Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Appropriations Committee

HB 2763

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.

Sponsors: Representatives Jenkin, Santos, Harris, Hargrove, Griffey, Kilduff, McDonald, Johnson, Steele, Nealey, Kloba, Stonier, Muri, Senn, Gregerson, Pollet and Slatter.

Brief Summary of Bill

Provides additional Learning Assistance Program allocations to each school based on a four-year, rolling average of the per-pupil amount received by the school for students eligible for free and reduced price meals in the prior four years.

Background:

The Learning Assistance Program (LAP) provides instructional support for students who are performing below grade level in reading, writing, and mathematics. The funding allocation is based on poverty as measured by the percentage of students in the school district who are eligible for free and reduced price meals, but school districts must use the LAP allocations to provide supplemental instruction for the students with the greatest academic deficits, regardless of whether they are low-income.

In 2017 the Legislature provided an additional high-poverty LAP allocation for schools with at least 50 percent of the enrolled students eligible for free and reduced price meals. School districts must distribute this allocation to the school buildings that generated the allocation. This school-based funding provides a statewide average of 1.1 hours in additional instruction.

Summary of Bill:

The requirement for schools to have at least 50 percent of the enrolled students eligible for free and reduced price meals in order to receive the school-based LAP allocation is changed. Instead, schools receive an additional LAP allocation based on a four-year rolling average of the per-pupil amount received by the school for all students in the school eligible for free and reduced price meals in the prior four years.