HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 2087

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                       Appropriations

Title:  An act relating to education credits used to calculate the state salary allocation schedule.

Brief Description:  Clarifying the use of in‑service continuing education and college credits for compensation allocations under the teachers' salary schedule.

Sponsors:  Representative Brumsickle.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Appropriations:  3/21/95, 3/22/95 [DPS].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 19 members:  Representatives Silver, Chairman; Clements, Vice Chairman; Huff, Vice Chairman; Pelesky, Vice Chairman; Beeksma; Brumsickle; Carlson; Cooke; Crouse; Foreman; Hargrove; Hickel; Lambert; Lisk; McMorris; Reams; Sehlin; Sheahan and Talcott.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.  Signed by 12 members:  Representatives Sommers, Ranking Minority Member; Valle, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Basich; Chappell; Dellwo; G. Fisher; Grant; Jacobsen; Poulsen; Rust; Thibaudeau and Wolfe.

Staff:  Jack Daray (786-7178).

Background:   The current K-12 finance system results from the use of the "conventional wisdom" approach defining basic education in order to meet state court mandates regarding the state's "paramount duty" to fund the common schools.   The conventional wisdom approach uses historical school district financial practices as the definition of basic education. 

District compensation policies for instructional staff at the time of the 1977 Basic Education Act incorporated salary schedules consisting of a grid with vertical rows representing added years of experience and horizontal columns representing educational experience.   Movement on the salary grid for education depended on completion of a specified number of college academic quarter hour course credits (typically 15) for movement by one column and a resulting salary increase, usually about 3 percent. 

Until 1987, educational experience, for state salary purposes, was for academic credits taken beyond the bachelor's degree.  The 1987 Legislature recognized a long standing practice of educator training through workshops, termed "in-service" education, by permitting the counting of one academic credit for each 10 clock hours of in‑service workshops for purposes of movement on the state salary allocation schedule. 

The 1994 Legislative Budget Committee study of in-service credits included descriptions of courses that appeared to be of marginal value to professional development of teaching skills.  Additionally, the report identified studies of continuing education in general which suggested a lack of relationship between training and increased student learning. 

Summary of Substitute Bill:   Academic credits used for advancement on the state salary allocation schedule are to be from courses meeting school district specifications for its strategic plan or approach to education change consistent with the 1993 Education Reform Act.  The bill clarifies that clock hours earned between August 31, 1987, and September 1, 1995, will continue to be used for the salary allocation schedule.  The legislation will apply only to credits earned after August 31, 1995.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  Language is added to clarify that new definitions of credits for salary calculation purposes are not retroactive.  The 1987 statute providing academic credit for in-service education clock hours is not repealed.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on March 20, 1995.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  None.

Testimony Against:  Academic credit courses are not necessarily more relevant than in-service workshops, clock hours are still required for continuing certification. 

Testified:  Karen Davis, Washington Education Association.