HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 3046

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                          Education

Title:  An act relating to the creation of a pilot program for teachers to increase student achievement through their instructional leadership.

Brief Description:  Establishing a pilot program for teachers to increase student achievement through instructional leadership.

Sponsors:  Representatives Talcott, Keiser, Quall, DeBolt, D. Schmidt, Schoesler and Thomas.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Education:  1/31//00, 2/4/00 [DPS].

           Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

$The Teacher Instructional Leadership Pilot program is created to test whether the selection of lead teachers in a building will provide other teachers with a system of peer support and mentoring that will result in increased student achievement.

$Through the program, lead teachers will teach part-time and mentor and assist other teachers part-time.

$One purpose of the program is to help the state design a career advancement program for educators that effectively uses and compensates the skills and knowledge of all educators.

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; Thomas and Wensman.

Staff:  Susan Morrissey (786-7111).

Background:

Teachers in Washington's public schools have the right to collectively bargain over compensation issues.  Historically, they have bargained salary schedules based on length of service and educational level.  The state uses a statewide salary schedule to provide salary allocation dollars to school districts for teachers and other instructional staff.  Most, but not all school districts have adopted the state salary schedule. 

In addition to their base salaries, teachers may receive additional compensation for additional time and duties.  For example, mentor teachers providing assistance to first year teachers may receive a stipend for that service.  In addition, through the Christa McAuliffe Award, the state provides additional monetary awards for a few outstanding educators in each congressional district.

Various states and school districts have considered compensation models that recognize and reward the leadership efforts and skill levels of some outstanding teachers.   The Milken Family Foundation has proposed a new organizational and compensation model based on those principles.  In "A Matter of Quality, A Strategy for Assuring the High Caliber of America's Teachers", the foundation proposes a new organizational model for public schools.  The model would include a series of articulated steps for educators.  The steps would include master teachers, mentor teachers, associate teachers, and learning guides.

Summary of Substitute Bill:

 The Teacher Instructional Leadership Pilot program is created.  The purposes of the program include the selection of experienced and exemplary teachers to help and mentor other teachers and to provide student instruction part-time.  The teachers selected for the program will be called lead teachers.  The program is also intended to help beginning teachers work toward mastery of state teaching standards and advance districts' student learning objectives.  It intends to have participants create selection processes that will permit lead teachers to be effective mentors for other teachers.   Finally, the program is intended to help the state design a career advancement program for educators that effectively uses and compensates the skills and knowledge of all educators.

The pilot program will be administered by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)with the assistance of an advisory committee that includes representation from the educational community, parents, and business and labor organizations.  The required components of the program are described.   The program will includes substantially enhanced compensation packages for lead teachers who are selected to act as instructional leaders for other teachers while continuing to teach students part-time.  The processes used to select these leaders must be collaborative and have the support of other teachers, parents, building staff, principals, school directors, and people in the community.  One lead teacher may be selected for approximately 250 students.  These lead teachers are expected to work an extended year, but they not expected to assume building level administrative duties.  The qualifications for lead teachers and the types of duties they are expected to assume are described.  The pilot program is not part of basic education and stipends for lead teachers are not considered compensation for pension purposes.

By May 31, 2000, OSPI will provide a preliminary program design to school districts interested in participating in the pilot.  For the first three years of the program, participation will be limited to elementary schools.  By August 1, 2000 the office will select participating schools for the 2000-01 school year.  Each participating school may select a maximum of two lead teachers, who will receive a stipend of $10,000 per year in addition to their full salaries.  The schools, which have flexibility on ways to provide release time for participating teachers, will select their lead teacher or teachers by September 30, 2000.  

The office will provide a series of reports on the program to the governor and the fiscal and policy committees of the legislature. The first report, due by December 1, 2000, will include an estimate of the number of schools that would like to participate in the program during the next biennium and cost estimates for funding their participation.   The second report, due by November 30, 2001, will answer a series of questions about the experiences of participating schools and teachers.  The final report, due by December 1, 2006, will include one or more possible designs for articulated, career advancement programs that recognize the skills and contributions of all educators.   The report will also include recommendations for the continuation, modification, or elimination of the program.  The authority to offer the program expires on June 30, 2007.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The term master teacher is replaced by lead teacher, and pilots sites are limited to elementary schools for the first three years of the program.  A report that will answer a series of questions is required in 2001.  The pilots are not part of basic education.  Stipends for lead teachers will be provided through supplemental contracts and will not be included in the compensation for pension calculations.  The final report will include one or more designs for articulated teacher advancement programs.  One model will include a provision permitting the selection of lead teachers from outside a school or district.  Selection processes for lead teachers will be collaborative.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on (date).

Effective Date of Substitute Bill:  The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Testimony For:  1Teachers are under enormous pressure to improve the academic achievement of students in their classrooms.  The proposed program is an effort to provide teachers with a brighter future and stronger instructional leadership within each school building.  The peer mentoring model proposed in this legislation has proven to be an effective way to support and assist all teachers, especially beginning teachers.  The proposed program is one of the most important tools potentially available to help teachers change their teaching strategies.  It is a creative way to enhance student achievement through leadership and mentorship.  Some of the state's best teachers are entering school administration since that is the only way they can remain in education while making significantly higher salaries.  The program proposed in this legislation would allow them to keep teaching and make significantly more money for the additional instructional leadership duties they accept.

(With concerns)  Some districts already have mentorship programs underway.  The state should study the results of those programs before embarking on a new statewide approach.  The costs of such a program are also a concern. 

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Talcott, prime sponsor; (In support) Representative Stensen; Rainer Houser, Association of Washington School Principals, and Dan Steele, Washington State School Directors' Association.

(In support with concerns)  Gary King, Washington Education Association and Ken Kanikeberg, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.