S-0111.3
SENATE BILL 5065
State of Washington
64th Legislature
2015 Regular Session
By Senators Frockt, Liias, McCoy, Jayapal, Keiser, Litzow, Pedersen, Darneille, McAuliffe, Hasegawa, Ranker, Billig, Kohl-Welles, and Fain
Read first time 01/13/15. Referred to Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education.
AN ACT Relating to improving educational outcomes for homeless students through increased in-school guidance supports, housing stability, and identification services; amending RCW 28A.150.260, 28A.150.260, and 28A.300.540; adding a new section to chapter 43.185C RCW; creating new sections; and providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  It is the policy of the state of Washington that all students have the opportunity to obtain a basic education. The legislature finds that the number of homeless students identified in the K-12 public school system has been increasing since at least the 2005-06 school year. Homeless students face significant barriers, such as housing instability and the stigma that prevents students from identifying themselves as homeless. These barriers make it difficult for homeless students to take full advantage of the educational opportunity guaranteed by the state of Washington. The legislature intends to improve educational outcomes for homeless children and reduce their barriers to enrollment, retention, and graduation by strengthening the ability of school districts to identify and serve homeless students. It is also the intent of the legislature to encourage collaboration between school districts and community housing agencies to help homeless families with children enrolled in the public school system access stable housing.
Sec. 2.  RCW 28A.150.260 and 2014 c 217 s 206 are each amended to read as follows:
The purpose of this section is to provide for the allocation of state funding that the legislature deems necessary to support school districts in offering the minimum instructional program of basic education under RCW 28A.150.220. The allocation shall be determined as follows:
(1) The governor shall and the superintendent of public instruction may recommend to the legislature a formula for the distribution of a basic education instructional allocation for each common school district.
(2) The distribution formula under this section shall be for allocation purposes only. Except as may be required under chapter 28A.155, 28A.165, 28A.180, or 28A.185 RCW, or federal laws and regulations, nothing in this section requires school districts to use basic education instructional funds to implement a particular instructional approach or service. Except as required by subsection (6)(a) of this section for homeless student education liaisons, nothing in this section requires school districts to maintain a particular classroom teacher-to-student ratio or other staff-to-student ratio or to use allocated funds to pay for particular types or classifications of staff. Nothing in this section entitles an individual teacher to a particular teacher planning period.
(3)(a) To the extent the technical details of the formula have been adopted by the legislature and except when specifically provided as a school district allocation, the distribution formula for the basic education instructional allocation shall be based on minimum staffing and nonstaff costs the legislature deems necessary to support instruction and operations in prototypical schools serving high, middle, and elementary school students as provided in this section. The use of prototypical schools for the distribution formula does not constitute legislative intent that schools should be operated or structured in a similar fashion as the prototypes. Prototypical schools illustrate the level of resources needed to operate a school of a particular size with particular types and grade levels of students using commonly understood terms and inputs, such as class size, hours of instruction, and various categories of school staff. It is the intent that the funding allocations to school districts be adjusted from the school prototypes based on the actual number of annual average full-time equivalent students in each grade level at each school in the district and not based on the grade-level configuration of the school to the extent that data is available. The allocations shall be further adjusted from the school prototypes with minimum allocations for small schools and to reflect other factors identified in the omnibus appropriations act.
(b) For the purposes of this section, prototypical schools are defined as follows:
(i) A prototypical high school has six hundred average annual full-time equivalent students in grades nine through twelve;
(ii) A prototypical middle school has four hundred thirty-two average annual full-time equivalent students in grades seven and eight; and
(iii) A prototypical elementary school has four hundred average annual full-time equivalent students in grades kindergarten through six.
(4)(a)(i) The minimum allocation for each level of prototypical school shall be based on the number of full-time equivalent classroom teachers needed to provide instruction over the minimum required annual instructional hours under RCW 28A.150.220 and provide at least one teacher planning period per school day, and based on the following general education average class size of full-time equivalent students per teacher:
General education
average class size
Grades K-3. . . .25.23
Grade 4. . . .27.00
Grades 5-6. . . .27.00
Grades 7-8. . . .28.53
Grades 9-12. . . .28.74
(ii) The minimum class size allocation for each prototypical high school shall also provide for enhanced funding for class size reduction for two laboratory science classes within grades nine through twelve per full-time equivalent high school student multiplied by a laboratory science course factor of 0.0833, based on the number of full-time equivalent classroom teachers needed to provide instruction over the minimum required annual instructional hours in RCW 28A.150.220, and providing at least one teacher planning period per school day:
Laboratory science
average class size
Grades 9-12. . . .19.98
(b) During the 2011-2013 biennium and beginning with schools with the highest percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals in the prior school year, the general education average class size for grades K-3 shall be reduced until the average class size funded under this subsection (4) is no more than 17.0 full-time equivalent students per teacher beginning in the 2017-18 school year.
(c) The minimum allocation for each prototypical middle and high school shall also provide for full-time equivalent classroom teachers based on the following number of full-time equivalent students per teacher in career and technical education:
Career and technical
education average
class size
Approved career and technical education offered at
the middle school and high school level. . . .26.57
Skill center programs meeting the standards established
by the office of the superintendent of public
instruction. . . .22.76
(d) In addition, the omnibus appropriations act shall at a minimum specify:
(i) A high-poverty average class size in schools where more than fifty percent of the students are eligible for free and reduced-price meals; and
(ii) A specialty average class size for advanced placement and international baccalaureate courses.
(5) The minimum allocation for each level of prototypical school shall include allocations for the following types of staff in addition to classroom teachers:
 
