ByRepresentatives Springer, Hackney, Rule, Doglio, Walen, Timmons, Reeves, Chapman, Entenman, Senn, Slatter, Fey, Bateman, Duerr, Berg, Riccelli, Simmons, Stearns, Leavitt, Rude, Connors, Ybarra, Corry, Steele, Low, Barnard, Taylor, Schmidt, Barkis, Jacobsen, Sandlin, Harris, Wylie, and Griffey

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that the population of Washington state has become increasingly diverse over the last several decades. The legislature also finds that as the demographics of our state change, historically and currently marginalized communities still do not have the same opportunities to meet parity as their nonmarginalized counterparts across nearly every measure including education, poverty, employment, health, and more. Inequities based on race, ethnicity, gender, and other characteristics continue to be deep, pervasive, and persistent, and they come at a great economic and social cost.

The legislature finds that state government must identify and coordinate effective strategies that focus on eliminating systemic barriers for historically and currently marginalized groups and that providing equitable enrichment funding for charter public school students is an important step toward promoting opportunities for communities that have not always been well-served by traditional public schools.

(1) The legislature intends that state funding for charter schools be distributed equitably with state funding provided for other public schools. A charter school is eligible to apply for state grants on the same basis as a school district.

(2) For eligible students enrolled in a charter school established and operating in accordance with this chapter, the superintendent of public instruction shall transmit to each charter school an amount calculated as provided in this section and based on the statewide average salaries set forth in RCW 28A.150.410 for certificated instructional staff adjusted by the regionalization factor that applies to the school district in which the charter school is geographically located, including any enrichment to those statutory formulae that is specified in the omnibus appropriations act. The amount must be the sum of (a) and (b) of this subsection.

(a) The superintendent shall, for purposes of making distributions under this section, separately calculate and distribute to charter schools moneys appropriated for general apportionment under the same ratios as in RCW 28A.150.260.

(b) The superintendent also shall, for purposes of making distributions under this section, and in accordance with the applicable formulae for categorical programs specified in (b)(i) through (((v)))(vi) of this subsection (2) and any enrichment to those statutory formulae that is specified in the omnibus appropriations act, separately calculate and distribute moneys appropriated by the legislature to charter schools for:

(i) Supplemental instruction and services for students who are not meeting academic standards through the learning assistance program under RCW 28A.165.005 through 28A.165.065;

(ii) Supplemental instruction and services for eligible and enrolled students and exited students whose primary language is other than English through the transitional bilingual instruction program under RCW 28A.180.010 through 28A.180.080;

(iii) The opportunity for an appropriate education at public expense as defined by RCW 28A.155.020 for all eligible students with disabilities as defined in RCW 28A.155.020;

(v) Pupil transportation services to and from school in accordance with RCW 28A.160.150 through 28A.160.180. Distributions for pupil transportation must be calculated on a per eligible student basis based on the allocation for the previous school year to the school district in which the charter school is located; and

(vi) Enrichment of the state's statutory program of basic education as authorized under RCW 28A.150.276 for charter schools located within the boundaries of a school district in which the voters of such school district have authorized tax levies for enrichment funding as provided under RCW 84.52.053(1). The superintendent of public instruction must distribute to each charter school a per-pupil enrichment grant in the amount of the state local effort assistance threshold as defined in RCW 28A.500.015.

(3) The superintendent of public instruction must adopt rules necessary for the distribution of funding required by this section and to comply with federal reporting requirements.