Brief Summary of Bill

Splits the per annual average full-time equivalent student allocation for "other supplies and library materials" into two categories, to create a "library materials" category within the materials, supplies, and operating costs prototypical school funding formula.
Requires the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to examine student access to school library information and technology resources and the associated impacts to student success, and report to the Governor, the Legislature, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction by December 1, 2019.
Requires, subject to the appropriation of specific funds, the OSPI to create a School Library Information and Technology Office within the OSPI, and establishes duties for that office.

Background:

School Libraries and Teacher-Librarians.

School library information and technology (LIT) programs are school programs staffed by teacher-librarians. These programs provide a broad, flexible array of services, resources, and instruction that support student mastery of the state learning standards in all subject areas, and the implementation of the district's school improvement plan. A teacher-librarian is a certificated teacher with a library media endorsement. The duties of a teacher-librarian include collaborating with schools to integrate information and technology into curriculum and instruction; provide information management and digital citizenship instruction; and create a culture of reading in the school community.

Educational Technology Learning Standards.

In 2008 the Superintendent of Public Instruction (Superintendent) adopted state learning standards and grade level expectations for educational technology literacy and technology fluency. The educational technology learning standards are: (1) students use technology within all content areas to collaborate, communicate, generate innovative ideas, investigate, and solve problems; and (2) students demonstrate a clear understanding of technology systems and operations, and practice safe, legal, and ethical behavior.

Funding Library Materials.

The state 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. Prototypical schools are 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, specified staff positions, and materials, supplies, and operating costs (MSOC). Districts have discretion over how the money is spent, subject to some limits.

The MSOC formula allocates $298.05 for "other supplies and library materials" per annual average full-time equivalent (FTE) student. For each annual average FTE student in grades 9 through 12 (9-12), the formula allocates an additional $82.84 for "other supplies and library materials." Each of these amounts is adjusted annually for inflation, as specified in the Omnibus Operating Appropriations Act.

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Summary of Bill:

Funding Library Materials.

Within the MSOC formula, specified amounts ($20 and $5.56) are subtracted from the existing "other supplies and library materials" categories, and new "library materials" categories are populated with the subtracted amounts (making the change cost neutral).

Report on Student Access to School Library Resources.

By December 1, 2019, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) must examine and report to the Legislature, the Governor, and the Superintendent on student access to school LIT resources and the associated impacts to student success. The examination and report must include a summary of:

each school district's implementation of a school LIT program, by school building, during the 2017-18 school year;
how each district assesses achievement of the educational technology learning standards and fulfills its basic education goal of providing opportunities for every student to develop the knowledge and skills essential to integrate technology literacy and fluency when forming reasoned judgments and solving problems; and
the number, and duties, of teacher-librarians employed by each district, and an indication of whether and to what extent teachers who are not teacher-librarians are providing school LIT program services to students.

School Library Information and Technology Office.

Subject to the appropriation of specific funds, a School LIT Office (office) is created within the OSPI, with the director appointed by the Superintendent. The office must be responsible for assisting districts with implementing school LIT programs, increasing access for all students to these programs, and promoting student achievement of the educational technology learning standards.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

(In support) When the Legislature passes policy in the operating budgets to designate certain amounts of money for specific purposes, such as for libraries, that money should be used by school districts for those specific purposes. This bill further articulates the bucket of money that is for "other supplies and library materials" to ensure that the money actually goes to the libraries. Some schools have library books that are decades old and have not received funds to update these books. The role and responsibilities of teacher-librarians and informational technology specialists have evolved to require these staff to manage the technologies used in the classrooms. The libraries need the funds to meet the these new duties.

The school library was created so that the community would have access to information. Some libraries do not have full-time teacher-librarians, so they staff the libraries with paraeducators. Some teacher-librarians are busy supporting learning and use of technologies and do not have time to manage the collection of books, so they rely on parent volunteers to do this. There is no state training for paraeducators assigned to libraries even though nearly half of school libraries are run by paraeducators. There is no state data on school library programs or on resources spent on libraries.

A study done by the Washington Library Association provides data as to why the bill is important. It was an oversight to include "library materials" in the "other supplies" bucket of money that goes to districts. There should be accountability as to how much money each district is spending on library materials. School districts need clarity on the targets for the use of the state funds. It could even be clarified what "library materials" are because these materials should include research databases and print materials.

It is important to have data on teacher-librarians and library programs. Some school districts do not even have a teacher-librarian or a library program, so the students at these schools may not have access to the education and resources that will help them with extended learning, summer learning, and lifelong learning. In order to get help to districts, there needs to be someone at the OSPI who can oversee school library programs and make sure that the dollars are used efficiently, effectively, and for the benefit of students. School teacher-librarians have been working on improving school libraries, but could use help at the bureaucratic level.

(Opposed) None.