AN ACT Relating to the voluntary elimination, reduction, or prevention of minority group isolation in public elementary and secondary schools; and adding new sections to Title 28A RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. It is the intent of the legislature to establish grants for magnet school programs. These grants are separate from and in addition to the state funds allocated for the state's basic program of education. The purposes of the grants are:

(1) To provide financial assistance to eligible school districts to establish and operate magnet schools offering special curricula or programs capable of attracting students of varied racial or ethnic backgrounds; and

(2) To encourage through these magnet schools the voluntary elimination, reduction, or prevention of minority group isolation in elementary and secondary schools that have attendance areas with high percentages of minority students.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A school district may apply for a grant for magnet schools provided under section 3 of this act if the district has a minority student population in excess of twenty-five percent and:

(1) Is implementing a plan undertaken according to a final order issued by a court of the United States or a court of the state of Washington that requires the desegregation of minority group segregated children or faculty in the elementary and secondary schools of such district; or

(2) Without having been required to do so, has developed and is implementing or will, if assistance is made available to it under sections 1 through 8 of this act, adopt and implement a plan that reduces, eliminates, or prevents minority group isolation in elementary and secondary schools with substantial proportions of minority group students.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. From moneys appropriated by the legislature for this purpose, the superintendent of public instruction may provide grants to eligible local school districts for use in magnet schools that are part of a desegregation plan and are designed to bring students from different social, economic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds together. The superintendent shall adopt rules for the administration of grants provided under sections 1 through 8 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The following conditions shall apply to all schools considered for magnet schools funding for the purposes of sections 1 through 8 of this act:

(1) The school would be racially imbalanced, as defined in state board of education rules, without implementation by the district of a desegregation busing program based on mandatory or voluntary reassignment of students.

(2) The school offers a specialized curriculum that is capable of attracting students from throughout the district and provides both a strong foundation in basic skills and cultural, academic, or vocational enrichment.

(3) The magnet programs shall be open to students of all levels of academic ability and achievement. Selection shall not be based on grade averages or test scores.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. (1) Grants for magnet schools provided under sections 1 through 8 of this act may be used by school districts for:

(a) Planning and promotional activities directly related to expansion, continuation, or enhancement of academic programs and services offered at magnet schools;

(b) The acquisition of books, materials, and equipment, including computers and their maintenance and operation, that are necessary for the conduct of programs in magnet schools;

(c) Staff development for employees assigned to magnet schools, including stipends for program planning and inservice training that is specifically designed to assist in the implementation of the magnet program; and

(d) Additional certificated staff in magnet schools who are assigned to instructional programs that are in addition to the school's core basic skills curriculum and that are an integral part of the magnet program.

(2) Grants shall be determined annually. Continued eligibility for funding shall be contingent on the district demonstrating progress towards desegregation goals. A school may not be included in determining a district's state allocation of magnet school funding in any school year if the district had received such support in the prior school year and the minority percentage of the school increased relative to the minority percentage of the district.

(3) Districts may not use the grants in any school to supplant other moneys used previously to support that school, other than to offset reductions in total federal funding received by the district for magnet programs. Grants may be used for compensation of staff only if:

(a) These are new staff positions that provide instruction in subjects outside of core basic skills areas and that have been added in noncore subject areas since the 1989-90 school year; or

(b) The grant moneys are used to increase the number of staff development days for the magnet schools' certificated instructional staff over the actual number of supplemental contract days per employee in 1989-90 plus any subsequent district-wide increases in supplemental contract days.

(4) A maximum of ten percent of a district's grant amount may be used for administrative planning at the district level.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Each application submitted to the superintendent of public instruction for a grant for magnet school programs shall be in the form that the superintendent may reasonably require. Each application shall contain:

(1) The names of the schools where magnet programs will be operating;

(2) The number of students the district intends to enroll in each of these magnet programs;

(3) The student population of the school's regular attendance area, including a breakdown by minority category;

(4) A proposed budget explaining how the state grant for magnet school programs will be used;

(5) An explanation of any proposed collaborative efforts with institutions of higher education, community-based organizations, the superintendent, or any other private organizations, in implementing magnet programs;

(6) An explanation of how students will be selected for participation in magnet programs; and

(7) Assurances that the district will encourage parental involvement in the magnet school programs.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. (1) In approving applications under sections 1 through 8 of this act, the superintendent shall give priority to:

(a) The number of minority children enrolled in the district and the proportion of minority group children involved in any desegregation plan;

(b) The need for assistance based on the expense or difficulty of effectively carrying out a desegregation plan and the program or projects for which assistance is sought; and

(c) The degree to which the program or project for which assistance is sought affords promise of achieving the purposes of sections 1 through 8 of this act.

(2) In approving applications, the superintendent shall give special consideration to the degree to which the program for which assistance is sought involves the collaborative efforts of institutions of higher education, community-based organizations, the superintendent, or any other private organizations.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. (1) The superintendent of public instruction shall distribute moneys appropriated by the legislature for magnet school programs to selected school districts based on the number of full-time equivalent students that the district intends to enroll in its magnet programs.

(2) The superintendent shall award grants to school districts under sections 1 through 8 of this act no later than June 30 preceding the school year in which the grants will be allocated.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. Sections 1 through 8 of this act are each added to Title 28A RCW.