Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research | BILL ANALYSIS |
Capital Budget Committee |
SSB 5644
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: Concerning skill center facility maintenance.
Sponsors: Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senator Honeyford).
Brief Summary of Substitute Bill |
|
Hearing Date: 3/14/17
Staff: Christine Thomas (786-7142).
Background:
Skill Centers.
Skill centers are part of the Washington State K-12 education system where students participate in a wide-range of advanced career and technical programs such as automotive technology, culinary arts, computer science, medical and dental assistance, precision machining, and several other disciplines. Students graduating from skill centers and completing skill center programs may go on to continue post-secondary schooling, participate in apprenticeship programs, join the military, or make living-wage careers. There are twenty skill center core or branch campuses throughout the state that operate as cooperatives with participating school districts, serving about 7,000 students. The host district is defined as "a member of the skill center cooperative selected to be responsible for the planning, construction, administration, operation and fiscal services of the skill center." The host district is usually the district in which the skill center facility is located.
Skill Center Funding.
Major capital facility funding for individual skill center projects is provided through the omnibus capital budget and administered by the School Facilities and Organization division at the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). At times the capital budget has also provided funding for minor works projects for the skill center network.
Allocations for materials, supplies and operating costs (MSOC) including maintenance and minor repairs of school facilities for career and technical education are specified in the state's omnibus operating budget for OSPI. For the 2016-17 school year, the MSOC allocation per skill center student is $1,286.99. These MSOC allocations provide an increased allocation per pupil compared to the general education allocation for each basic education student in middle or high school. 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 limits. For career and technical education programs, including skill centers, indirect cost charges are limited to no more than 15 percent of the program allocation.
School District Accounting.
School district accounting requirements organize and operate on a fund basis. Under current law, school districts must establish the following funds:
a general fund for the maintenance and operations (M&O) of the district, which includes both moneys received from the state and from other local revenues such as M&O levies;
a capital projects fund for major capital purposes;
a debt service fund for the retirement of bonds; and
an associated student body fund for all moneys generated through the programs and activities of any associated student body organization.
Summary of Bill:
The host district of a skill center cooperative must maintain a separate capital account into which the participating school districts must make annual deposits to pay for minor repair and maintenance costs for the skill center. The annual deposits may be a per-pupil facility fee charged by the host district.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.