Brief Summary of Bill

Allows the Superintendent of Public Instruction (Superintendent) to designate a member to serve on certain boards and commissions, rather than requiring the Superintendent to serve directly.
Allows the Washington State School Director's Association to conduct elections for educational service districts and the State Board of Education, rather than the Superintendent.
Eliminates the School Facilities Advisory Panel and moves the citizen members and duties to a technical advisory group convened by the Superintendent.

Background: Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Superintendent is a designated, ex-officio member of a number of boards and commissions, including the State Board of Education (SBE), the Workforce Training and Coordinating Board, the Board of Natural Resources, and the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission.

Educational Service District Elections. Educational service districts (ESDs) are regional agencies intended to provide cooperative services to school districts and to assist the Superintendent and the State Board of Education in performance of their duties. Each ESD is governed by a board of seven or nine members who are elected by the school directors within the ESD to represent board-member districts. Board members serve for four years, and must be residents of the district they represent. ESD elections are conducted by the Superintendent.

State Board of Education Elections. The SBE is a sixteen member board that provides advocacy and strategic oversight of public education, implements an accountability framework to improve student academic achievement, provides leadership in creating a personalized education system, and promotes the goals of the Basic Education Act. Of the sixteen member board, six members are elected to their positions. Two members from the eastern region of the state and three members from the western region of the state are elected by public school directors. One member is elected by approved private schools. Elected board members serve for four years, and must be residents of the regions they represent. SBE elections are conducted by the Superintendent.

School Facilities Citizen Advisory Panel. The School Facilities Citizen Advisory Panel was formed by the SBE in 2006 to maintain oversight on issues pertaining to school facilities and funding for school construction. The panel advises and makes recommendations to the Superintendent regarding school facilities, funding for school construction, joint planning and financing of education facilities, facility plans and programs for nonhigh school districts, and determinations of remote and necessary schools. The membership includes one member of the SBE, two school district directors, and four citizen members.

The Superintendent also has the authority to convene a technical advisory group, including representatives from school business officers and other organizations with expertise in school facilities.

Summary of Bill: Superintendent of Public Instruction. The Superintendent may designate a member to serve on the SBE, the Workforce Training and Coordinating Board, the Board of Natural Resources, and the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission, rather than serving directly.

Educational Service District Elections. The executive director of the Washington State School Director's Association (WSSDA), rather than the Superintendent, will conduct the ESD elections.

State Board of Education Elections. The WSSDA, rather than the Superintendent, will conduct the SBE elections.

School Facilities Citizen Advisory Panel. The School Facilities Advisory Panel created by the SBE is eliminated, and the citizen members and duties are moved to the technical advisory group convened by the Superintendent.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony: PRO: This bill looks at how OSPI can be more efficient and directed. Allowing the Superintendent to provide a designee for several groups is a good first step. The citizen advisory committee has never met. The concept was to have citizen input, so this brings those citizens over to the technical advisory council. There could be an amendment to bring SBE onto the technical advisory council as well. WSSDA is supportive of the election components, and already has a nominating committee in place that is willing to get the process going.

OTHER: SBE supports the transfers of elections from OSPI to WSSDA. However, SBE highly values the participation of the Superintendent and believes it is important that the Superintendent serves directly. The citizen advisory committee has not been effective but adding members to the technical advisory group won't solve that problem. The group should be reconstituted through legislation next year instead.