H-1364.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 1730

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Representatives Kenney, Skinner, Lantz, Quall, Linville, Reardon, Gombosky, Carlson, Haigh, Edwards, O'Brien, Anderson, Kagi, Wood, Edmonds, McIntire, Stensen, Kastama, Miloscia, Sullivan, Tokuda, Veloria, Dickerson, Santos, Hurst, Conway, Rockefeller, Doumit, Dunn and Schual‑Berke

Read first time 02/03/1999.  Referred to Committee on Education.

Studying teacher supply and demand.

    AN ACT Relating to teacher supply and demand; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that reliable data is needed to assist in forecasting future instructional staff for kindergarten through twelfth grade.  A dependable forecast requires accurate and reliable information on the number of teachers entering and leaving the teaching profession.  Also, the number of students entering and leaving the public kindergarten through twelfth grade system will impact the need for qualified teachers.

    Recent studies show conflicting patterns regarding teacher supply and demand.  The data is inconclusive on whether Washington faces a shortage of teachers.  Empirical information seems to indicate that many of this country's most promising and talented young people are not choosing teaching as a career.  If teacher shortages exist in the future, we must determine how we will achieve the level of teachers necessary for the next decade.  The state of Washington must prepare to use creative and innovative means to attract and keep individuals in the teaching profession.

    Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature to finance a study on teacher supply and demand, which will be used to determine the future need for teachers and methods to attract new teachers to the profession.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  The office of financial management, in consultation with the office of the superintendent of public instruction and teacher training programs at Washington institutions of higher education shall conduct a study on the need for teachers in the kindergarten through twelfth grade system in Washington state.  The study shall include an evaluation of teacher supply and demand in Washington over the next ten years and make recommendations for addressing teacher supply needs that are identified in the study.  The results of the study shall be submitted to the legislature by November 1, 2000.

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