HOUSE BILL REPORT
EHB 1900
This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent. |
As Passed House:
March 8, 2013
Title: An act relating to caseload forecasts of common school students.
Brief Description: Specifying "caseload" for purposes of caseload forecasts of common school students.
Sponsors: Representatives Stonier, Magendanz, Hunter, Ryu, Maxwell and Pollet.
Brief History:
Committee Activity:
Appropriations Subcommittee on Education: 2/20/13, 2/25/13 [DPA].
Floor Activity:
Passed House: 3/8/13, 97-1.
Brief Summary of Engrossed Bill |
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION |
Majority Report: Do pass as amended. Signed by 10 members: Representatives Haigh, Chair; Fagan, Ranking Minority Member; Carlyle, Dahlquist, Haler, Maxwell, Pettigrew, Seaquist, Sullivan and Wilcox.
Staff: Jessica Harrell (786-7349).
Background:
Caseload Forecast Council.
The Caseload Forecast Council (CFC) is charged with forecasting the entitlement caseloads for the State of Washington. The CFC meets several times a year to adopt official forecasts that are the basis of the Governor's budget document and are utilized by the Legislature in the development of the omnibus appropriations act. The items forecasted by the CFC are the number of persons expected to meet entitlement requirements and require the services of: public assistance programs; state correctional institutions; state correctional non-institutional supervision; state institutions for juvenile offenders; the common school system; long-term care; medical assistance; foster care; and adoption support.
The CFC consists of six appointed individuals, two appointed by the Governor, two appointed from the House of Representatives, and two appointed from the Senate. The chair of the CFC is selected from among the four caucus appointees.
The caseload forecast for Basic Education includes children enrolled in grades K-12, private school students receiving services from public schools, "home schooled" children receiving services from public schools, state-funded "summer school" students, participants in the Running Start program, and participants in the University of Washington Transition program. The K-12 enrollment is forecasted as a nine month annual average full-time equivalent (FTE) student, where one FTE is the equivalent of one student enrolled full time. In addition to the forecast for Basic Education, the CFC forecasts enrollment by headcount for the Transitional Bilingual program and the Special Education program.
Prototypical Schools.
The prototypical school funding formula for basic education, which took effect September 1, 2011, is the formula by which funds for schools are allocated. The formula allocates funds to school districts based on assumed levels of staff and other resources necessary to support a "prototypical" school that serves an assumed number of students at the elementary, middle and high school level. The structure of the formula, which is established in statute, provides allocations for classroom teachers at an assumed class size, plus other building-level staff such as principals, teacher-librarians, counselors, and office support. The allocations to a school district are adjusted to reflect the full time equivalent enrolled students, in proportion to the prototypical school ratios. There are currently 295 public school districts in Washington.
Summary of Engrossed Bill:
The Legislature intends to improve the availability of enrollment data for individual school districts to support school district budgeting and hiring efforts. In addition to forecasting the caseload for the common school system statewide, the Caseload Forecast Council must forecast the caseload by individual school district.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed. However, the bill is null and void unless funded in the budget.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony:
(In support) The Professional Educators Standards Board was asked to look at school district hiring practices. What it found was that districts that spent money on consultation with forecasts did a better job in bringing teachers into the classroom earlier in the school year, reducing the amount of time that a long-term substitute was used in place of a permanent teacher. Providing this forecast information to the school districts will help them figure out what their enrollment will be, which will help them with their budgets and their hiring practices.
(Opposed) None.
Persons Testifying: Representative Stonier, prime sponsor; and David Brenna, Professional Educators Standards Board.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.