 
 
Elementary School
Middle School
High School
 
 
Principals, assistant principals, and other certificated building-level administrators. . . .
 
1.253
 
1.353
 
1.880
 
 
 
Teacher librarians, a function that includes information literacy, technology, and media to support school library media programs. . . .
 
0.663
 
0.519
 
0.523
 
Health and social services:
 
 
 
 
School nurses. . . .
0.076
0.060
0.096
 
Social workers. . . .
0.042
0.006
0.015
 
Psychologists. . . .
0.017
0.002
0.007
 
 
Guidance counselors, a function that includes parent outreach and graduation advising. . . .
 
0.493
 
1.116
 
2.539
 
 
Teaching assistance, including any aspect of educational instructional services provided by classified employees. . . .
 
0.936
 
0.700
 
0.652
 
Office support and other noninstructional aides. . . .
2.012
2.325
3.269
 
Custodians. . . .
1.657
1.942
2.965
 
Classified staff providing student and staff safety. . . .
0.079
0.092
0.141
 
Parent involvement coordinators. . . .
0.00
0.00
0.00
(6)(a) The minimum staffing allocation for each school district to provide district-wide support services shall be allocated per one thousand annual average full-time equivalent students in grades K-12 as follows:
Staff per 1,000
K-12 students
Technology. . . .0.628
Facilities, maintenance, and grounds. . . .1.813
Warehouse, laborers, and mechanics. . . .0.332
Homeless student education liaisons. . . .0.233
(b) The minimum allocation of staff units for each school district to support certificated and classified staffing of central administration shall be 5.30 percent of the staff units generated under subsections (4)(a) and (b) and (5) of this section and (a) of this subsection.
(c) Homeless student education liaisons shall provide services to identified homeless students. Homeless students are defined as students without a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence as set forth in the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100–77; 101 Stat. 482). The distribution formula for homeless student education liaisons shall only be awarded to districts that have demonstrated high need by identifying a minimum of fifty students as homeless. A maximum of five new full-time equivalents may be allocated to any single district under this subsection (6). School districts may not use funds allocated under this subsection (6) to supplant existing resources for homeless student education liaisons staff units, unless previously existing funds are used instead to support services for homeless students.
(7) The distribution formula shall include staffing allocations to school districts for career and technical education and skill center administrative and other school-level certificated staff, as specified in the omnibus appropriations act.
(8)(a) Except as provided in (b) and (c) of this subsection, the minimum allocation for each school district shall include allocations per annual average full-time equivalent student for the following materials, supplies, and operating costs, to be adjusted for inflation from the 2008-09 school year:
Per annual average
full-time equivalent student
in grades K-12
Technology. . . .$54.43
Utilities and insurance. . . .$147.90
Curriculum and textbooks. . . .$58.44
Other supplies and library materials. . . .$124.07
Instructional professional development for certified and
classified staff. . . .$9.04
Facilities maintenance. . . .$73.27
Security and central office. . . .$50.76
(b) During the 2011-2013 biennium, the minimum allocation for maintenance, supplies, and operating costs shall be increased as specified in the omnibus appropriations act. The following allocations, adjusted for inflation from the 2007-08 school year, are provided in the 2015-16 school year, after which the allocations shall be adjusted annually for inflation as specified in the omnibus appropriations act:
Per annual average
full-time equivalent student
in grades K-12
Technology. . . .$113.80
Utilities and insurance. . . .$309.21
Curriculum and textbooks. . . .$122.17
Other supplies and library materials. . . .$259.39
Instructional professional development for certificated and
classified staff. . . .$18.89
Facilities maintenance. . . .$153.18
Security and central office administration. . . .$106.12
(c) In addition to the amounts provided in (a) and (b) of this subsection, beginning in the 2014-15 school year, the omnibus appropriations act shall provide the following minimum allocation for each annual average full-time equivalent student in grades nine through twelve for the following materials, supplies, and operating costs, to be adjusted annually for inflation:
Per annual average
full-time equivalent student
in grades 9-12
Technology. . . .$36.35
Curriculum and textbooks. . . .$39.02
Other supplies and library materials. . . .$82.84
Instructional professional development for certificated and
classified staff. . . .$6.04
(9) In addition to the amounts provided in subsection (8) of this section, the omnibus appropriations act shall provide an amount based on full-time equivalent student enrollment in each of the following:
(a) Exploratory career and technical education courses for students in grades seven through twelve;
(b) Preparatory career and technical education courses for students in grades nine through twelve offered in a high school; and
(c) Preparatory career and technical education courses for students in grades eleven and twelve offered through a skill center.
(10) In addition to the allocations otherwise provided under this section, amounts shall be provided to support the following programs and services:
