H-3486              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 2618

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Representatives G. Fisher, Walker, Peery, Betrozoff, Kremen, Cole, Belcher, Phillips, Brumsickle, Hine, H. Myers, Leonard, Nelson, Jones, Anderson, Jacobsen, Wineberry, Winsley, May, Ferguson, Moyer, Todd and Spanel

Read first time 1/17/90 and referred to Committees on Education/Appropriations.

AN ACT Relating to a parent-teacher partnership task force; creating new sections; and making an appropriation.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     Parents play a vital role in their children's education, and it is critically important that parents take an active role in educating their children.  Research has shown that parental involvement and support is the factor most identified as critical to a child's decision to stay in school.

          While prior legislation has attempted to address the role of parents in their children's education, a comprehensive effort is needed to assess Washington's current parental involvement programs, to review programs in other states, and to make legislative recommendations.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     The parent-teacher partnership task force is created to make recommendations on how to get parents more involved in the education of their children.

          The task force shall submit recommendations to the house of representatives and senate education committees by December 1, 1990, and shall terminate on May 1, 1991.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     The task force shall:

          (1) Identify the problems that occur from the lack of parental involvement in a child's education and identify why certain parents do not become involved;

          (2) Review current programs and efforts in Washington's schools to increase parental involvement in their children's education;

          (3) Evaluate the effectiveness of these existing programs and efforts;

          (4) Review and evaluate parental involvement programs in other states; and

          (5) Make specific recommendations to the legislature on how current parental involvement programs may be improved, and whether new programs are needed.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     (1) Members of the task force shall include:

          (a) Two members of the Washington state senate;

          (b) Two members of the Washington house of representatives;

          (c) A representative of the office of the superintendent of public instruction;

          (d) A representative of the governor's office;

          (e) A representative of the department of community development;

          (f) Two representatives of the Washington state parent and teacher association, with one representative from western Washington, and the other representative from eastern Washington;

          (g) Two representatives of the Washington education association, with one representative from western Washington, and the other representative from eastern Washington;

          (h) A representative of the Washington state school director's association;

          (i) A representative of the Washington association of school administrators;

          (j) A representative of the association of Washington school principals; and

          (k) Four citizens at-large, to be selected by the superintendent of public instruction.  Two of the citizens at-large shall be from western Washington and two from eastern Washington.

          (2) With the exception of the citizens at-large, all representatives shall be chosen by their respective organizations.

          (3) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide staff assistance to the task force.

          (4) The chair of the group shall be a member of the task force, and shall be selected at its first meeting.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.     The sum of fifteen thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1991, from the general fund to the office of the superintendent of public instruction to cover costs associated with the task force.