HOUSE BILL REPORT
SSB 5889
As Passed House
April 8, 1993
Title: An act relating to teacher training.
Brief Description: Awarding grants for pilot regional collaborative professional development school projects.
Sponsors: Senate Committee on Higher Education (originally sponsored by Senators Bauer, Prince, Loveland, Jesernig, Drew, Sheldon, Snyder and Spanel).
Brief History:
Reported by House Committee on:
Higher Education, March 26, 1993, DP;
Appropriations, April 3, 1993, DP;
Passed House, April 8, 1993, 97-0.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 16 members: Representatives Jacobsen, Chair; Quall, Vice Chair; Brumsickle, Ranking Minority Member; Sheahan, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Basich; Bray; Carlson; Casada; Flemming; Kessler; J. Kohl; Ogden; Orr; Rayburn; Shin; and Wood.
Staff: Susan Hosch (786-7120).
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 25 members: Representatives Locke, Chair; Valle, Vice Chair; Silver, Ranking Minority Member; Carlson, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Appelwick; Ballasiotes; Basich; Cooke; Dorn; Dunshee; G. Fisher; Jacobsen; Lemmon; Leonard; Linville; Peery; Rust; Sehlin; Sheahan; Sommers; Stevens; Talcott; Wang; Wineberry; and Wolfe.
Staff: Jack Daray (786-7178).
Background: American business, education, and government leaders are calling for reform of the common school educational system. Those leaders believe that one essential key of that reform is empowering and reeducating teachers. Another essential component is attracting and retaining intelligent, empathetic, disciplined, and well educated people into the teaching profession. Through professional development centers, institutions of higher education provide assistance to teachers and administrators who are attempting to empower the existing teaching cadre and to recruit outstanding newcomers into open teaching positions.
Professional development centers originated in 1991. The centers unified student and beginning teacher programs under one umbrella. Through the centers, school districts and institutions of higher education coordinated activities such as recruitment, training, orientation, and on-going professional development of teachers and support staff.
Summary of Bill: During the 1993-95 Biennium, the Superintendent of Public Instruction will award grants for four to six pilot regional collaborative development projects. The grants will be awarded to educational service districts (ESDs) with professional development centers, or to school districts or public higher education institutions that have entered cooperative agreements.
Participating school districts or ESDs will manage and coordinate the pilot project teachers, and training programs for student teachers, mentor teachers and paraprofessionals. The districts will also provide at least 50 percent of the in-service training for on-site project staff and continuing education clock hour credit for in-service activities.
The participating higher education institution will provide coordination of educational programs and classes that lead to teaching certificate endorsements or degrees for participating staff and teachers. The institution will collaborate with other participants on research projects and will facilitate efforts to recruit minorities and professionals changing careers into the teaching profession. The institution will also provide at least 50 percent of the in-service training for site staff and will take the lead in project evaluation.
The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall ensure that the pilot sites reflect the diversity of Washington's schools and include large, small, rural, and urban school districts in both Eastern and Western Washington. Participating districts, institutions, and applicable professional education advisory boards, are required to annually report and make recommendations to the State Board of Education regarding teacher training and professional development programs. The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall report no later than January 10, 1994, and January 10, 1995, to the Legislature on the activities of the pilot projects and shall recommend the feasibility of continuing and expanding the program.
The act is null and void unless it is funded by June 30, 1993.
Fiscal Note: Requested March 26, 1993.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed. However, the bill is null and void unless funded in the budget.
Testimony For: (Higher Education): This is the next logical step in the evolution of the professional development centers and the preparation of teachers. Roosevelt Elementary School currently is a professional development school site with training available in K-5 in the classroom setting. Rural school districts welcome the opportunity to provide training to their place-bound teachers. This bill would help to meet the State Board of Education goal to have teacher corps reflect the ethnic mix of student population. Collaborative efforts should be encouraged even when educational service districts do not participate.
(Appropriations): None.
Testimony Against: (Higher Education): None.
(Appropriations): None.
Witnesses: (Higher Education): Jim Miller, Educational School District 112; Allen Glenn, University of Washington; Larry Ganders, Washington State University; Linda Takami, Lewis and Clark High School; Lin Douglas, Central Washington University; and Jacquie Bramhall Wilkowski, Human Rights Advocates.
(Appropriations): None.