(a) To provide supplemental instruction and services for underachieving students through the learning assistance program under RCW 28A.165.005 through 28A.165.065, allocations shall be based on the district percentage of students in grades K-12 who were eligible for free or reduced-price meals in the prior school year. The minimum allocation for the program shall provide for each level of prototypical school resources to provide, on a statewide average, 1.5156 hours per week in extra instruction with a class size of fifteen learning assistance program students per teacher.
(b) To provide supplemental instruction and services for students whose primary language is other than English, allocations shall be based on the head count number of students in each school who are eligible for and enrolled in the transitional bilingual instruction program under RCW 28A.180.010 through 28A.180.080. The minimum allocation for each level of prototypical school shall provide resources to provide, on a statewide average, 4.7780 hours per week in extra instruction with fifteen transitional bilingual instruction program students per teacher. Notwithstanding other provisions of this subsection (10), the actual per-student allocation may be scaled to provide a larger allocation for students needing more intensive intervention and a commensurate reduced allocation for students needing less intensive intervention, as detailed in the omnibus appropriations act.
(c) To provide additional allocations to support programs for highly capable students under RCW 28A.185.010 through 28A.185.030, allocations shall be based on two and three hundred fourteen one-thousandths percent of each school district's full-time equivalent basic education enrollment. The minimum allocation for the programs shall provide resources to provide, on a statewide average, 2.1590 hours per week in extra instruction with fifteen highly capable program students per teacher.
(11) The allocations under subsections (4)(a) and (b), (5), (6), and (8) of this section shall be enhanced as provided under RCW 28A.150.390 on an excess cost basis to provide supplemental instructional resources for students with disabilities.
(12)(a) For the purposes of allocations for prototypical high schools and middle schools under subsections (4) and (10) of this section that are based on the percent of students in the school who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals, the actual percent of such students in a school shall be adjusted by a factor identified in the omnibus appropriations act to reflect underreporting of free and reduced-price meal eligibility among middle and high school students.
(b) Allocations or enhancements provided under subsections (4), (7), and (9) of this section for exploratory and preparatory career and technical education courses shall be provided only for courses approved by the office of the superintendent of public instruction under chapter 28A.700 RCW.
(13)(a) This formula for distribution of basic education funds shall be reviewed biennially by the superintendent and governor. The recommended formula shall be subject to approval, amendment or rejection by the legislature.
(b) In the event the legislature rejects the distribution formula recommended by the governor, without adopting a new distribution formula, the distribution formula for the previous school year shall remain in effect.
(c) The enrollment of any district shall be the annual average number of full-time equivalent students and part-time students as provided in RCW 28A.150.350, enrolled on the first school day of each month, including students who are in attendance pursuant to RCW 28A.335.160 and 28A.225.250 who do not reside within the servicing school district. The definition of full-time equivalent student shall be determined by rules of the superintendent of public instruction and shall be included as part of the superintendent's biennial budget request. The definition shall be based on the minimum instructional hour offerings required under RCW 28A.150.220. Any revision of the present definition shall not take effect until approved by the house ways and means committee and the senate ways and means committee.
(d) The office of financial management shall make a monthly review of the superintendent's reported full-time equivalent students in the common schools in conjunction with RCW 43.62.050.
Sec. 3.  RCW 28A.150.260 and 2015 c 2 s 2 (Initiative Measure No. 1351) are each amended to read as follows:
The purpose of this section is to provide for the allocation of state funding that the legislature deems necessary to support school districts in offering the minimum instructional program of basic education under RCW 28A.150.220. The allocation shall be determined as follows:
(1) The governor shall and the superintendent of public instruction may recommend to the legislature a formula for the distribution of a basic education instructional allocation for each common school district.
(2) The distribution formula under this section shall be for allocation purposes only. Except as required for class size reduction funding provided under subsection (4)(f) of this section and as may be required under chapter 28A.155, 28A.165, 28A.180, or 28A.185 RCW, or federal laws and regulations, nothing in this section requires school districts to use basic education instructional funds to implement a particular instructional approach or service. Except as required by subsection (6)(a) of this section for homeless student education liaisons, nothing in this section requires school districts to maintain a particular classroom teacher-to-student ratio or other staff-to-student ratio or to use allocated funds to pay for particular types or classifications of staff. Nothing in this section entitles an individual teacher to a particular teacher planning period.
