CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2824
Chapter 177, Laws of 2018
65th Legislature
2018 Regular Session
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION AND STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
EFFECTIVE DATE: June 7, 2018—Except for sections 201, 202, 501, 503, 504, and 701, which become effective January 1, 2019; and sections 502 and 507, which become effective June 30, 2019.
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2824
AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
Passed Legislature - 2018 Regular Session
| | |
State of Washington | 65th Legislature | 2018 Regular Session |
By House Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Harris, Dolan, and Muri; by request of State Board of Education and Superintendent of Public Instruction)
READ FIRST TIME 02/01/18.
AN ACT Relating to the exchange and alignment of specific powers, duties, and functions of the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education; amending RCW
28A.310.020,
28A.195.010,
28A.195.030,
28A.195.060,
28A.230.010,
28A.300.236,
28A.700.070,
28A.655.070,
28A.305.140,
28A.305.140,
28A.300.545,
28A.655.180,
28A.655.180, and
28A.150.250; reenacting and amending RCW
28A.230.097; adding a new section to chapter
28A.150 RCW; adding a new section to chapter
28A.230 RCW; adding new sections to chapter
28A.300 RCW; adding a new section to chapter
28A.305 RCW; creating a new section; recodifying RCW
28A.305.140; repealing RCW
28A.305.141 and
28A.305.142; providing effective dates; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that specific powers, duties, and functions of the state board of education and the superintendent of public instruction should be realigned to better serve students and families, educators, school districts, and schools both public and private.
The legislature recognizes that the state board of education and the superintendent of public instruction, with the support of the governor's office, convened a roles and responsibilities task force to review their authorities and made recommendations to clarify and realign responsibilities among the agencies.
The legislature, therefore, intends to clarify, and in some cases shift, responsibilities related to private schools, educational service district boundaries, career and technical education equivalencies, adoption of learning standards, waiver of school district requirements, and compliance with basic education requirements.
PART I
EDUCATIONAL SERVICE DISTRICT BOUNDARIES
Sec. 101. RCW 28A.310.020 and 1994 sp.s. c 6 s 513 are each amended to read as follows:
The
((state board of education)) superintendent of public instruction upon
((its)) his or her own initiative, or upon petition of any educational service district board, or upon petition of at least half of the district superintendents within an educational service district, or upon request of the
((superintendent of public instruction)) state board of education, may make changes in the number and boundaries of the educational service districts, including an equitable adjustment and transfer of any and all property, assets, and liabilities among the educational service districts whose boundaries and duties and responsibilities are increased and/or decreased by such changes, consistent with the purposes of RCW
28A.310.010: PROVIDED, That no reduction in the number of educational service districts will take effect after June 30, 1995, without a majority approval vote by the affected school directors voting in such election by mail ballot. Prior to making any such changes, the
((state board)) superintendent of public instruction, or his or her designee, shall hold at least one public hearing on such proposed action and shall consider any recommendations on such proposed action.
The ((state board)) superintendent of public instruction in making any change in boundaries shall give consideration to, but not be limited by, the following factors: Size, population, topography, and climate of the proposed district.
The superintendent of public instruction shall furnish personnel, material, supplies, and information necessary to enable educational service district boards and superintendents to consider the proposed changes.
PART II
PRIVATE SCHOOLS
Sec. 201. RCW 28A.195.010 and 2009 c 548 s 303 are each amended to read as follows:
The legislature hereby recognizes that private schools should be subject only to those minimum state controls necessary to insure the health and safety of all the students in the state and to insure a sufficient basic education to meet usual graduation requirements. The state, any agency or official thereof, shall not restrict or dictate any specific educational or other programs for private schools except as hereinafter in this section provided.
((Principals)) The administrative or executive authority of private schools or
((superintendents of)) private school districts shall file each year with the state
((superintendent of public instruction)) board of education a statement certifying that the minimum requirements hereinafter set forth are being met, noting any deviations.
The state board of education may request clarification or additional information. After review of the statement, the state
((superintendent)) board of education will notify schools or school districts of
((those)) any concerns, deficiencies, and deviations which must be corrected.
