HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 770

BYRepresentatives Ebersole, Betrozoff, Pruitt, Walker, Valle, Rasmussen, Belcher, Schmidt, Rust, Unsoeld, Holland, Patrick, P. King, Winsley, Schoon, Holm, Todd and Spanel

Changing common school curriculum requirements to include science with an emphasis on the environment.

House Committe on Education

Majority Report:     Do pass.  (20)

     Signed by Representative Ebersole; Chair, Spanel; Vice Chair, Appelwick, Betrozoff, Cole, Cooper, Fuhrman, Holland, Holm, P. King, Peery, Pruitt, Rasmussen, Rayburn, Rust, Schoon, L. Smith Todd, Valle and Walker.

House Staff:Susan Patrick (786-7111)

AS PASSED HOUSE MARCH 18, 1987

BACKGROUND:

In 1985 the legislature directed the Superintendent of Public Instruction to appoint a task force to assess the needs and status of environmental education and to define environmental literacy.  The task force determined that an environmentally literate person should understand: 1) the components of the environment and their interactions; 2) the value of the environment to our physical, economic and emotional well-being and 3) how personal choice affects the environment.  To assist in reaching these goals, a coordinating committee on environmental education was established by the legislature in 1986.  The committee was composed of representatives from the natural resource agencies, educators, environmental groups and the natural resource industry.  The committee functioned under the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and acted to encourage cooperation and development of recommendations to improve environmental education. The committee, which expired on December 31, 1986, following submission of its report, had recommended the inclusion of science with an emphasis on the environment be added to the basic curriculum of the schools in this state.

SUMMARY:

Science with a special reference to the environment shall be included in the basic curriculum to be offered in the common schools of the state of Washington.

Fiscal Note:    Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:     Lynne Ferguson, Director of Environmental Education, Washington Forest Protection Agency;  Judy Hartmann, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

House Committee - Testified Against: None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:     It was surprising to find that science is not a part of the current curriculum required in our public schools.  For many years we have required science courses for students to graduate from high school.  By adding science to the curriculum we not only make the requirements and offerings equal, we also can include information on the importance of our environment in our lives.  This will not require the addition of new classes to the curriculum.

House Committee - Testimony Against: None Presented.