(3)(a) To the extent the technical details of the formula have been adopted by the legislature and except when specifically provided as a school district allocation, the distribution formula for the basic education instructional allocation shall be based on minimum staffing and nonstaff costs the legislature deems necessary to support instruction and operations in prototypical schools serving high, middle, and elementary school students as provided in this section. The use of prototypical schools for the distribution formula does not constitute legislative intent that schools should be operated or structured in a similar fashion as the prototypes. Prototypical schools illustrate the level of resources needed to operate a school of a particular size with particular types and grade levels of students using commonly understood terms and inputs, such as class size, hours of instruction, and various categories of school staff. It is the intent that the funding allocations to school districts be adjusted from the school prototypes based on the actual number of annual average full-time equivalent students in each grade level at each school in the district and not based on the grade-level configuration of the school to the extent that data is available. The allocations shall be further adjusted from the school prototypes with minimum allocations for small schools and to reflect other factors identified in the omnibus appropriations act.
(b) For the purposes of this section, prototypical schools are defined as follows:
(i) A prototypical high school has six hundred average annual full-time equivalent students in grades nine through twelve;
(ii) A prototypical middle school has four hundred thirty-two average annual full-time equivalent students in grades seven and eight; and
(iii) A prototypical elementary school has four hundred average annual full-time equivalent students in grades kindergarten through six.
(4)(a) The minimum allocation for each level of prototypical school shall be based on the number of full-time equivalent classroom teachers needed to provide instruction over the minimum required annual instructional hours under RCW 28A.150.220 and provide at least one teacher planning period per school day, and based on the following general education average class size of full-time equivalent students per teacher:
General education
average
class size
Grades K-3. . . . 17.0
Grade 4. . . . 25.0
Grades 5-6. . . . 25.0
Grades 7-8. . . . 25.0
Grades 9-12. . . . 25.0
(b) During the 2011-2013 biennium and beginning with schools with the highest percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals in the prior school year, the general education average class size for grades K-3 shall be reduced until the average class size funded under this subsection (4) is no more than 17.0 full-time equivalent students per teacher beginning in the 2017-18 school year.
(c) The minimum allocation for each prototypical middle and high school shall also provide for full-time equivalent classroom teachers based on the following number of full-time equivalent students per teacher in career and technical education:
Career and technical
education average
class size
Approved career and technical education offered at
the middle school and high school level. . . . 19.0
Skill center programs meeting the standards established
by the office of the superintendent of public
instruction. . . . 16.0
(d) In addition, the omnibus appropriations act shall at a minimum specify a specialty average class size for laboratory science, advanced placement, and international baccalaureate courses.
(e) For each level of prototypical school at which more than fifty percent of the students were eligible for free and reduced-price meals in the prior school year, the superintendent shall allocate funding based on the following average class size of full-time equivalent students per teacher:
General education average
class size in
high poverty
Grades K-3. . . .15.0
Grade 4. . . .22.0
Grades 5-6. . . .23.0
Grades 7-8. . . .23.0
Grades 9-12. . . .23.0
(f)(i) Funding for average class sizes in this subsection (4) shall be provided only to the extent of, and proportionate to, the school district's demonstrated actual average class size, up to the funded class sizes.
(ii) Districts that demonstrate capital facility needs that prevent them from reducing actual class sizes to funded levels, may use funding in this subsection (4) for school-based personnel who provide direct services to students. Districts that use this funding for purposes other than reducing actual class sizes must annually report the number and dollar value for each type of personnel funded by school and grade level.
(iii) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall develop rules to implement this subsection (4).
(5) The minimum allocation for each level of prototypical school shall include allocations necessary for the safe and effective operation of a school, to meet individual student needs, and to ensure all required school functions can be performed by appropriately trained personnel, for the following types of staff in addition to classroom teachers:
 