((In case of major)) If there are any unresolved concerns, deficiencies, or deviations, the school or school district may request
((and)) or the state board of education
on its own initiative may grant provisional status for one year in order that the school or school district may take action to meet the requirements. The state board of education shall not require private school students to meet the student learning goals, obtain a certificate of academic achievement, or a certificate of individual achievement to graduate from high school, to master the essential academic learning requirements, or to be assessed pursuant to RCW
28A.655.061. However, private schools may choose, on a voluntary basis, to have their students master these essential academic learning requirements, take the assessments, and obtain a certificate of academic achievement or a certificate of individual achievement. Minimum requirements shall be as follows:
(1) The minimum school year for instructional purposes shall consist of no less than one hundred eighty school days or the equivalent in annual minimum instructional hour offerings, with a school-wide annual average total instructional hour offering of one thousand hours for students enrolled in grades one through twelve, and at least four hundred fifty hours for students enrolled in kindergarten.
(2) The school day shall be the same as defined in RCW
28A.150.203.
(3) All classroom teachers shall hold appropriate Washington state certification except as follows:
(a) Teachers for religious courses or courses for which no counterpart exists in public schools shall not be required to obtain a state certificate to teach those courses.
(b) In exceptional cases, people of unusual competence but without certification may teach students so long as a certified person exercises general supervision. Annual written statements shall be submitted to the ((office of the superintendent of public instruction)) state board of education reporting and explaining such circumstances.
(4) An approved private school may operate an extension program for parents, guardians, or persons having legal custody of a child to teach children in their custody. The extension program shall require at a minimum that:
(a) The parent, guardian, or custodian be under the supervision of an employee of the approved private school who is
((certified)) certificated under chapter
28A.410 RCW;
(b) The planning by the ((certified)) certificated person and the parent, guardian, or person having legal custody include objectives consistent with this subsection and subsections (1), (2), (5), (6), and (7) of this section;
(c) The ((certified)) certificated person spend a minimum average each month of one contact hour per week with each student under his or her supervision who is enrolled in the approved private school extension program;
(d) Each student's progress be evaluated by the ((certified)) certificated person; and
(e) The ((certified)) certificated employee shall not supervise more than thirty students enrolled in the approved private school's extension program.
(5) Appropriate measures shall be taken to safeguard all permanent records against loss or damage.
(6) The physical facilities of the school or district shall be adequate to meet the program offered by the school or district: PROVIDED, That each school building shall meet reasonable health and fire safety requirements. A residential dwelling of the parent, guardian, or custodian shall be deemed to be an adequate physical facility when a parent, guardian, or person having legal custody is instructing his or her child under subsection (4) of this section.
(7) Private school curriculum shall include instruction of the basic skills of occupational education, science, mathematics, language, social studies, history, health, reading, writing, spelling, and the development of appreciation of art and music, all in sufficient units for meeting state board of education graduation requirements.
(8) Each school or school district shall be required to maintain up-to-date policy statements related to the administration and operation of the school or school district.
All decisions of policy, philosophy, selection of books, teaching material, curriculum, except as in subsection (7) of this section provided, school rules and administration, or other matters not specifically referred to in this section, shall be the responsibility of the administration and administrators of the particular private school involved.
Sec. 202. RCW 28A.195.030 and 1974 ex.s. c 92 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
Any private school may appeal the actions of the
((state superintendent of public instruction or)) state board of education as provided in chapter
34.05 RCW.
Sec. 203. RCW 28A.195.060 and 1975 1st ex.s. c 275 s 70 are each amended to read as follows:
((It shall be the duty of)) The administrative or executive authority of every private school in this state ((to)) must report to the ((educational service district)) superintendent of public instruction on or before the thirtieth day of June in each year, on ((a)) forms to be furnished, such information as may be required by the superintendent of public instruction, to make complete the records of education work pertaining to all children residing within the state.
PART III
CTE COURSE EQUIVALENCY
Sec. 301. RCW 28A.230.097 and 2014 c 217 s 204 and 2014 c 217 s 102 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
(1) Each high school or school district board of directors shall adopt course equivalencies for career and technical high school courses offered to students in high schools and skill centers. A career and technical course equivalency may be for whole or partial credit. Each school district board of directors shall develop a course equivalency approval procedure. Boards of directors must approve AP computer science courses as equivalent to high school mathematics or science, and must denote on a student's transcript that AP computer science qualifies as a math-based quantitative course for students who take the course in their senior year. In order for a board to approve AP computer science as equivalent to high school mathematics, the student must be concurrently enrolled in or have successfully completed algebra II. Beginning no later than the 2015-16 school year, a school district board of directors must, at a minimum, grant academic course equivalency in mathematics or science for a high school career and technical course from the list of courses approved by the
((state board of education)) superintendent of public instruction under RCW
28A.700.070, but is not limited to the courses on the list. If the list of courses is revised after the 2015-16 school year, the school district board of directors must grant academic course equivalency based on the revised list beginning with the school year immediately following the revision.
