BILL REQ. #: H-3616.2
State of Washington | 63rd Legislature | 2014 Regular Session |
READ FIRST TIME 01/31/14.
AN ACT Relating to waivers from school year requirements for purposes of economy and efficiency; amending RCW 28A.305.141; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 28A.305.141 and 2009 c 543 s 2 are each amended to
read as follows:
(1) In addition to waivers authorized under RCW 28A.305.140 and
28A.655.180, the state board of education may grant waivers from the
requirement for a one hundred eighty-day school year under RCW
28A.150.220 ((and 28A.150.250)) to school districts with fewer than two
thousand students that propose to operate one or more schools on a
flexible calendar for purposes of economy and efficiency as provided in
this section. The requirement under RCW 28A.150.220 that school
districts offer ((an annual average instructional hour offering of at
least one thousand hours)) minimum instructional hour offerings shall
not be waived.
(2) A school district seeking a waiver under this section must
submit an application that includes:
(a) A proposed calendar for the school day and school year that
demonstrates how the instructional hour requirement will be maintained;
(b) An explanation and estimate of the economies and efficiencies
to be gained from compressing the instructional hours into fewer than
one hundred eighty days;
(c) An explanation of how monetary savings from the proposal will
be redirected to support student learning;
(d) A summary of comments received at one or more public hearings
on the proposal and how concerns will be addressed;
(e) An explanation of the impact on students who rely upon free and
reduced-price school child nutrition services and the impact on the
ability of the child nutrition program to operate an economically
independent program;
(f) An explanation of the impact on employees in education support
positions and the ability to recruit and retain employees in education
support positions;
(g) An explanation of the impact on students whose parents work
during the missed school day; and
(h) Other information that the state board of education may request
to assure that the proposed flexible calendar will not adversely affect
student learning.
(3) The state board of education shall adopt criteria to evaluate
waiver requests. ((No more than five districts may be granted
waivers.)) Waivers may be granted for up to three years. After each
school year, the state board of education shall analyze empirical
evidence to determine whether the reduction is affecting student
learning. If the state board of education determines that student
learning is adversely affected, the school district shall discontinue
the flexible calendar as soon as possible but not later than the
beginning of the next school year after the determination has been
made. All waivers expire August 31, ((2014)) 2017.
(((a) Two of the five waivers granted under this subsection shall
be granted to school districts with student populations of less than
one hundred fifty students.)) (4) This section expires August 31, ((
(b) Three of the five waivers granted under this subsection shall
be granted to school districts with student populations of between one
hundred fifty-one and five hundred students.
(4) The state board of education shall examine the waivers granted
under this section and make a recommendation to the education
committees of the legislature by December 15, 2013, regarding whether
the waiver program should be continued, modified, or allowed to
terminate. This recommendation should focus on whether the program
resulted in improved student learning as demonstrated by empirical
evidence. Such evidence includes, but is not limited to: Improved
scores on the Washington assessment of student learning, results of the
dynamic indicators of basic early literacy skills, student grades, and
attendance.
(5)2014)) 2017.