 
 
Elementary School
Middle School
High School
 
 
Principals, assistant principals, and other certificated building-level administrators. . . .
1.3
1.4
1.9
 
 
 
Teacher librarians, a function that includes information literacy, technology, and media to support school library media programs. . . .
1.0
1.0
1.0
 
Health and social services:
 
 
 
 
School nurses. . . .
0.585
0.888
0.824
 
Social workers. . . .
0.311
0.088
0.127
 
Psychologists. . . .
0.104
0.024
0.049
 
 
Guidance counselors, a function that includes parent outreach and graduation advising. . . .
0.50
2.0
3.5
 
 
Teaching assistance, including any aspect of educational instructional services provided by classified employees. . . .
2.0
1.0
1.0
 
Office support and other noninstructional aides. . . .
3.0
3.5
3.5
 
Custodians. . . .
1.7
2.0
3.0
 
Classified staff providing student and staff safety. . . .
0.0
0.7
1.3
 
Parent involvement coordinators. . . .
1.0
1.0
1.0
(6)(a) The minimum staffing allocation for each school district to provide district-wide support services shall be allocated per one thousand annual average full-time equivalent students in grades K-12 as follows:
Staff per 1,000
K-12 students
Technology. . . .2.8
Facilities, maintenance, and grounds. . . . 4.0
Warehouse, laborers, and mechanics. . . . 1.9
Homeless student education liaisons. . . .0.233
(b) The minimum allocation of staff units for each school district to support certificated and classified staffing of central administration shall be 5.30 percent of the staff units generated under subsections (4)(a) and (b) and (5) of this section and (a) of this subsection.
(c) Homeless student education liaisons shall provide services to identified homeless students. Homeless students are defined as students without a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence as set forth in the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100–77; 101 Stat. 482). The distribution formula for homeless student education liaisons shall only be awarded to districts that have demonstrated high need by identifying a minimum of fifty students as homeless. A maximum of five new full-time equivalents may be allocated to any single district under this subsection (6). School districts may not use funds allocated under this subsection (6) to supplant existing resources for homeless student education liaisons staff units, unless previously existing funds are used instead to support services for homeless students.
(7) The distribution formula shall include staffing allocations to school districts for career and technical education and skill center administrative and other school-level certificated staff, as specified in the omnibus appropriations act.
(8)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, the minimum allocation for each school district shall include allocations per annual average full-time equivalent student for the following materials, supplies, and operating costs, to be adjusted for inflation from the 2008-09 school year:
Per annual average
full-time equivalent student
in grades K-12
Technology. . . .$54.43
Utilities and insurance. . . .$147.90
Curriculum and textbooks. . . .$58.44
Other supplies and library materials. . . .$124.07
Instructional professional development for certified and
classified staff. . . .$9.04
Facilities maintenance. . . .$73.27
Security and central office. . . .$50.76
(b) During the 2011-2013 biennium, the minimum allocation for maintenance, supplies, and operating costs shall be increased as specified in the omnibus appropriations act. The following allocations, adjusted for inflation from the 2007-08 school year, are provided in the 2015-16 school year, after which the allocations shall be adjusted annually for inflation as specified in the omnibus appropriations act:
Per annual average
full-time equivalent student
in grades K-12
Technology. . . .$113.80
Utilities and insurance. . . .$309.21
Curriculum and textbooks. . . .$122.17
Other supplies and library materials. . . .$259.39
Instructional professional development for certificated and
classified staff. . . .$18.89
Facilities maintenance. . . .$153.18
Security and central office administration. . . .$106.12
(9) In addition to the amounts provided in subsection (8) of this section, the omnibus appropriations act shall provide an amount based on full-time equivalent student enrollment in each of the following:
(a) Exploratory career and technical education courses for students in grades seven through twelve;
(b) Laboratory science courses for students in grades nine through twelve;
(c) Preparatory career and technical education courses for students in grades nine through twelve offered in a high school; and
(d) Preparatory career and technical education courses for students in grades eleven and twelve offered through a skill center.
(10) In addition to the allocations otherwise provided under this section, amounts shall be provided to support the following programs and services:
(a) To provide supplemental instruction and services for underachieving students through the learning assistance program under RCW 28A.165.005 through 28A.165.065, allocations shall be based on the district percentage of students in grades K-12 who were eligible for free or reduced-price meals in the prior school year. The minimum allocation for the program shall provide for each level of prototypical school resources to provide, on a statewide average, 1.5156 hours per week in extra instruction with a class size of fifteen learning assistance program students per teacher.