(2) Career and technical courses determined to be equivalent to academic core courses, in full or in part, by the high school or school district shall be accepted as meeting core requirements, including graduation requirements, if the courses are recorded on the student's transcript using the equivalent academic high school department designation and title. Full or partial credit shall be recorded as appropriate. The high school or school district shall also issue and keep record of course completion certificates that demonstrate that the career and technical courses were successfully completed as needed for industry certification, college credit, or preapprenticeship, as applicable. The certificate shall be part of the student's high school and beyond plan. The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall develop and make available electronic samples of certificates of course completion.
Sec. 302. RCW 28A.230.010 and 2014 c 217 s 103 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) School district boards of directors shall identify and offer courses with content that meet or exceed: (a) The basic education skills identified in RCW
28A.150.210; (b) the graduation requirements under RCW
28A.230.090; (c) the courses required to meet the minimum college entrance requirements under RCW
28A.230.130; and (d) the course options for career development under RCW
28A.230.130. Such courses may be applied or theoretical, academic, or vocational.
(2) School district boards of directors must provide high school students with the opportunity to access at least one career and technical education course that is considered equivalent to a mathematics course or at least one career and technical education course that is considered equivalent to a science course as determined by the office of the superintendent of public instruction
((and the state board of education)) in RCW
28A.700.070. Students may access such courses at high schools, interdistrict cooperatives, skill centers or branch or satellite skill centers, or through online learning or applicable running start vocational courses.
(3)(a) Until January 1, 2019, school district boards of directors of school districts with fewer than two thousand students may apply to the state board of education for a waiver from the provisions of subsection (2) of this section.
(b) On and after January 1, 2019, school district boards of directors of school districts with fewer than two thousand students may apply to the superintendent of public instruction for a waiver from the provisions of subsection (2) of this section under section 504 of this act.
Sec. 303. RCW 28A.300.236 and 2017 3rd sp.s. c 13 s 410 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must create methodologies for implementing equivalency crediting on a broader scale across the state and facilitate its implementation including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) Implementing statewide career and technical education course equivalency frameworks authorized under RCW
28A.700.070 for high schools and skill centers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This may include development of additional equivalency course frameworks in core subject areas, course performance assessments, and development and delivery of professional development for districts and skill centers implementing the career and technical education frameworks; and
(b) Providing competitive grant funds to school districts to increase the integration and rigor of academic instruction in career and technical education equivalency courses. The grant funds must be used to support teams of general education and career and technical education teachers to convene and design course performance assessments, deepen the understanding of integrating academic and career and technical education in student instruction, and develop professional learning modules for school districts to plan implementation of equivalency crediting.
(2) Beginning in the 2017-18 school year, school districts shall annually report to the office of the superintendent of public instruction the following information:
(a) The annual number of students participating in state-approved equivalency courses; and
(b) The annual number of state approved equivalency credit courses offered in school districts and skill centers.
(3) Beginning December 1, ((2017)) 2018, and every December 1st thereafter, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall annually submit ((a summary of the school district information reported under subsection (2) of this section)) the following information to the office of the governor, the state board of education, and the appropriate committees of the legislature:
(a) The selected list of equivalent career and technical education courses and their curriculum frameworks that the superintendent of public instruction has approved under RCW 28A.700.070; and (b) A summary of the school district information reported under subsection (2) of this section.
Sec. 304. RCW 28A.700.070 and 2014 c 217 s 101 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall support school district efforts under RCW
28A.230.097 to adopt course equivalencies for career and technical courses by:
(a) Recommending career and technical curriculum suitable for course equivalencies;
(b) Publicizing best practices for high schools and school districts in developing and adopting course equivalencies; and
(c) In consultation with the Washington association for career and technical education, providing professional development, technical assistance, and guidance for school districts seeking to expand their lists of equivalent courses.
(2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide professional development, technical assistance, and guidance for school districts to develop career and technical course equivalencies that also qualify as advanced placement courses.
