HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1426

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                          Education

Title:  An act relating to educational staff associate positions.

Brief Description:  Allowing nonschool service credit for educational staff associate positions for salary schedule purposes.

Sponsors:  Representatives Carlson, Quall, Talcott, Schual‑Berke, Stensen, Ogden, Haigh, Keiser and Linville.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Education:  2/15/99, 2/18/99 [DP].

                 Brief Summary of Bill

$The state teacher salary allocation schedule will recognize years of professional experience gained outside the school systems for certain certified health professionals employed in public schools as educational staff associates.

$The recognition of outside experience will be phased in over several biennia.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 14 members:  Representatives Quall, Democratic Co-Chair; Talcott, Republican Co-Chair; Haigh, Democratic Vice Chair; Schindler, Republican Vice Chair; Carlson; Cox; Keiser; Rockefeller; Santos; D. Schmidt; Schual-Berke; Stensen; Sump and Wensman.

Staff:  Susan Morrissey (786-7111).

Background:

Through the apportionment process, the state makes payments to school districts for basic education certificated instructional staff.  Besides teachers, certificated instructional staff  include other professionals who meet certification requirements adopted by the State Board of Education.  These certificated professional staff are called educational staff associates.  They include school nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, school counselors, and school social workers.  

Funding for certificated staff salaries is based on a state salary allocation schedule that is adopted in the state's biennial operating budget.  The salary allocation schedule is used by the state to account for differences in the education and experience of each district's certificated instructional staff.  One factor that the schedule recognizes is the number of years a certificated staff person has worked within the state school system.  Typically, the greater the experience and education of such staff, the greater the allocation from the state for salary purposes.  Actual salaries are negotiated locally, within certain state established constraints.  However, about 240 school districts use the state salary allocation schedule to determine salaries for certificated instructional staff.

Summary of Bill:

Beginning in the 1999-2000 school year, the state teacher salary allocation schedule will recognize years of professional experience obtained outside the state school system by certain educational staff associates.  The staff associates included are:  school nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, and audiologists.

Until the 2002-2003 school year,  every two years of  professional experience obtained outside the school system will count as one year of school service on the state salary allocation schedule.  Beginning with the 2003-2004 school year, each year of professional experience obtained outside the school system will count as one year of school service.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

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

Testimony For:  Salaries for teachers and educational staff associates are too low to attract necessary health professionals into the public schools.  These professionals can get higher salaries by contracting with districts instead of becoming a district employee.  Educational staff associates often bring to their school district valuable experience gained through previous employment.  This experience should be recognized in the state's salary policies.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Carlson, prime sponsor; Jeannine Granberg, School Nurse Organization of Washington; Valerie Pingel, Washington State Hospital Association; and Jan Galvin and Susan Waggener, Washington State Parent Teacher Association.