(b) To provide supplemental instruction and services for students whose primary language is other than English, allocations shall be based on the head count number of students in each school who are eligible for and enrolled in the transitional bilingual instruction program under RCW 28A.180.010 through 28A.180.080. The minimum allocation for each level of prototypical school shall provide resources to provide, on a statewide average, 4.7780 hours per week in extra instruction with fifteen transitional bilingual instruction program students per teacher. Notwithstanding other provisions of this subsection (10), the actual per-student allocation may be scaled to provide a larger allocation for students needing more intensive intervention and a commensurate reduced allocation for students needing less intensive intervention, as detailed in the omnibus appropriations act.
(c) To provide additional allocations to support programs for highly capable students under RCW 28A.185.010 through 28A.185.030, allocations shall be based on two and three hundred fourteen one-thousandths percent of each school district's full-time equivalent basic education enrollment. The minimum allocation for the programs shall provide resources to provide, on a statewide average, 2.1590 hours per week in extra instruction with fifteen highly capable program students per teacher.
(11) The allocations under subsections (4)(a) and (b), (5), (6), and (8) of this section shall be enhanced as provided under RCW 28A.150.390 on an excess cost basis to provide supplemental instructional resources for students with disabilities.
(12)(a) For the purposes of allocations for prototypical high schools and middle schools under subsections (4) and (10) of this section that are based on the percent of students in the school who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals, the actual percent of such students in a school shall be adjusted by a factor identified in the omnibus appropriations act to reflect underreporting of free and reduced-price meal eligibility among middle and high school students.
(b) Allocations or enhancements provided under subsections (4), (7), and (9) of this section for exploratory and preparatory career and technical education courses shall be provided only for courses approved by the office of the superintendent of public instruction under chapter 28A.700 RCW.
(13)(a) This formula for distribution of basic education funds shall be reviewed biennially by the superintendent and governor. The recommended formula shall be subject to approval, amendment or rejection by the legislature.
(b) In the event the legislature rejects the distribution formula recommended by the governor, without adopting a new distribution formula, the distribution formula for the previous school year shall remain in effect.
(c) The enrollment of any district shall be the annual average number of full-time equivalent students and part-time students as provided in RCW 28A.150.350, enrolled on the first school day of each month, including students who are in attendance pursuant to RCW 28A.335.160 and 28A.225.250 who do not reside within the servicing school district. The definition of full-time equivalent student shall be determined by rules of the superintendent of public instruction and shall be included as part of the superintendent's biennial budget request. The definition shall be based on the minimum instructional hour offerings required under RCW 28A.150.220. Any revision of the present definition shall not take effect until approved by the house ways and means committee and the senate ways and means committee.
(d) The office of financial management shall make a monthly review of the superintendent's reported full-time equivalent students in the common schools in conjunction with RCW 43.62.050.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.  A new section is added to chapter 43.185C RCW to read as follows:
(1) The department, in consultation with the office of the superintendent of public instruction, shall administer a grant program that links homeless students and their families with stable housing located in the homeless student’s school district. The goal of the program is to provide educational stability for homeless students by promoting housing stability.
(2) The department, working with the office of the superintendent of public instruction, shall develop a competitive grant process to make grant awards of up to five hundred thousand dollars to school districts partnered with eligible organizations on implementation of the proposal. For the purposes of this subsection, "eligible organization" means any local government, local housing authority, regional support network established under chapter 71.24 RCW, nonprofit community or neighborhood-based organization, federally recognized Indian tribe in the state of Washington, or regional or statewide nonprofit housing assistance organization. Applications for the grant program must include contractual agreements between the housing providers and school districts defining the responsibilities and commitments of each party to identify, house, and support homeless students.
(3) The grant program is limited to fifteen schools per school year. In determining which school districts will receive grants, preference must be given to districts with a demonstrated commitment of partnership and history with eligible organizations.
(4) Activities eligible for assistance under this grant program include but are not limited to:
(a) Rental assistance, which includes utilities, security and utility deposits, first and last month's rent, rental application fees, moving expenses, and other eligible expenses to be determined by the department;
