AN ACT Relating to education in Pacific Rim languages; reenacting and amending RCW 28A.70.005; adding a new section to chapter 28A.03 RCW; and adding new sections to chapter 28B.80 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that it is important to the economic future of Washington state to increase the number of students studying Pacific Rim languages. The legislature intends to increase the number of students studying Pacific Rim languages by four hundred percent in the next twelve years.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

(1) "Conditional scholarship" means a loan that is forgiven in whole or in part if the recipient renders service as a teacher in the public schools of this state.

(2) "Institution of higher education" or "institution" means a college or university in the state of Washington which is accredited by an accrediting association recognized as such by rule of the higher education coordinating board.

(3) "Board" means the higher education coordinating board.

(4) "Eligible student" means a student who is registered for at least ten credit hours or the equivalent, is proficient in a Pacific Rim language, is a resident student as defined by RCW 28B.15.012 through 28B.15.015, and has a declared intention to complete an approved preparation program leading to initial teacher certification or required for earning an additional endorsement, or a college or university graduate who meets the same credit hour requirements and is seeking an additional teaching endorsement or initial teacher certification.

(5) "Pacific Rim language" includes Burmese, any Chinese dialect, Fijian, Filipino, Hmong, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Laotian, Okinawan, Samoan, Thai, and Vietnamese.

(6) "Public school" means an elementary school, a middle school, junior high school, or high school within the public school system referred to in Article IX of the state Constitution.

(7) "Forgiven" or "to forgive" or "forgiveness" means to render service as a teacher at a public school in the state of Washington in lieu of monetary repayment.

(8) "Satisfied" means paid-in-full.

(9) "Participant" means an eligible student who has received a conditional scholarship under this chapter.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The Pacific Rim language teachers conditional scholarship program is established. The program shall be administered by the higher education coordinating board. In administering the program, the board shall have the following powers and duties:

(1) Select students to receive conditional scholarships, with the assistance of a screening committee composed of teachers and leaders in government, business, and education;

(2) Adopt necessary rules and guidelines;

(3) Publicize the program;

(4) Collect and manage repayments from students who do not meet their teaching obligations under this chapter; and

(5) Solicit and accept grants and donations from public and private sources for the program.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The higher education coordinating board shall establish a planning committee to develop criteria for the screening and selection of recipients of the conditional scholarships. These criteria shall emphasize the student's proficiency in a Pacific Rim language and expressed intention to teach that language.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The board may award conditional scholarships to eligible students from the funds appropriated to the board for this purpose, or from any private donations, or any other funds given to the board for this program. The amount of the conditional scholarship awarded an individual shall not exceed three thousand dollars per academic year. Students are eligible to receive conditional scholarships for a maximum of five years.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. (1) Participants in the conditional scholarship program incur an obligation with the higher education coordinating board to repay the conditional scholarship by teaching for five years in the public schools of the state of Washington or by repaying the conditional scholarship, with interest, over a ten-year period, under rules adopted by the board.

(2) The terms of the ten-year repayment period, including deferral of the interest, shall be consistent with the terms of the federal guaranteed loan program.

(3) The ten-year repayment period, with payments accruing monthly or quarterly as determined by the board, shall commence nine months from the date the participant completes or discontinues the course of study.

(4) Should the participant cease to teach at a public school in this state before the participant's repayment obligation is completed, payments on the unsatisfied portion of the principal and interest shall begin the next payment period and continue until the remainder of the participant's repayment obligation is satisfied.

(5) The board is responsible for collection of repayments made under this section and shall exercise due diligence in such collection, maintaining all necessary records to insure that maximum repayments are made. Collection and servicing of repayments under this section shall be pursued using the full extent of the law, including wage garnishment if necessary, and shall be performed by entities approved for such servicing by the Washington student loan guaranty association or its successor agency. The board is responsible to forgive all or parts of such repayments under the criteria established in this section and shall maintain all necessary records of forgiven payments.

(6) Receipts from the payment of principal or interest or any other subsidies to which the board as administrator is entitled, which are paid by or on behalf of participants under this section, shall be deposited with the higher education coordinating board and shall be used to cover the costs of granting the conditional scholarships, maintaining necessary records, and making collections under subsection (5) of this section. The board shall maintain accurate records of these costs, and all receipts beyond those necessary to pay such costs shall be used to grant conditional scholarships to eligible students.

Sec. 7. Section 28A.70.005, chapter 223, Laws of 1969 ex. sess. as last amended by section 1, chapter 97, Laws of 1988 and by section 3, chapter 172, Laws of 1988 and RCW 28A.70.005 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

The state board of education shall establish, publish, and enforce rules and regulations determining eligibility for and certification of personnel employed in the common schools of this state, including certification for emergency or temporary, substitute or provisional duty and under such certificates or permits as the board shall deem proper or as otherwise prescribed by law. To increase the number of students studying Pacific Rim languages, the board shall adopt rules for certification of teachers who are proficient in a Pacific Rim language, as defined in section 2 of this 1989 act, to teach that language without meeting all certification requirements. Except for applicants who are applying for certificates which restrict the holder of the certificate to the teaching of students who are sixteen years of age or older, the rules shall require that the initial application for certification shall require a background check of the applicant through the Washington state patrol criminal identification system at the applicant's expense.

In establishing rules pertaining to the qualifications of instructors of sign language the state board shall consult with the national association of the deaf, "sign instructors guidance network" (s.i.g.n.), and the Washington state association of the deaf for evaluation and certification of sign language instructors.

The superintendent of public instruction shall act as the administrator of any such rules and regulations and have the power to issue any certificates or permits and revoke the same in accordance with board rules and regulations.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. A new section is added to chapter 28A.03 RCW to read as follows:

The superintendent of public instruction shall encourage school districts to establish exchange programs for teachers with schools in Pacific Rim nations.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. Sections 1 through 6 of this act are each added to chapter 28B.80 RCW.