SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 5476
BYSenators Bauer, Kiskaddon, Gaspard, Tanner, Bender, Johnson, Williams, Fleming, Wojahn, Vognild, Moore, Talmadge, Garrett and DeJarnatt; by request of Office of the Governor
Establishing programs to enhance children's ability to learn.
Senate Committee on Education
Senate Hearing Date(s):February 2, 1987; February 18, 1987; February 19, 1987
Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5476 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass and refer to Committee on Ways & Means.
Signed by Senators Gaspard, Chairman; Bauer, Vice Chairman; Rinehart, Vice Chairman; Bender, Smitherman, Warnke.
Senate Staff:Larry Davis (786-7422)
February 24, 1987
Senate Committee on Ways & Means
Senate Hearing Date(s):March 4, 1987
Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5476 as recommended by Committee on Education be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.
Signed by Senators McDermott, Chairman; Gaspard, Vice Chairman; Bauer, Fleming, Kreidler, Moore, Rinehart, Talmadge, Vognild, Warnke, Williams, Wojahn.
Senate Staff:Mike Williams (786-7715)
March 5, 1986
AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS, MARCH 4, 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. Without these basic skills, the individual's ability to function as a contributing member of society is usually limited. Parents who are either illiterate or semi-literate lack the ability to provide the kind of support at home which can assist their children to perform well in school. Providing special adult literacy services to such parents could complement the Early Childhood Education and Assistance program and help young students to perform up to their levels of ability.
The state's Early Childhood Education and Assistance program, established in 1985 is showing results that indicate it is effective in providing educational and other services to disadvantaged four-year old children. It is suggested that the program be expanded and made permanent.
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 one way in which to respond to this important 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. Providing for state employees to participate in local school activities could encourage more widespread community school support.
State law presently does not allow for a use tax exemption for tangible personal property or services which are devoted to a public or private nonprofit school or college for direct instructional purposes.
SUMMARY:
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 directed 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 preschool or in the first three grades, enrolled in programs as outlined above.
Project Even Start may include components other than instruction, including transportation services, child care, and other activities necessary to accomplish the purposes of Project Even Start. The SPI may fund or cooperatively work with adult literacy programs throughout the common school or community college systems to provide services to parents eligible to participate in Project Even Start.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction is directed to submit to the Legislature by January 15, 1988, a report on Project Even Start and update the report biennially. The SPI is also required to identify and disseminate information about effective literacy programs to all school districts and others as may be interested.
Current statutory language relating to the state Early Childhood Education and Assistance program, which provides that "The overall program funding level shall be based on an average grant of no more than $2,700 per child to cover all program costs×××", is stricken. New language provides that "The overall program funding level shall be based on an average grant per child consistent with state appropriations made for program costs×××." The sunset date for the Early Childhood Education and Assistance program is repealed.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction is authorized to distribute funds on a grant basis to school districts to establish integrated programs for students who are at-risk of dropping out of school or who have dropped out of school. Each school district with a dropout rate in the top 25 percent of the dropout rates for all districts statewide is required to develop and maintain a comprehensive, district-wide student motivation, retention, and retrieval plan.
The SPI shall distribute funds to school districts for program planning or implementation in amounts not to exceed for any district the appropriation for a particular year. Priority in distributing the funds should be given to districts where no program exists. A district shall qualify to apply for initial planning, program development, and implementation funding if the district's dropout rate is in the top 25 percent for all districts statewide. A cooperative of districts, which includes one district or more, whose dropout rate is not in the top 25 percent, may apply for planning funds.
A district or cooperative of districts shall be eligible to receive program implementation funds once every two years to expand the dropout program to additional grades or another school, or to initiate a new dropout program. No district or cooperative of districts may receive more than $300,000 per biennium. Applicant districts must provide local matching funds in an amount no less than 20 percent of the amount of funds the districts receive from the state for planning and implementation.
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, and to the extent is in lieu of attendance within the regular school-year calendar.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction is required to appoint an advisory committee on school dropouts to propose criteria for evaluating, planning, and implementation. The advisory committee must be composed of certificated and noncertificated staff, administrators, parents, counselors, and others.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction is directed to identify and disseminate information about effective dropout programs to all school districts and other interested parties.
The current state grant program for innovative dropout prevention programs is repealed.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction is directed to adopt rules to implement the Youth Substance Abuse Awareness program. The rules must meet federal requirements for allocation of federal funds. If any part of the Program conflicts with federal requirements, that part of the program is declared inoperative.
