SENATE BILL REPORT
E2SHB 456
BYHouse Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Representatives Spanel, Ebersole, Dellwo, Zellinsky, P. King, Wang, Holm, Valle, Haugen, Cole, Appelwick, O'Brien, Pruitt, Hine, Locke, Winsley, Rayburn, Unsoeld, Rasmussen, K. Wilson, Sprenkle, R. King, McMullen and Miller;by request of Governor Gardner)
Establishing programs to enhance students' ability to learn.
House Committe on Education
Senate Committee on Education
Senate Hearing Date(s):March 26, 1987; April 1, 1987
Majority Report: Do pass as amended.
Signed by Senators Gaspard, Chairman; Bauer, Vice Chairman; Rinehart, Vice Chairman; Bender, Smitherman, Warnke.
Senate Staff:Larry Davis (786-7422)
April 2, 1987
AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, APRIL 1, 1987
BACKGROUND:
To be functionally illiterate is to lack the basic ability to speak, read, write and compute in English at or above the eighth grade level. Parents who are either illiterate or semi-literate may be unable to assist children to perform at their levels of ability.
Results of the state's Early Childhood Education and Assistance program, established in 1985 indicate effectiveness of providing educational and other services to disadvantaged four-year old children. It is suggested that the program be expanded and made ongoing.
Nationally, about 25 percent of all students who enter ninth grade drop out of school prior to graduation from high school four years later. In Washington, the dropout rate generally falls within the 20-25 percent range as an annual statewide average. Research results indicate that students who drop out of school experience higher unemployment rates, lower job earnings, are more likely to need public assistance and to become involved in criminal activities. It is suggested that a comprehensive dropout prevention, retention and retrieval program could help address this problem.
Available statistics clearly indicate that alcohol and drug use and abuse are serious problems among minors. A coordinated, comprehensive education and intervention program in the common school system is suggested as a way to respond to this issue.
Research indicates that parental involvement and support can positively impact students' school performance and that community and business involvement can provide enriching experiences to the regular school program.
Currently, the state provides funds to school districts to provide services to 1 percent of a district's enrollment designated as highly capable students. It is suggested that the minimum funding level for the state highly capable student program be increased to 2 percent.
SUMMARY:
This is the Governor's request legislation addressing: early childhood education, adult literacy (Project Even Start), dropout prevention, drug and alcohol awareness and prevention, school involvement programs, highly capable students, and elementary counseling.
Part I - Readiness to Learn
Project Even Start
The Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), with the consultation and participation of the Department of Community Development (DCD), the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), and the State Board for Community College Education (SBCCE) is to develop an adult literacy program (i.e., Project Even Start) to provide services to certain parents.
Under rules the SPI is required to adopt, parents eligible to participate shall be those who: (a) have less than an eighth grade ability in reading, language arts, or mathematics, and (b) have children who are enrolled in the federal Head Start program, or the state Early Childhood Education and Assistance program, or a state or federally funded elementary school basic skills program which serves students who are below average in reading, language arts, and mathematics. Project Even Start shall provide services on a priority basis for parents with children who are in preschool or in the first three grades, and enrolled in programs as outlined above.
Project Even Start may include components other than instruction, including transportation services, and child care. The SPI shall work with adult literacy programs operated by the common school and community college systems, vocational technical institutes, or community-based nonprofit organizations to provide services to eligible parents before funding and developing new adult literacy programs.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction is to submit to the Legislature by January 15, 1988, a report on Project Even Start and update the report biennially.
Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program
The sunset date for the Early Childhood Education and Assistance program is repealed. The program funding level and the number of children to be served is determined through the State Operating Appropriations Act.
Part II - The School Environment
Student Motivation, Retention, and Retrieval Programs
The SPI shall develop an annual ranking of school districts by dropout rates and may use an average of a district's dropout rates for the previous five years. Each school district with a dropout rate in the top 25 percent for all districts statewide is to develop and maintain a comprehensive, district-wide student motivation, retention, and retrieval plan.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall distribute funds on a per pupil basis to school districts and cooperatives for program planning or implementation. No district shall receive less than $5,000 in any school year. A district shall qualify for funding if its dropout rate is in the top 25 percent.
SPI rules must allow school districts to claim state basic education funds for students who attend a program conducted outside the regular school-year calendar to the extent it is in lieu of regular school-year attendance.
The Governor and the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall jointly appoint the Governor's School Dropout Prevention Task Force to publicize the dropout issue. The task force is composed of representatives from business, sports, education, the media, students, the Legislature, and other sectors of the community.
Youth Substance Abuse Awareness Program
The Superintendent of Public Instruction is to adopt rules to implement the Youth Substance Abuse Awareness program. The rules must meet federal requirements for allocation of federal funds.
The SPI is to appoint an advisory committee on substance abuse to advise the Superintendent on matters of program development, coordination, and evaluation. The Superintendent is to distribute appropriated state funds to school districts for the planning, development, and implementation of education and disciplinary policies, and for the prevention, intervention, and aftercare activities regarding the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol.
School districts interested in implementing a program must file an application for funds. The application must include: a commitment from the school district board of directors to adopt a comprehensive policy within six months of receipt of funding or a copy of the district's policy; an assessment of the scope of the problem of substance abuse within the district; a comprehensive program plan; and proposed procedures for evaluation of the district's program.
A number of program areas may be funded through the program, including: comprehensive program development; prevention programs; school core team development and training; identification and intervention; and aftercare.
Each school district is to establish a school and community substance abuse advisory committee including representatives of school district instructional staff, students, parents, state and local government officials; law enforcement personnel, and the county coordinator of alcohol and drug treatment.
Highly Capable Students
The state, beginning with the 1987-88 school year, shall provide supplementary funds to serve no less than 2 percent of any district's fulltime equivalent student enrollment identified as being highly capable.
Part III - Community School Support
School Involvement Programs
Every school district is required to develop a school involvement program in addition to the district's policy on parents' access to school activities and classrooms.
District plans should include encouraging classroom observation, parent-teacher consultations, participation in special programs, participation in policy-making or advisory groups at the district and school level, and school volunteer activities. School districts are encouraged to inform local businesses, organizations, and governmental agencies about the school involvement program. School districts may enter into agreements with private businesses and organizations, and state and local governmental agencies, to facilitate employee participation in the program.
Part IV - Elementary School Counselors
Elementary Counselor Grant Program
The Superintendent of Public Instruction may grant funds to districts for the implementation of an elementary school counseling program. Funding for the program shall be limited to funds appropriated by the Legislature.
Grants shall provide one counselor for elementary schools with over three hundred students and one half-time counselor for elementary schools with fewer than three hundred students.
School districts and buildings within school districts may enter into cooperative arrangements for these services. All services under cooperative arrangement shall be provided in the school building to which the service provider is assigned to assure that the provider is aware of the nature and problems of the children and families to be served.
Interested school districts shall file an application for funding with the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The application shall include a commitment from the district to adopt a comprehensive elementary school counseling plan and to define the relationship of the school counselor to community resources; methods of program evaluation; policies on confidentiality; notification of parents; referrals to community and state agencies; and the scope of the services to be provided.
The SPI shall appoint an advisory committee to advise the superintendent on the adoption of criteria for the award of grant monies.
SUMMARY OF PROPOSED SENATE AMENDMENT:
The committee striking amendment incorporates language from SSB 5476 addressing the following issues from the House bill: expanding the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program; establishing Project Even Start to provide adult literacy services to certain parents; authorizing grant programs to help school districts establish programs for substance abuse awareness and student motivation, retention and retrieval; increasing the funding level for highly capable student programs; encouraging school district school involvement programs; and establishing an elementary counselor grant program.
The committee striking amendment includes three issues from SSB 5476: recognizing the role of educational clinics in addressing the needs of students who have dropped out of school; authorizing a use tax exemption for the donation of tangible personal property or services to schools or colleges for direct instructional services; and authorizing certain state employees to use up to 20 hours annually of accrued sick leave to participate in school involvement programs.
Fiscal Note: available
Senate Committee - Testified: Representative Harriet Spanel, Sponsor; Representative Sally Walker; Ronn Robinson, Office of the Governor; Kathy Friedt, Department of Community Development; John Simpson, Washington Parents Coalition; Mable Hansen, Student Support Outside School (SSOS); Roberta Lumley, Counselor, Lakota Junior High, Federal Way School District; Marion Grambau, School Success Learning Lab; Delana Coles, Parent; Mary Lou Kraves; Beth Miller, SSOS; Larry Merlino, Principal, Continuation High School, Federal Way School District; Ed Novak, Principal, Brigadoon Elementary, Federal Way School District; Thelma Christensen; Esther McRae, Northwest Gifted Child Association; Patricia Riffle, Washington Coalition for Gifted Education