SENATE BILL REPORT

2SHB 2864

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.

Brief Summary of Bill

Requires the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), in consultation with the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), to establish the Running Start Summer School Pilot Program for two years in three community colleges, subject to appropriations.
Requires OSPI and the SBCTC to report findings and recommendations on the pilot program to the Legislature by November 1, 2022.

Background: Running Start. Running Start allows eleventh- and twelfth-grade high school students to take courses at community colleges, technical colleges, and various four-year institutions of higher education. Upon completion of a course, students earn both high school and college credit.

Running Start students and their families do not pay tuition, but students must pay for college fees, purchase textbooks and other materials, and provide their own transportation to and from the institution. Since 2011, higher education institutions that are not community or technical colleges may charge up to 10 percent of tuition costs to students.

Institutions are reimbursed by local schools districts for costs of Running Start students. Current law requires districts reimburse the institutions at a per-student rate allotted for basic education funding, with the districts retaining 7 percent of these funds. Vocational students are funded at an additional rate.

Summary of Bill: OSPI, in consultation with the SBCTC and subject to appropriations, shall establish the Running Start Summer School Pilot Program to evaluate interest in and barriers to expanding the Running Start program to include the summer term.

OSPI must select up to three community colleges that choose to participate in the pilot program during the 2021 and 2022 summer academic terms. One community college must be located east of the crest of the Cascade Mountains and another must be located in a county with a population between 115,000 and 150,000. Participating community colleges must establish agreements with the school districts of eligible students about data sharing, credit transfer, funds transfer, and other administrative matters.

Under the pilot program, eligible students may enroll in a participating community college tuition-free for a maximum of five college credits per summer academic term. Provisions relating to student fees and fee waivers apply to eligible students participating in the pilot program.

For the purposes of this program, a student is considered eligible if the student either:

attends a participating high school and will be eligible to enroll in grade 11 or 12 in the subsequent school year; or
has graduated from a participating high school in the current school year and has five or fewer college credits to earn before meeting associate degree requirements.

By November 10, 2022, OSPI and the SBCTC must jointly report to the Legislature with findings and recommendations from the pilot program, including recommending whether to expand the Running Start Program to include the summer term.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony: PRO: Many students are nervous about taking college-level courses for the first time; allowing students to take courses during the summer would allow for these students to take these courses with less burdens. Courses during the summer often have more availability for students to take advantage of college-level courses. The pilot program is an attempt to involve students from across the state. The bill creates additional access to dual credit, especially students who may not see themselves as college-bound, and will help with credit retrieval. There is currently a 1.20 FTE cap in Running Start that may impact students under the program.