H-3562              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 1866

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Representatives Dorn, Ebersole, Holland, Peery, Walker, Holm, Sanders, Winsley, Ferguson, Amondson, P. King, Pruitt, Hine and Wang

Read first time 1/27/88 and referred to Committee on Education.

AN ACT Relating to parental involvement in the schools; adding a new section to Title 28A RCW; and making an appropriation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to Title 28A RCW to read as follows:

          (1) Parental involvement is one of the most important ingredients in creating and maintaining an effective school environment.  It is essential that parents, in partnership with the school, be active as supporters, teachers, advisors, decision-makers, and advocates for their children.  To encourage the development of a strong relationship between parents and the school, the legislature hereby establishes the home-school partnership program.

          (2) The superintendent of public instruction may grant funds to selected school districts for the planning and implementation activities of home-school partnership programs.  The purpose of the program is to:  (a) Provide training to parents and school personnel on effective communication; (b) provide training and assistance to parents in the school's curriculum and skills necessary to assist their children with school work; (c) encourage parental involvement in volunteer programs within the school district; (d) provide information on effective ways for parents to support and aid in decision making as it relates to their children's education and the school district; and (e) to provide methods whereby a parent may act as an advocate for his or her child.

          (3) The superintendent shall appoint an advisory committee composed of certificated and noncertificated staff, administrators, and parents.  The committee shall propose criteria to the superintendent to evaluate grant proposals for the home-school partnership program.  The criteria approved by the superintendent shall include, but not be limited to the following requirements: (a) Require as a condition of eligibility that the applicant school district demonstrate the ability to provide local matching funds equal to twenty-five percent of the grant awarded; (b) provide for an annual evaluation of the project's effectiveness; and (c) provide an outline of activities designed to teach each of the skill areas under subsection (2) of this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     The sum of .......... dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1989, from the general fund to the superintendent of public instruction for the purposes of this act.