2266 AMH SULP FRAS 651

HB 2266 - H AMD 533

By Representative Sullivan

    On page 1, after line 5, insert the following:

"NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  At the 2014 general election, the voters approved Initiative 1351, which proposed to amend the formulas by which the state allocates funding for state-funded school district employees.  Initiative 1351 increased the state's obligation to fund teachers for class size reduction in excess of the class size reduction in grades K-3 already enacted by the legislature in chapter 548, Laws of 2009 (ESHB 2261) and chapter 236, Laws of 2010 (SHB 2776).  Initiative 1351 also increased the state's obligation to provide funding for other types of school district employees beyond teachers. 

    In 2012, the state supreme court ruled in McCleary v. State that the state has failed to comply with its Article IX duty to make ample provision for the state's program of basic education.  In its ruling, the court declared that ESHB 2261 constituted a "promising reform" that would bring the state into compliance with Article IX "if fully funded[.]"  In the time since the original McCleary ruling, the state has continued to implement ESHB 2261 and SHB 2776, with full implementation scheduled for the statutory deadline of 2018.   

    For two sets of educational reasons, the legislature finds that it is appropriate to delay implementation of Initiative 1351 for four years.

    First, the legislature finds, based on research reviewed by the Basic Education Funding Task Force and the Quality Education Council, that the greatest improvements in student outcomes in the common schools can be achieved in the near term by focusing the investment of state fiscal resources in the areas identified in ESHB 2261 and SHB 2776, which emphasize fund class size reduction in early grades.  The legislature further finds that the court in its McCleary ruling and orders has identified investments in these areas as the funding reforms that are needed to bring the state into compliance with its Article IX obligations, which provides an educational reason for focusing on funding the reforms of ESHB 2261 and SHB 2776 in the 2015-17 and 2017-19 fiscal biennia.

    Second, the legislature finds that there are practical educational reasons to temporarily defer implementation of increased staffing ratios and the portion of class size reduction that is beyond the reductions called for in SHB 2776.  Data from the Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Professional Educator Standards Board indicate that Washington's teacher education programs are not estimated to produce sufficient teachers to achieve the class size reductions on the schedule established by Initiative 1351.  Further, the experience of other states indicates that the need to hire teachers quickly for rapid implementation of class size reductions may exacerbate recruiting difficulties for schools or districts that are at a relative disadvantage in attracting staff.  Finally, implementing class size reduction requires time to plan and build new classrooms.

    For these reasons, the legislature intends to temporarily defer implementation of Initiative 1351."

    Renumber the remaining sections consecutively and correct internal references accordingly. 

    Correct the title.

EFFECT:  Declares legislative findings and intent about educational reasons for temporary deferral of Initiative 1351: 

1) Focus on implementation of ESHB 2261 and SHB 2776 as directed by the court, which includes class size reduction in early grades as recommended by the research reviewed by the Basic Education Funding Task Force and the Quality Education Council; and

2) Practical issues of implementation, including production of new teachers, the need to avoid exacerbating teacher recruitment challenges, and time to plan and construct new classrooms.

--- END ---