(3) The ((office of the)) superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with one or more technical working groups convened for this purpose, shall develop and, after an opportunity for public comment, approve curriculum frameworks for a selected list of career and technical courses that may be offered by high schools or skill centers whose content in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is considered equivalent in full or in part to science or mathematics courses that meet high school graduation requirements. The content of the courses must be aligned with state essential academic learning requirements in mathematics as adopted by the superintendent of public instruction in July 2011 and the essential academic learning requirements in science as adopted in October 2013, and industry standards. ((The office shall submit the list of equivalent career and technical courses and their curriculum frameworks to the state board of education for review, an opportunity for public comment, and approval.)) The first list of courses under this subsection must be developed and approved before the 2015-16 school year. Thereafter, the ((office)) superintendent of public instruction may periodically update or revise the list of courses using the process in this subsection.
(4) Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, ((the office of)) the superintendent of public instruction shall allocate grant funds to school districts to increase the integration and rigor of academic instruction in career and technical courses. Grant recipients are encouraged to use grant funds to support teams of academic and technical teachers using a research-based professional development model supported by the national research center for career and technical education. The ((office of the)) superintendent of public instruction may require that grant recipients provide matching resources using federal Carl Perkins funds or other fund sources.
PART IV
LEARNING STANDARDS
Sec. 401. RCW 28A.655.070 and 2015 c 211 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The superintendent of public instruction shall develop essential academic learning requirements that identify the knowledge and skills all public school students need to know and be able to do based on the student learning goals in RCW
28A.150.210, develop student assessments, and implement the accountability recommendations and requests regarding assistance, rewards, and recognition of the state board of education.
(2) The superintendent of public instruction shall:
(a) Periodically revise the essential academic learning requirements, as needed, based on the student learning goals in RCW
28A.150.210. Goals one and two shall be considered primary. To the maximum extent possible, the superintendent shall integrate goal four and the knowledge and skill areas in the other goals in the essential academic learning requirements; and
(b) Review and prioritize the essential academic learning requirements and identify, with clear and concise descriptions, the grade level content expectations to be assessed on the statewide student assessment and used for state or federal accountability purposes. The review, prioritization, and identification shall result in more focus and targeting with an emphasis on depth over breadth in the number of grade level content expectations assessed at each grade level. Grade level content expectations shall be articulated over the grades as a sequence of expectations and performances that are logical, build with increasing depth after foundational knowledge and skills are acquired, and reflect, where appropriate, the sequential nature of the discipline. The office of the superintendent of public instruction, within seven working days, shall post on its web site any grade level content expectations provided to an assessment vendor for use in constructing the statewide student assessment.
(3)(a) In consultation with the state board of education, the superintendent of public instruction shall maintain and continue to develop and revise a statewide academic assessment system in the content areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and science for use in the elementary, middle, and high school years designed to determine if each student has mastered the essential academic learning requirements identified in subsection (1) of this section. School districts shall administer the assessments under guidelines adopted by the superintendent of public instruction. The academic assessment system may include a variety of assessment methods, including criterion-referenced and performance-based measures.
(b) Effective with the 2009 administration of the Washington assessment of student learning and continuing with the statewide student assessment, the superintendent shall redesign the assessment in the content areas of reading, mathematics, and science in all grades except high school by shortening test administration and reducing the number of short answer and extended response questions.
(c) By the 2014-15 school year, the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the state board of education, shall modify the statewide student assessment system to transition to assessments developed with a multistate consortium, as provided in this subsection:
(i) The assessments developed with a multistate consortium to assess student proficiency in English language arts and mathematics shall be administered beginning in the 2014-15 school year. The reading and writing assessments shall not be administered by the superintendent of public instruction or schools after the 2013-14 school year.
(ii) The high school assessments in English language arts and mathematics in (c)(i) of this subsection shall be used for the purposes of earning a certificate of academic achievement for high school graduation under the timeline established in RCW
28A.655.061 and for assessing student career and college readiness.
(iii) During the transition period specified in RCW
28A.655.061, the superintendent of public instruction shall use test items and other resources from the consortium assessment to develop and administer a tenth grade high school English language arts assessment, an end-of-course mathematics assessment to assess the standards common to algebra I and integrated mathematics I, and an end
-of
-course mathematics assessment to assess the standards common to geometry and integrated mathematics II.
(4) If the superintendent proposes any modification to the essential academic learning requirements or the statewide assessments, then the superintendent shall, upon request, provide opportunities for the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate to review the assessments and proposed modifications to the essential academic learning requirements before the modifications are adopted.