The SPI is required to appoint an advisory committee on substance abuse to advise the Superintendent on matters of program development, coordination, and evaluation. The Superintendent is authorized 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 letter of commitment from the school district board of directors to adopt a comprehensive policy on drugs and alcohol within six months of receipt of funding; and a copy of the district's assessment of the scope of the problem of substance abuse within the district, including use and abuse by students and the community. A district must demonstrate how it will provide local matching funds equal to at least 20 percent of the state funds for which the district is eligible to receive and the district must provide an outline of procedures for evaluation of the effectiveness of the program.
A district must submit its comprehensive program plan and proposed expenditures for implementation of the plan. 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 required to establish a school and community substance abuse advisory committee and identify the members of the committee. The committee must include representatives of school district instructional staff, students, parents, state and local government law enforcement personnel, and the county coordinator of alcohol and drug treatment.
School districts are authorized to file joint applications, implement joint programs, and establish a joint school and community substance abuse advisory committee. The Superintendent of Public Instruction is directed to identify and disseminate information about effective drug and alcohol programs to all school districts and other interested parties.
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, and school volunteer activities. School districts are encouraged to inform local businesses, organizations, and governmental agencies about the local school involvement program, and school districts may enter into agreements with private businesses and organizations, and state and local governmental agencies, to facilitate employee participation in the program.
Any state employee, or employee of a political subdivision of the state, may participate in local school involvement programs for 20 hours during any calendar year, during the employee's regular working hours, without any loss in salary, seniority, retirement, or other benefits. The state personnel board, the state civil service commission, the Higher Education Personnel Board, and related boards are directed to adopt rules relating to state employee participation in local school involvement programs.
An exemption from the state use tax is provided for tangible personal property or services which are irrevocably donated to and accepted by any public or private nonprofit school or college for direct instructional purposes.
EFFECT OF PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE:
PART I -- READINESS TO LEARN
Project Even Start -- Language is added to clarify that children enrolled in state or federally funded elementary school basic skills programs are below the national average on a standardized test in reading, language arts, or mathematics and not necessarily in all three subject areas.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall also consult with community-based, nonprofit providers of adult literacy services in developing Project Even Start. The Superintendent is required to fund or work cooperatively with existing adult literacy programs and parenting related programs, offered through vocational-technical institutes or community-based, nonprofit organizations, to provide services under Project Even Staff to eligible parents.
Language is added to stipulate that parents who elect to participate in training or work programs as a condition of receiving public assistance shall have the hours spent in certain parent participation programs counted toward the fulfillment of their public assistance work and training obligations.
State funds for Project Even Start may not supplant federal funds for adult literacy programs.
Parents As First Teachers Program -- The Superintendent of Public Instruction is directed to establish a voluntary, grant-based Parents as First Teachers Program. The program will provide parents of children up to age three with information and guidance to increase parental confidence and involvement in the educational and social development of their children.
The program shall provide for resource materials on home learning activities, private and group educational guidance, and other activities. The Parents as First Teachers Program shall not be part of the basic program of education the state must fund.
The Superintendent is authorized to accept gifts and grants provided to support the program and must submit to the Legislature a biennial report on the Parents as First Teachers Program.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Director of the Department of Community Development, and the Secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services shall jointly develop and submit to the Legislature by January 1, 1990, a plan that includes one or more options for integrating the Parents as First Teachers Program, the state Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program, the proposed Family Independence Program, and other state programs into a comprehensive early childhood development assistance program.
PART II -- THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT
Substance Abuse Awareness Program -- The name of the Youth Substance Abuse Awareness program is changed to the Substance Abuse Awareness program. The requirement that grant applications include the district's assessment of the scope of the problem of drug and alcohol abuse in the district, including use and abuse by the community, is narrowed to provide that the assessment focus on the effects of individuals' use and abuse of drug and alcohol upon the learning environment in each school in the district.
The SPI is required rather than permitted to distribute funds on a grant basis for the development and implementation of school district educational and disciplinary policies leading to the implementation of drug and alcohol prevention, intervention, and aftercare activities.
Educational service districts are included as an entity with which districts may use funds to coordinate activities relating to drug and alcohol use and abuse.
Student representation is added to the substance abuse advisory committee which the Superintendent of Public Instruction must establish.
