AN ACT Relating to education; amending RCW 28A.41.140; and adding a new section to chapter 28A.41 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28A.41 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Resources provided by the state for the funding of basic education shall be used to the greatest degree possible in the provision of direct instructional services to students by direct instructional personnel. Direct instructional personnel are persons who work directly with students on a day-to-day basis to implement basic education goals.

(2) In recognition of the importance of a child's early educational experiences, the greatest amount of direct instructional personnel should be assigned to students in grades kindergarten through grade three to assure the lowest class size and most assistance in addressing student's special needs.

(3) The highest priority of direct instructional personnel shall be in the teaching of the basic skills of reading, writing, arithmetic, English grammar, listening, speaking, and thinking to the students in their care considering their individual needs and abilities. Other responsibilities assigned to the public schools shall not distract from the schools' primary mission of carrying out the intent and goals of basic education.

(4) School districts should evaluate programs to assess the effectiveness of their programs in increasing basic skills achievement, reducing the dropout rate, developing effective discipline and school management standards and assuring that the greatest concentration of resources are directed at direct instructional services and that these services are effective, efficient, and under review to assure continued improvement.

Sec. 2. Section 14, chapter 244, Laws of 1969 ex. sess. as last amended by section 5, chapter 349, Laws of 1985 and RCW 28A.41.140 are each amended to read as follows:

The basic education allocation for each annual average full time equivalent student shall be determined in accordance with the following procedures:

(1) The governor shall and the superintendent of public instruction may recommend to the legislature a formula based on a ratio of students to staff for the distribution of a basic education allocation for each annual average full time equivalent student enrolled in a common school. The distribution formula shall have the primary objective of equalizing educational opportunities and shall provide appropriate recognition of the following costs among the various districts within the state:

((~~(1)~~)) (a) Certificated staff and their related costs;

((~~(2)~~)) (b) Classified staff and their related costs;

((~~(3)~~)) (c) Nonsalary costs;

((~~(4)~~)) (d) Extraordinary costs of remote and necessary schools and small high schools; and

((~~(5)~~)) (e) The attendance of students pursuant to RCW 28A.58.075 and 28A.58.245, each as now or hereafter amended, who do not reside within the servicing school district.

(2) This formula for distribution of basic education funds shall be reviewed biennially by the superintendent and governor. The recommended formula shall be subject to approval, amendment or rejection by the legislature. ((Commencing with the 1980-81 school year, the formula adopted by the legislature shall reflect a ratio of not less than fifty certificated personnel to one thousand annual average full time equivalent students and one classified person to three certificated personnel.)) The formula adopted by the legislature shall reflect the following ratios: (a) For the 1987-88 school year the ratio shall be not less than fifty-one certificated personnel and sixteen and sixty-seven one hundredths classified personnel to one thousand annual average full time equivalent students; (b) for the 1988-89 school year the ratio shall be not less than fifty-two certificated personnel and seventeen classified personnel to one thousand annual average full time equivalent students; (c) for the 1989-90 school year the ratio shall be not less than fifty-three certificated personnel and eighteen classified personnel to one thousand annual average full time equivalent students; (d) for the 1990-91 school year the ratio shall be not less than fifty-four certificated personnel and nineteen classified personnel to one thousand annual average full time equivalent students; and (e) for the 1991-92 school year and thereafter the ratio shall be not less than fifty-five certificated personnel and twenty classified personnel to one thousand annual average full time equivalent students. In the event the legislature rejects the distribution formula recommended by the governor, without adopting a new distribution formula, the distribution formula for the previous school year shall remain in effect: PROVIDED, That the distribution formula developed pursuant to this section shall be for state apportionment and equalization purposes only and shall not be construed as mandating specific operational functions of local school districts other than those program requirements identified in RCW 28A.58.754. The enrollment of any district shall be the annual average number of full time equivalent students and part time students as provided in RCW 28A.41.145, as now or hereafter amended, enrolled on the first school day of each month. The definition of full time equivalent student shall be determined by rules and regulations of the superintendent of public instruction: PROVIDED, That the definition shall be included as part of the superintendent's biennial budget request: PROVIDED, FURTHER, That any revision of the present definition shall not take effect until approved by the house appropriations committee and the senate ways and means committee: PROVIDED, FURTHER, That the office of financial management shall make a monthly review of the superintendent's reported full time equivalent students in the common schools in conjunction with RCW 43.62.050.

(3) Certificated staff shall include those persons employed by a school district in a teaching, instructional, educational staff associate, learning resources specialist, administrative or supervisory capacity and who hold positions as certificated employees as defined under RCW 28A.01.130, as now or hereafter amended, and every school district superintendent, and any person hired in any manner to fill a position designated as, or which is in fact, that of deputy superintendent or assistant superintendent: PROVIDED, That in exceptional cases, people of unusual competence but without certification may teach students so long as a certificated person exercises general supervision: PROVIDED, FURTHER, That the hiring of such noncertificated people shall not occur during a labor dispute and such noncertificated people shall not be hired to replace certificated employees during a labor dispute.

(4) Each annual average full time equivalent certificated classroom teacher's direct classroom contact hours shall average at least twenty-five hours per week. Direct classroom contact hours shall be exclusive of time required to be spent for preparation, conferences, or any other nonclassroom instruction duties. Up to two hundred minutes per week may be deducted from the twenty-five contact hour requirement, at the discretion of the school district board of directors, to accommodate authorized teacher/parent-guardian conferences, recess, passing time between classes, and informal instructional activity. Implementing rules to be adopted by the state board of education pursuant to RCW 28A.58.754(6) shall provide that compliance with the direct contact hour requirement shall be based upon teachers' normally assigned weekly instructional schedules, as assigned by the district administration. Additional record-keeping by classroom teachers as a means of accounting for contact hours shall not be required. However, upon request from the board of directors of any school district, the provisions relating to direct classroom contact hours for individual teachers in that district may be waived by the state board of education if the waiver is necessary to implement a locally approved plan for educational excellence and the waiver is limited to those individual teachers approved in the local plan for educational excellence. The state board of education shall develop criteria to evaluate the need for the waiver. Granting of the waiver shall depend upon verification that: (a) The students' classroom instructional time will not be reduced; and (b) the teacher's expertise is critical to the success of the local plan for excellence.