates to two days.
     (4) The legislature may direct a required focus or content for the professional development funded under this section in the omnibus appropriations act. If the legislature does not so direct, the focus and content of the professional development shall be as directed by the school district board of directors.
     (5) The funding provided under this section shall not be considered part of the program of basic education under RCW 28A.150.200.