Language is added to clarify that grant applications must include a letter of commitment from the school board to adopt a written comprehensive policy on drugs and alcohol and a proposed substance abuse awareness program and implementation plan within six months of receipt of state funds.
Districts which have established a local school and community substance abuse advisory committee prior to receiving grant funds, must, if necessary, add certain members so that the committee is reflective of the membership requirements under the bill.
Student Motivation, Retention, and Retrieval Programs -- The following requirements are deleted: the requirement (1) that districts with dropout rates in the top 25 percent of all districts' must establish a district-wide dropout plan; (2) the $300,000 per grant limit per district or a cooperative of districts; and (3) the requirement that districts provide a match of local funds equal to at least 20 percent of the state funds the districts are eligible to receive.
Funds for student motivation, retention and retrieval programs must be allocated first to districts with dropout rates in the top 25 percent of all districts'. SPI must give priority consideration to allocating funds to districts with no current student dropout programs. Language is added to stipulate that funds shall be distributed on a per pupil basis.
A new section is added to recognize the role performed by educational clinics in addressing the needs of students who have dropped out of the common school system. School districts are encouraged to explore cooperation with educational clinics.
Highly Capable Students -- A new section is added requiring that the state, beginning with the 1987-88 school year, shall provide funds to serve no less than 2 percent of any district's fulltime equivalent student enrollment identified as being highly capable.
Local Education Enhancement and Accountability Program -- The Superintendent of Public Instruction is authorized to award grants to up to 20 school districts for the 1987-88 and 1988-89 school years which districts may use only for programs relating to early childhood education, drug and alcohol abuse awareness and prevention, gifted programs, dropout prevention and retrieval, school involvement programs, and adult literacy programs.
Programs enhanced or established through grant funds shall not become part of the state's obligation to provide a basic program of education.
Each school district selected to participate in the two-year pilot program shall establish an advisory committee of no fewer than 13 and no greater than 21 members to: assess the needs of the schools in the district; assign priorities to the identified needs; preparing for recommendation to the school board a comprehensive two-year plan for addressing the identified priority needs; and developing an evaluation plan to assess how the grant funds demonstrate a direct educational benefit to the district's students.
Each school board shall approve the plan recommended by the advisory committee and submit the plan to the SPI by December 1, 1987. Stipends may be awarded to certificated or classified staff who assume extra duties under programs enhanced or established by the grant funds. Such stipends shall not be considered compensation for purposes of salary lid compliance.
School districts may enter into cooperative agreements and submit a joint grant application for funds. Each district must maintain specific records on how the grant funds are spent and submit to the SPI a final report on the local pilot program by August 1989. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall submit a final report to the Legislature by January 31, 1990.
PART III -- SCHOOL COMMUNITY SUPPORT
School districts are encouraged rather than required to develop school involvement programs.
A new section is added to encourage businesses to consider work schedule adjustments to allow parent-employees periodic opportunities throughout the school year to visit children's schools.
The scope of the program to allow state employees to participate in school involvement programs is limited. Only those state employees whose absence from work will not require a replacement may participate for up to 20 hours. Such employees must use accrued sick leave to participate. The scope of the program is further limited by deleting the rule-making authority for city firemen, police and sheriffs' civil service commissions to permit employees of such local and county agencies to participate in school involvement programs.
Fiscal Note: available
Senate Committee - Testified: EDUCATION: Ronn Robinson, Office of the Governor; Dr. Frank Brouillet, Superintendent of Public Instruction; Judy Hartmann, Office of the SPI; Ken Davis, Impact Coordinator, CareUnit Hospital of Kirkland; Michele Radosevich, WEA; Charles Talmage, Association of Washington School Principals; Ben Edlund, Washington State School Directors' Association; John Kvamme, Bill Cassidy, Therese Peterson, Tacoma School District; Charles Davis, Washington Association of Educational Clinics; Margie Reeves, Washington Association for the Education of Young Children; Barbara Holmes, Highline School District; Kris Van Gorkom, Washington Association of School Administrators; Dr. Norm Wisner, Superintendent, Tumwater School District; Dr. Dick Harris, Superintendent, Franklin Pierce School District; Dorothy Roberts, Washington State League of Women Voters; Dr. Robert Gary, Seattle School District; Katherine Watters, Citizens Education Center Northwest
Senate Committee - Testified: WAYS & MEANS: Ron Robinson, Office of the Governor