[atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to school funding review; creating a new section; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1)(a) The legislature finds that the common schools of Washington began to implement comprehensive performance‑based education reforms in 1993 as provided in House Bill No. 1209 and subsequent legislation. The principal features of the present system for funding the operation of the common schools were enacted in 1977. The more fully schools and school districts implement performance-based educational programs, the less well‑aligned Washington's school funding and school program delivery systems become. The governor's council on education reform and funding, created by executive order in 1991, did not adopt recommendations to redesign the education funding system to align it with the performance-based instructional program model the commission recommended.

(b) The legislature also finds that many schools and school districts in Washington have developed creative approaches to helping students achieve the essential academic learning requirements and the goals of the basic education act as codified in RCW 28A.150.210. The successes already achieved by schools and school districts on the Washington assessment of student learning constitute evidence that the experiences of schools and school districts in Washington may suggest viable strategies for designing performance-based funding programs.

(c) The legislature further finds that the 2001 amendments to the federal elementary and secondary education act of 1965 will result in a fundamental change in programs for low-achieving and disadvantaged students, new requirements for new teachers and paraprofessionals, increasingly intensive accountability measures for low‑performing schools, and a shift in the way federal and state funds are used to support student learning.

(d) The legislature recognizes that as statewide accountability systems are developed and implemented to hold students, schools, and school districts accountable for improving student performance, and as the new federal requirements are implemented, it is appropriate and necessary to concurrently conduct a fundamental reexamination of the educational funding system and to explore optional ways to distribute state funds to meet the educational needs of students.

(2) As used in this section, "task force" means the task force on school funding review.

(3) The task force on school funding review is created.

(4)(a) The task force shall consist of thirteen members as follows: Seven citizen members, appointed by the governor, each of whom shall apply for membership and demonstrate his or her concern and interest in education financing; two members of the house of representatives, one from each major caucus, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives; two members of the senate, one from each major caucus, appointed by the president of the senate; the superintendent of public instruction or the superintendent's designee; and a representative of the office of the governor or the office of financial management. When appointing the citizen members of the task force, the governor shall consider the applicants' expertise in educational finance, and shall attempt to include persons who bring expertise in one or more of the following areas: As parents, business and community leaders, individuals with experience as principals, superintendents, school business managers, school auditors, teachers, and school directors, persons with experience working in postsecondary education, and persons with expertise in special education, career and technical education, and programs designed to meet the need of students with limited English proficiency.

(b) The governor shall appoint the chair of the task force.

(5) The task force, with the assistance of any advisory committee it appoints, shall:

(a) Identify successful comprehensive school or school district program models from within the state and from schools and school districts in other states. In the identification process, the task force shall place special emphasis on results on the Washington assessment of student learning, the national assessment of educational progress, and standards-based assessments used in other states;

(b) Review the existing education funding formulas with the goal of simplifying the formulas, removing any financial system barriers to student achievement, achieving equity of educational opportunity, and creating a performance-driven funding system that will focus on the state's need to bring all children up to the state's academic standards. In its review, the task force shall include but need not be limited to: Funding formulas for local effort assistance; the learning improvement program; special education; the small schools factor; nonhigh districts; and running start;

(d) Develop options for a performance-based funding structure for education. The options shall include but need not be limited to:

(i) An option that assumes a funding structure roughly within existing budget levels for education; and

(ii) One or more options that describe what could be accomplished with different increments of additional education funding.

(6) The task force shall report its findings and recommendations to the governor and the legislative fiscal and education committees by October 1, 2004.

(7) The office of financial management shall provide staff support to the task force, and may enter into contracts for any services necessary to fulfill the duties of the task force under this section. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall cooperate with the task force and share, in a timely fashion, all available data and information requested by the task force.

(8) This section expires June 30, 2005.