(5) The assessment system shall be designed so that the results under the assessment system are used by educators as tools to evaluate instructional practices, and to initiate appropriate educational support for students who have not mastered the essential academic learning requirements at the appropriate periods in the student's educational development.
(6) By September 2007, the results for reading and mathematics shall be reported in a format that will allow parents and teachers to determine the academic gain a student has acquired in those content areas from one school year to the next.
(7) To assist parents and teachers in their efforts to provide educational support to individual students, the superintendent of public instruction shall provide as much individual student performance information as possible within the constraints of the assessment system's item bank. The superintendent shall also provide to school districts:
(a) Information on classroom-based and other assessments that may provide additional achievement information for individual students; and
(b) A collection of diagnostic tools that educators may use to evaluate the academic status of individual students. The tools shall be designed to be inexpensive, easily administered, and quickly and easily scored, with results provided in a format that may be easily shared with parents and students.
(8) To the maximum extent possible, the superintendent shall integrate knowledge and skill areas in development of the assessments.
(9) Assessments for goals three and four of RCW
28A.150.210 shall be integrated in the essential academic learning requirements and assessments for goals one and two.
(10) The superintendent shall develop assessments that are directly related to the essential academic learning requirements, and are not biased toward persons with different learning styles, racial or ethnic backgrounds, or on the basis of gender.
(11) The superintendent shall review available and appropriate options for competency-based assessments that meet the essential academic learning requirements. In accordance with the review required by this subsection, the superintendent shall provide a report and recommendations to the education committees of the house of representatives and the senate by November 1, 2019.
(12) The superintendent shall consider methods to address the unique needs of special education students when developing the assessments under this section.
(((12))) (13) The superintendent shall consider methods to address the unique needs of highly capable students when developing the assessments under this section.
(((13))) (14) The superintendent shall post on the superintendent's web site lists of resources and model assessments in social studies, the arts, and health and fitness.
(((14))) (15) The superintendent shall integrate financial education skills and content knowledge into the state learning standards pursuant to RCW
28A.300.460(2)(d).
(16)(a) The superintendent shall notify the state board of education in writing before initiating the development or revision of the essential academic learning requirements under subsections (1) and (2) of this section. The notification must be provided to the state board of education in advance for review at a regularly scheduled or special board meeting and must include the following information:
(i) The subject matter of the essential academic learning requirements;
(ii) The reason or reasons the superintendent is initiating the development or revision; and
(iii) The process and timeline that the superintendent intends to follow for the development or revision.
(b) The state board of education may provide a response to the superintendent's notification for consideration in the development or revision process in (a) of this subsection.
(c) Prior to adoption by the superintendent of any new or revised essential academic learning requirements, the superintendent shall submit the proposed new or revised essential academic learning requirements to the state board of education in advance in writing for review at a regularly scheduled or special board meeting. The state board of education may provide a response to the superintendent's proposal for consideration prior to final adoption.
(17) The state board of education may propose new or revised essential academic learning requirements to the superintendent. The superintendent must respond to the state board of education's proposal in writing.
PART V
WAIVER OF SCHOOL DISTRICT REQUIREMENTS
Sec. 501. RCW 28A.305.140 and 2012 c 53 s 8 are each amended to read as follows:
(1)
((The state board of education)) (a) In accordance with the criteria adopted by the state board of education under subsection (2) of this section, the superintendent of public instruction may grant waivers to school districts from the provisions of RCW
28A.150.200 through
28A.150.220, except as provided in (b) of this subsection, on the basis that such waiver or waivers are necessary to
((:(a))) implement successfully a local plan to provide for all students in the district an effective education system that is designed to enhance the educational program for each student. The local plan may include alternative ways to provide effective educational programs for students who experience difficulty with the regular education program((;)).
(b)
((Implement an innovation school or innovation zone designated under RCW 28A.630.081; or(c) Implement a collaborative schools for innovation and success pilot project approved under RCW 28A.630.104.)) The state board of education shall have authority to grant waivers from the provisions of RCW 28A.150.220(3)(b) and to grant the waivers set forth in RCW 28A.230.090(1)(e)(ii), 28A.630.081, 28A.630.104, and 28A.655.180. (2) The state board of education shall adopt rules establishing the criteria to evaluate the need for ((the)) a waiver or waivers under this section.
