AN ACT Relating to the responsibilities of the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education; creating new sections; providing an expiration date; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

(2) The legislature finds that the K-12 education system is a constantly evolving barometer of change that reflects the growth, complexity, and diversity of the state. While the state's K-12 education system can be traced to Washington's first territorial legislature, properly responding to the needs and expectations of a system that is devoted to providing a high quality education to more than one million students requires continual evaluations and refinements.

(3) The legislature recognizes that the challenges of setting state education policy are compounded by two important considerations: (a) An evolving federal role in education issues that began in the 1960s and has changed the interplay between states and the federal government by establishing specific responsibilities for the principal state education agency in each state; and (b) the existence of two Washington state educational agencies with territorial roots, the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education. Furthermore, the legislature recognizes that the division of responsibilities between these state agencies is multifaceted, as the elected superintendents of public instruction served, from 1897 until recently, as the ex-officio presidents of the state board of education.

(4) The legislature, therefore, intends to promote the improved functioning of the K-12 education system by acting upon its public policy setting authority to examine specific K-12 governance and responsibilities considerations. To accomplish this objective, the legislature intends to convene a task force to develop recommendations regarding the appropriate division of duties between the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education.

(i) The leaders of the two major caucuses of the senate shall each appoint one task force member.

(ii) The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint two task force members: The chair and ranking minority member of the house of representatives education committee.

(iii) The task force shall also consist of:

(A) The governor or the governor's designee;

(B) The superintendent of public instruction or the superintendent's designee;

(C) The chair of the state board of education;

(D) The president of the Washington state school directors' association; and

(E) The chair of the student achievement council.

(b) The task force shall choose its cochairs from among its legislative membership. The chair of the house of representatives education committee shall convene the initial meeting of the task force on or before June 1, 2017.

(2) The task force shall review the following issues:

(a) Legislation introduced in 2017 relating to the responsibilities of the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education;

(b) The constitutional and statutory provisions establishing the governance structure and associated responsibilities in the K-12 system;

(c) Options for the division of roles and responsibilities between the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education;

(d) Past and present provisions governing the superintendent of public instruction and the superintendent's office, including authorities and duties assigned and modified by the legislature;

(e) Past and present provisions governing the state board of education, including provisions prescribing its authorities, duties, composition, and membership qualifications; and

(f) Considerations of governance and responsibility provisions for other public partner agencies in the K-12 system.

(3) Staff support for the task force must be provided by the senate committee services and the house of representatives office of program research, with additional assistance, if requested by the task force, provided by the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education.

(4) Legislative members of the task force are reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members are not entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses if they are elected officials or are participating on behalf of an employer, governmental entity, or other organization. Any reimbursement for other nonlegislative members is subject to chapter 43.03 RCW.

(5) The expenses of the task force must be paid jointly by the senate and the house of representatives. Task force expenditures are subject to approval by the senate facilities and operations committee and the house of representatives executive rules committee, or their successor committees.

(6) The task force shall report its findings and recommendations, including recommendations regarding the appropriate roles and responsibilities of the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education in the K-12 system, to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate by November 15, 2017.

(7) This section expires January 31, 2018.

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