(b) Transportation assistance, including gasoline assistance for families with vehicles and bus passes;
(c) Emergency shelter; and
(d) Housing stability case management.
(5) All beneficiaries of funds from the grant program must be from very low-income households. For the purposes of this subsection, "very low-income household" means a family or unrelated persons living together whose adjusted income is less than fifty percent of the median family income, adjusted for household size, for the county where the grant recipient is located.
(6)(a) Grantee school districts must compile information and report to the legislature the findings of the grantee, the housing stability of the homeless families, the academic performance of the grantee population, and any related policy recommendations.
(b) Data on all program participants must be entered into and tracked through the Washington homeless client management information system as described in RCW 43.185C.180.
(7) In order to ensure that school districts are meeting the requirements of an approved program for homeless students, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall monitor the programs at least once every two years. Monitoring shall begin during the 2015-16 school year.
(8) Any program review and monitoring under this section may be conducted concurrently with other program reviews and monitoring conducted by the department. In its review, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall monitor program components that include but need not be limited to the process used by the district to identify and reach out to homeless students, assessment data and other indicators to determine how well the district is meeting the academic needs of homeless students, district expenditures used to expand opportunities for these students, and the academic progress of students under the program.
Sec. 5.  RCW 28A.300.540 and 2014 c 212 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) For the purposes of this section, “unaccompanied homeless student” means a student who is not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian and is homeless as defined in RCW 28A.150.260.
(2) By December 31, 2010, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall establish a uniform process designed to track the additional expenditures for transporting homeless students, including expenditures required under the McKinney Vento act, reauthorized as Title X, Part C, of the no child left behind act, P.L. 107-110, in January 2002. Once established, the superintendent shall adopt the necessary administrative rules to direct each school district to adopt and use the uniform process and track these expenditures. The superintendent shall post on the superintendent's web site total expenditures related to the transportation of homeless students.
(((2)))(3)(a) By January 10, 2015, and every odd-numbered year thereafter, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall report to the governor and the legislature the following data for homeless students:
(i) The number of identified homeless students enrolled in public schools;
(ii) The number of identified unaccompanied homeless students enrolled in public schools;
(iii) The number of students participating in the learning assistance program under chapter 28A.165 RCW, the highly capable program under chapter 28A.185 RCW, and the running start program under chapter 28A.600 RCW; and
(((iii)))(iv) The academic performance and educational outcomes of homeless students and unaccompanied homeless students, including but not limited to the following performance and educational outcomes:
(A) Student scores on the statewide administered academic assessments;
(B) English language proficiency;
(C) Dropout rates;
(D) Four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate;
(E) Five-year adjusted cohort graduation rate;
(F) Absenteeism rates;
(G) Truancy rates, if available; and
(H) Suspension and expulsion data.
(b) The data reported under this subsection (((2)))(3) must include state and district-level information and must be disaggregated by at least the following subgroups of students: White, Black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian, Pacific Islander/Hawaiian Native, low income, transitional bilingual, migrant, special education, and gender.
(((3)))(4) By July 1, 2014, the office of the superintendent of public instruction in collaboration with experts from community organizations on homelessness and homeless education policy, shall develop or acquire a short video that provides information on how to identify signs that indicate a student may be homeless, how to provide services and support to homeless students, and why this identification and support is critical to student success. The video must be posted on the superintendent of public instruction's web site.
(((4)))(5) By July 1, 2014, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall adopt and distribute to each school district, best practices for choosing and training school district-designated homeless student liaisons.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6.  Section 3 of this act takes effect September 1, 2018.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7.  If specific funding for the purposes of section 4 of this act, referencing section 4 of this act by bill or chapter number and section number, is not provided by June 30, 2015, in the omnibus appropriations act, section 4 of this act is null and void.
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