SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 5726

BYSenators Bailey, Nelson, Benitz, Saling, Patterson, Johnson, Craswell, Metcalf and Anderson

Providing a career ladder for teachers.

Senate Committee on Education

Senate Hearing Date(s):March 4, 1987; January 28, 1988; February 1, 1988; February 2, 1988; February 3, 1988

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5726 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

      Signed by Senators Bailey, Chairman; Kiskaddon, Vice Chairman; Benitz, Craswell, Lee.

Senate Staff:Larry Davis (786-7422)

                  February 4, 1988

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, FEBRUARY 3, 1988

BACKGROUND:

Career ladders are incentive pay plans for educators to receive salary increases and promotions for accepting additional responsibilities, demonstrating superior teaching ability, and completing professional development programs, in addition to the usual compensation for years of education and classroom experience.

Research shows that teacher evaluation, which is critical to the success of a career ladder, is an underconceptualized and underdeveloped activity, and that most school systems will have to develop improved evaluation systems before they can introduce innovative personnel practices.

The Legislature recognizes that a career ladder compensation and evaluation plan may offer improvements over the current method of compensation and evaluation and may enhance the attractiveness of the teaching profession.

SUMMARY:

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) is directed to award up to $4 million in grants to school districts whose grant proposals contain the following features:

      --goals and objectives of the project;

      --descriptions of who is eligible and how many career levels are available;

      --a plan for differentiated responsibilities such as assisting beginning teachers, team teaching, conducting in-service training, diagnosing student learning problems and developing evaluation instruments;

      --criteria for movement from level to level which may include the acceptance of additional responsibilities, demonstrated superior teaching ability, and professional growth through a continued and planned course of study;

      --a schedule of differentiated compensation; and

      --a method of evaluation to be used in determining differentiated responsibilities and movement on the ladder.

Proposals must be agreed to in writing by the local school board and employee organizations.  SPI is to select proposals which are innovative, varied in model design, and representative of school districts in different geographical locations and of different sizes.

The pilot projects will expire August 31, 1989.

Salary or compensation increases awarded under the pilot projects are not subject to the salary lid and do not obligate the state to future funding of such increases.  Employees who receive such increases are eligible to receive any general salary or compensation increase appropriated by the Legislature.

Salary or compensation increases awarded under the pilot projects shall not be deemed to be compensation for the purposes of computing retirement benefits.

SPI is directed to create a Select Commission on Career Ladders to be comprised of persons representing all sectors of the educational community.  The commission shall evaluate the pilot projects selected by the SPI and conduct a study and prepare recommendations on a comprehensive system for evaluating educational employees.  The commission will terminate at the close of the regular session of the Legislature in 1990.

SPI is to submit an initial report to the governor and the Legislature by January 1, 1989 and a final report by January 1, 1990 on the cmmission's findings and recommendations.

The implementation of this bill is subject to the appropriation of funds.

EFFECT OF PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE:

All provisions of the original bill are stricken.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) must establish a 25-member Accountability and Compensation in Education (ACE) Committee.  Members will represent the SPI, the governor's office, the State Board of Education, teachers, school directors, principals, superintendents, higher education institutions, business, labor, citizens, parents, and the Legislature.

The ACE committee will conduct an examination of the relationship between compensation and accountability, including a review of the relationship between compensation for certificated instructional staff compared to other professions,states, and countries, and the relationship between compensation and a number of state or state agency programs, activities, or studies.  The review must be completed by January 1, 1990.

By January 1, 1991, based on the findings of the review, the ACE committee must develop a single compensation model (career ladder).  The model must include, at a minimum, different levels of employment classification, different responsibilities for each employment level, different compensation for each employment level, and evaluation and in-service components.

The SPI must select by June 1, 1991, a single school district from applications received to field test the compensation model beginning with the 1991-92 school year and concluding at the end of the 1994-95 school year.  Applications from school districts must include a written agreement between the school board and district employees that compensation for the duration of the field test will be in accordance with the compensation model.

Funding of the compensation model for purposes of the field test will be the sole responsibility of the state and the district will be exempt from salary compliance provisions for the duration of the field test.  Compensation earned by employees under the compensation model will count for retirement purposes.

If the school district and employees by written agreement wish to continue to use the compensation model beyond the expiration date of the field test, the state must continue to provide the required level of funding.

The SPI must submit a report to the Legislature by January 1, 1994 on the progress of the field test and a final report by January 1, 1996 on the findings of the field test of the compensation model.

The SPI may accept gifts, grants and endowments to support the work of the ACE Committee.

An effective date of March 31, 1988 is provided and $49,500 is appropriated to the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Appropriation:    $49,500 to the Superintendent of Public Instruction

Revenue:    none

Fiscal Note:      requested January 25, 1988

Senate Committee - Testified: Jerome Brown, The Connexion Corporation (for); Bob Fisher, Washington Education Association (against); Howard Coble, Washington Association of School Administrators (for); Judy Hartmann, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction