HOUSE BILL REPORT

SSB 5859

As Amended by the House

BYSenate Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Senators Gaspard, Lee, Murray and Bailey)

Regarding the school directors' association.

House Committe on Education

Majority Report:  Do pass with amendments.  (13)

      Signed by Representatives Peery, Chair; Betrozoff, Ranking Republican Member; Brumsickle, Cole, Dorn, Jones, Phillips, Pruitt, Rasmussen, Rayburn, Valle, Walker and K. Wilson.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.  (2)

      Signed by Representatives Fuhrman and Horn.

House Staff:Susan Patrick (786-7111)

AS PASSED HOUSE APRIL 11, 1989

BACKGROUND:

The Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA) is an "agency of the state" that provides services to the 296 school boards in Washington.  Membership in the association is mandatory.  Dues are paid by school district boards of directors.

The major purpose of the association is to coordinate the policymaking, control and management of the school districts of the state.  The association is required to make reports and recommendations at least annually to the Superintendent of Public Instruction.  Other powers of the association include purchasing liability insurance for school directors and providing special services, research, and consultants to school districts on a cost reimbursable contract basis.

The association was founded as a private association in the 1920's.  It became an "agency of the state" in 1947.  It was subject to sunset review in 1982.  The second sunset review has been conducted by the Legislative Budget Committee in 1988.  The Legislative Budget Committee recommends that the association continue to exist.

SUMMARY:

The existence of the Washington School Directors Association is continued.  The requirement that the Washington Association of School Directors' service contracts with local school directors be filed with the Office of Financial Management and the Legislative Budget Committee is eliminated.

The association is given the authority to lease property and to borrow money for the acquisition of sites for office facilities.

Advice and assistance is to be given to local boards to promote their primary duty of representing the public interest.

The association is subject to the sunset review process and may terminate June 30, 1998.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Dwayne Slate and Dr. Larry Swift, Washington State School Directors' Association; Cathy Pearsall, Self; and Pat McCarthy, Self.

House Committee - Testified Against:      Gene Pollard, Self.

House Committee - Testimony For:    The Washington State School Directors' Association is an important factor in assuring that these elected officials have some uniformity in training and information so that they can consider the needs of the education system as a whole for the children of this state and the needs of their individual school district.  The association also provides a variety of services to school districts which many smaller districts may not be able to provide for themselves.  There is also a recognition that the large urban districts have particular needs and an effort has begun to identify and work to resolve some of the needs of these districts.  The association provides a valuable service and should continue.  Some school directors believe, however, that the membership of board members should be voluntary rather than mandatory.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      For an association to be responsive, its members must have the right to choose whether or not to belong to the association.  We should also realize that the needs of school districts in the 1940's are not the same as the needs in the 1980's.  At this point in time it is unlikely that the Legislature would make the association a state agency if that idea were presented to them for the first time.