Sec. 502. RCW 28A.305.140 and 1990 c 33 s 267 are each amended to read as follows:
((The state board of education)) (1)(a) In accordance with the criteria adopted by the state board of education under subsection (2) of this section, the superintendent of public instruction may grant waivers to school districts from the provisions of RCW
28A.150.200 through
28A.150.220, except as provided in (b) of this subsection, on the basis that such waiver or waivers are necessary to implement successfully a local plan to provide for all students in the district an effective education system that is designed to enhance the educational program for each student. The local plan may include alternative ways to provide effective educational programs for students who experience difficulty with the regular education program.
(b) The state board of education shall have authority to grant waivers from the provisions of RCW 28A.150.220(3)(b) and to grant the waivers set forth in RCW 28A.230.090(1)(e)(ii) and 28A.655.180. (2) The state board of education shall adopt rules establishing the criteria to evaluate the need for ((the)) a waiver or waivers under this section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 503. A new section is added to chapter 28A.150 RCW to read as follows:
(1) In addition to waivers authorized under RCW
28A.305.140 (as recodified by this act), the superintendent of public instruction, in accordance with the criteria in subsection (2) of this section and criteria adopted by the state board of education under subsection (3) of this section, may grant waivers of the requirement for a one hundred eighty-day school year under RCW
28A.150.220 to school districts 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 minimum instructional hours may not be waived.
(2) A school district seeking a waiver under this section must submit an application to the superintendent of public instruction 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 superintendent of public instruction may request to assure that the proposed flexible calendar will not adversely affect student learning.
(3) The state board of education shall adopt rules establishing the criteria to evaluate waiver requests under this section. A waiver may be effective for up to three years and may be renewed for subsequent periods of three or fewer years. After each school year in which a waiver has been granted under this section, the superintendent of public instruction must analyze empirical evidence to determine whether the reduction is affecting student learning. If the superintendent of public instruction determines that student learning is adversely affected, the school district must discontinue the flexible calendar as soon as possible but not later than the beginning of the next school year after the superintendent of public instruction's determination.
(4) The superintendent of public instruction may grant waivers authorized under this section to five or fewer school districts with student populations of less than five hundred students. Of the five waivers that may be granted, two must be reserved for districts with student populations of less than one hundred fifty students.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 504. A new section is added to chapter 28A.230 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The superintendent of public instruction may grant a waiver from the provisions of RCW
28A.230.010(2) based on an application from a board of directors of a school district with fewer than two thousand students.
(2) The state board of education may adopt rules establishing the criteria to evaluate the need for a waiver or waivers under this section.
Sec. 505. RCW 28A.300.545 and 2011 c 45 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The superintendent of public instruction shall develop a condensed compliance report form for second-class districts by August 1, 2011. The report form shall allow districts the option of indicating one of the following for each funded program:
(a) The district has complied or received a ((state board of education-approved)) waiver approved by the state board of education or superintendent of public instruction;
(b) The district has not complied, accompanied by an explanation or the steps taken to comply; or
(c) The district has received a grant for less than half of a full-time equivalent instructional staff.
(2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction may conduct random audits of second
-class districts that submit a condensed compliance report under RCW
28A.330.250. The purpose of the audit is to determine whether documentation exists to support a school district superintendent's condensed compliance report.
Sec. 506. RCW 28A.655.180 and 2012 c 53 s 9 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The state board of education
((, where appropriate, or the superintendent of public instruction, where appropriate,)) may grant waivers to districts from the provisions of statutes or rules relating to: The length of the school year; student-to-teacher ratios; and other administrative rules that in the opinion of the state board of education
((or the opinion of the superintendent of public instruction)) may need to be waived in order for a district to implement a plan for restructuring its educational program or the educational program of individual schools within the district or to implement an innovation school or innovation zone designated under RCW
28A.630.081 or to implement a collaborative schools for innovation and success pilot project approved under RCW
28A.630.104.
(2)
((School districts may use the application process in RCW 28A.305.140 to apply for the waivers under this section.)) The state board of education may adopt rules establishing the waiver application process under this section.Sec. 507. RCW 28A.655.180 and 2009 c 543 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The state board of education((, where appropriate, or the superintendent of public instruction, where appropriate,)) may grant waivers to districts from the provisions of statutes or rules relating to: The length of the school year; student-to-teacher ratios; and other administrative rules that in the opinion of the state board of education ((or the opinion of the superintendent of public instruction)) may need to be waived in order for a district to implement a plan for restructuring its educational program or the educational program of individual schools within the district.
