SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 6864
BYSenators Bailey, Rinehart, Lee, Bender, Anderson, Gaspard, Metcalf, Murray, Benitz, Fleming and Bauer
Creating the building-based productivity incentive grant program.
Senate Committee on Education
Senate Hearing Date(s):February 2, 1990
Senate Staff:Larry Davis (786-7422)
AS OF FEBRUARY 2, 1990
BACKGROUND:
Over the past decade, considerable attention has focused on school reform efforts. This state has established a number of temporary and permanent, and voluntary and mandatory programs and requirements intended to enhance the quality of education in the common schools of the state. Such programs and requirements include: encouraging districts to do annual goal setting; requiring school building self-study; requiring student learning objectives; funding school-based management pilot projects; providing grants for school improvement and research projects by educators; establishing a temporary committee to develop educational outcomes and measures of outcomes; and implementing the Schools for the 21st Century program. It is suggested that a pilot, building-based productivity grant program may provide linkage with prior improvement initiative.
Research and experience indicate that the most appropriate place to focus educational reform and restructuring efforts is at the building and classroom levels. Research and experience also indicate that educational accountability and educator compensation are important variables affecting the success of educational improvement efforts.
SUMMARY:
PART I: BUILDING-BASED PRODUCTIVITY INCENTIVE GRANT PROGRAM
The Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) establishes a voluntary, building-based productivity incentive grant program to assist school districts in educational restructuring efforts. Incentive projects may last up to six years.
A 16 member productivity task force is established. It has sole responsibility for selecting project applicants for grant awards, establishing an initial maximum level for performance bonuses, with the minimum level not less than $1000, and evaluating incentive grant projects for continued funding beyond two years. The task force may recommend to the SPI grant amounts for the selected projects.
Task force membership includes representatives of business, teachers, principals, superintendents, school directors, higher education teacher preparation programs, parents, the SPI, and four legislators. The SPI is a nonvoting member and the chair of the task force.
Schools or school districts are eligible to apply for grant funds to implement or enhance an existing building-based productivity incentive project. Grant applications are established, including: at least one public hearing was held on the proposal by the district and by the school building; a description of how the incentive grant funds will be used; a restructuring component relating to curriculum and instruction, authority and decision-making, new staff roles, accountability systems, or any combination of these elements; and identification of evaluation and accountability procedures to be used to measure school-wide student and staff performance and to assess the overall effectiveness of the project.
Applications must also include specific performance goals and indicators of progress made toward achieving the goals, including goals relating to parent, student and teacher support and morale, student and teacher attendance, a performance goal for reading and at least one other subject area. Particular weight is given to applications that include measures to assess students' ability to read, write, think, speak, and listen critically.
Applications are subject to collective bargaining, unless there is a written agreement between the district and the exclusive bargaining representatives to waive collective bargaining.
The SPI awards two grants to the selected projects. The first grant is to districts for planning activities relating to implementation of the local incentive grant project, including use of grant funds for necessary in-service and staff development training and for development of new assessment measures. The second grant is awarded after an evaluation by the task force of how the project did in achieving its stated performance goals.
Grant funds may be used for planning, in-service/staff development training, purchase of instructional materials, supplies and resources, performance bonus stipends, or salary increases under supplemental contracts, based on the school's level of achieving the identified performance goals for the year or based on differentiated staff responsibilities; funding a local career ladder model; or any combination of these uses.
It is the responsibility of the school staff to determine how the grant funds will be used and to determine, if applicable to the project, how much each staff member will receive.
A building-based productivity incentive project may be part of a Schools for the 21st Century project and a Schools for the 21st Century project may implement a staff incentive pay system which is part of a building-based productivity incentive project.
Performance bonus stipends or salary increases through supplemental contracts are not applied against the district's salary schedule and are not an ongoing obligation of the state.
Reporting requirements are established for the projects and the SPI. The SPI report due December 1, 1994 includes recommendations on the feasibility and advisability of implementing performance goals statewide and how such goals might be recognized on the state salary allocation schedule.
Timelines are set for the pilot program: The task force sets the initial maximum performance bonus level by June 1, 1990; the SPI adopts rules by June 15, 1990; initial applications must be received by September 15, 1990; initial grants are awarded by December 15, 1990; and projects begin not later than during the 1991 calendar year of the 1990-91 school year. The pilot program expires December 31, 1996.
PART II: COMPENSATION IMPROVEMENT PLAN
The SPI, in consultation with teachers, administrators, school directors, business and labor, and parents and legislators, conducts a study of compensation for professional educators. The study takes into consideration the relationship between compensation for certificated instructional staff and identified statutory programs and provisions, as well as salaries paid in other states and in other professions. The SPI, based on the study findings, submits to the Legislature and the Governor by December 1 , 1991, a plan to bring salaries to among the top ten states by the 1996-97 school year.
PART III: COMPENSATION MAINTENANCE PLAN
The SPI, in consultation with the same groups as under PART II, studies and recommends to the Legislature and the Governor by December 1, 1991, a plan to maintain salaries at the levels established under the PART II plan.
Appropriation: $34,100,000 to the Superintendent of Public Instruction
Revenue: none
Fiscal Note: requested January 31, 1990