S-2056.1          _______________________________________________

                            SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5742

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              54th Legislature             1995 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Senators Rasmussen, Hochstatter, McAuliffe and Loveland)

Read first time 02/27/95.

Establishing the Washington state vocational agriculture teacher recruitment program.

     AN ACT Relating to the recruitment, preparation, and continuing education of vocational agriculture teachers; adding a new section to chapter 28A.415 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature recognizes that the state of Washington has a rich agricultural history and that agriculture continues to be one of the most basic and important industries of the state.  The legislature finds that the growth of this vital industry requires that students continue to receive vocational agriculture instruction from trained and qualified vocational agriculture instructors.  The legislature further finds that the number of qualified vocational agriculture educators is declining.  The legislature finds that a vocational agriculture teacher recruitment program is necessary to protect the educational and career opportunities for students with interests in vocational agriculture.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.415 RCW to read as follows:

     (1) The Washington state vocational agriculture teacher recruitment program is established.  The program shall be designed by the state board of education, in consultation with the higher education coordinating board, representatives of institutions of higher education, education organizations having an interest in teacher recruitment issues, organizations having an interest in agriculture education, the superintendent of public instruction, the state board for community and technical colleges, and the department of agriculture.  The program shall be designed to recruit students who are in grades nine through twelve and adults who have entered other occupations to be future vocational agriculture teachers.

     (2) The program shall include the following:

     (a) Encouraging students in grades nine through twelve to acquire the academic and related skills necessary to prepare for the study of vocational agriculture at an institution of higher education;

     (b) Promoting vocational agriculture teaching career opportunities to develop an awareness of the opportunities in the education profession;

     (c) Providing opportunities for students to experience the application of regular high school course work to activities related to a teaching career in vocational agriculture;

     (d) Providing information on the transferability of skills learned in other occupations and professions to activities related to a teaching career in vocational agriculture;

     (e) Providing opportunities for underrepresented populations to participate in activities related to a teaching career in vocational agriculture; and

     (f) Providing for increased cooperation among institutions of higher education including community colleges, the superintendent of public instruction, the state board of education, and local school districts in working toward the goals of the program.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:

     When making grants with federal funds for professional preparation and in-service education programs, the superintendent of public instruction shall use a portion of those grant funds to support the preparation and continuing education of vocational agriculture educators and to support the purposes of section 2 of this act.

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