(2)
((School districts may use the application process in RCW 28A.305.140 to apply for the waivers under this section.)) The state board of education may adopt rules establishing the waiver application process under this section.NEW SECTION. Sec. 508. A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:
Beginning September 1, 2019, the superintendent of public instruction shall annually report to the state board of education and education committees of the house of representatives and the senate summaries of all waiver applications submitted to the superintendent of public instruction for the prior school year under RCW
28A.305.140 (as recodified by this act), sections 503 and 504 of this act, and RCW
28A.150.290, including the following information for each type of waiver:
(1) The annual number of waiver applications the superintendent approved and did not approve;
(2) A brief summary of each waiver request;
(3) The reasons the superintendent approved or did not approve each waiver application; and
(4) Links to the waiver applications posted on the superintendent's web site.
PART VI
COMPLIANCE WITH BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
Sec. 601. RCW 28A.150.250 and 2009 c 548 s 105 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) From those funds made available by the legislature for the current use of the common schools, the superintendent of public instruction shall distribute annually as provided in RCW
28A.510.250 to each school district of the state operating a basic education instructional program approved by the state board of education an amount based on the formulas provided in RCW
28A.150.260,
28A.150.390, and
28A.150.392 which, when combined with an appropriate portion of such locally available revenues, other than receipts from federal forest revenues distributed to school districts pursuant to RCW
28A.520.010 and
28A.520.020, as the superintendent of public instruction may deem appropriate for consideration in computing state equalization support, excluding excess property tax levies, will constitute a basic education allocation in dollars for each annual average full-time equivalent student enrolled.
(2) The instructional program of basic education shall be considered to be fully funded by those amounts of dollars appropriated by the legislature pursuant to RCW
28A.150.260,
28A.150.390, and
28A.150.392 to fund those program requirements identified in RCW
28A.150.220 in accordance with the formula provided in RCW
28A.150.260 and those amounts of dollars appropriated by the legislature to fund the salary requirements of RCW
28A.150.410.
(3)
(a) If a school district's basic education program fails to meet the basic education requirements enumerated in RCW
28A.150.260 and
28A.150.220, the state board of education
((shall require)) may recommend to the superintendent of public instruction
((to)) that the superintendent withhold state funds in whole or in part for the basic education allocation until program compliance is assured. However, the state board of education may waive this requirement in the event of substantial lack of classroom space.
(b) If the state board of education recommends the withholding of a school district's basic education allocation under this subsection, the superintendent of public instruction may withhold the allocation of state funds in whole or in part for support of the school district. Written notice of the intent to withhold state funds, with reasons stated for this action, shall be made to the school district by the office of the superintendent of public instruction before any portion of the state allocation is withheld.
PART VII
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
NEW SECTION. Sec. 701. The following acts or parts of acts are each repealed:
(1)
RCW 28A.305.141 (Waiver from one hundred eighty-day school year requirement
—Criteria) and 2016 c 99 s 1, 2014 c 171 s 1, & 2009 c 543 s 2; and
(2)
RCW 28A.305.142 (Waiver from career and technical course equivalency requirement) and 2014 c 217 s 104.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 702. A new section is added to chapter 28A.305 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The transfer of powers, duties, and functions of the superintendent of public instruction and the state board of education pursuant to chapter . . ., Laws of 2018 (this act) do not affect the validity of any superintendent of public instruction or state board of education action performed before the effective date of this section.
(2) If apportionments of budgeted funds are required because of the transfer of powers, duties, and functions directed by chapter . . ., Laws of 2018 (this act), the director of financial management shall certify the apportionments to the agencies affected, the state auditor, and the state treasurer. Each of these shall make the appropriate transfer and adjustments in funds and appropriation accounts and equipment records in accordance with the director's certification.
(3) Unless otherwise provided, nothing contained in chapter . . ., Laws of 2018 (this act) may be construed to alter any existing collective bargaining unit or provisions of any existing collective bargaining agreement until the agreement has expired or until the bargaining unit has been modified by action of the personnel resources board as provided by law.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 704. Section 506 of this act expires June 30, 2019.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 705. (1) Sections 201, 202, 501, 503, 504, and 701 of this act take effect January 1, 2019.
(2) Sections 502 and 507 of this act take effect June 30, 2019.
Passed by the House March 5, 2018.
Passed by the Senate March 1, 2018.
Approved by the Governor March 22, 2018.
Filed in Office of Secretary of State March 26, 2018.
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