Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research | BILL ANALYSIS |
Appropriations Committee |
HB 1621
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 Description: Providing funding allocations to promote children's health and social-emotional learning.
Sponsors: Representatives Senn, Pettigrew, Stonier, Clibborn, Lytton, Farrell, Hudgins, Bergquist, Riccelli, Ortiz-Self, Fey, Doglio, Slatter and Kagi.
Brief Summary of Bill |
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Hearing Date: 2/15/17
Staff: Jessica Harrell (786-7349).
Background:
Prototypical School Funding.
The state provides funding for K-12 public education based on a prototypical school funding formula. The state's public school funding model allocates funding to school districts based on assumed levels of staff and other resources necessary to support a "prototypical" school that serves an assumed number of students at defined elementary, middle, and high school levels. The use of prototypical schools is intended to illustrate the level of resources needed to operate a school of a particular size using commonly understood terms such as class size, hours of instruction, and specified staff positions. The allocations to a school district are adjusted to reflect the actual number of full-time equivalent enrolled students, in proportion to the prototypical school ratios. The funding provided to school districts through the prototypical school formulas is for allocation purposes only. Districts have discretion over how the money is spent, subject to some specified limitations.
Social and Emotional Learning.
In 2010 the Department of Early Learning, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and Thrive by Five Washington reviewed and revised the early learning and development benchmarks, which they published as the Washington State Early Learning and Development Guidelines. These guidelines include information about social and emotional learning (SEL) and development for parents, teachers, and other adults who support children in grades K-3.
The 2015 Omnibus Operating Appropriations Act (Chapter 4, Laws of 2015, 3rd Special Session) directed the OSPI to convene a workgroup to recommend comprehensive benchmarks for developmentally appropriate interpersonal and decision-making knowledge and skills for SEL for grades kindergarten through high school that built on the work done in early learning. The workgroup submitted their report to the Legislature's education committees on October 1, 2016.
The Social Emotional Learning Benchmarks Workgroup (SELBW) identified SEL as a process through which people build awareness and skills in managing emotions, setting goals, establishing relations, and making responsible decisions, leading to success in school and in life. The SELBW recommended that the Legislature adopt the SEL Framework proposed by the group, including guiding principles, standards, and benchmarks for K-12 students in Washington, and continue to fund the SELBW as a state level advisory committee.
Initiative 1351.
Washington voters approved Initiative 1351 (I-1351) on November 4, 2014. Initiative 1351 amended the prototypical school funding formula to reduce class sizes in all grades; provide additional class size reductions in high-poverty schools beyond those specified for the general education class sizes; and increase the allocation of school-based and district-wide staff units in all categories. In 2015 the Legislature delayed the phase-in schedule for the funding of the new prototypical school funding formula specified under I-1351. Full implementation of I-1351 must be completed by the end of the 2021-23 biennium.
Summary of Bill:
Beginning with school year 2017-18, funding allocations for each prototypical school level are increased by one full-time equivalent certificated instructional staff unit. School districts may only use the new funding allocation for staff who support children's health and social-emotional learning. The staff types that school districts may use the funding for are limited to school nurses, social workers, psychologists, guidance counselors, and parent involvement coordinators.
The new staffing allocation is provided until the staffing values specified under I-1351 are fully funded.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: This bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed, except for section 2, relating to the prototypical school formula, which takes effect September 1, 2017, and section 3, relating to the prototypical school formula, which takes effect September 1, 2022.