Washington State
House of Representatives
Office of Program Research
BILL
ANALYSIS
Education Committee
HB 1066
Brief Description: Concerning the powers and duties of educational service district boards.
Sponsors: Representatives Stonier, Harris, Ortiz-Self, Dolan, Wylie and Callan.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Allows educational service district (ESD) boards to provide delineated services to school districts upon request of a school district superintendent instead of a school district board of directors. 
  • Modifies the general contracting authority of ESD boards by explicitly allowing the boards to enter into contracts relating to any of the duties, functions, and powers of ESDs, and by delineating examples of entity types that ESD boards may contract with.
Hearing Date: 1/15/21
Staff: Ethan Moreno (786-7386).
Background:

Educational Service Districts.
Washington has nine regionally-based educational service districts (ESDs) that provide cooperative informational services to local districts and assist the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the State Board of Education (SBE) in the performance of their duties.  Among other duties, the ESDs serve as a depository and distribution center for instructional materials and assist school districts in the preparation of their budgets.  The OSPI and the SBE are authorized in statute to delegate assigned programs, projects, and services to the ESDs, and ESDs are obligated to comply with the rules of those agencies.
 
The ESDs are governed by seven or nine-member boards that are elected by school directors within each of the ESDs.  The ESD boards have powers and duties established in statute, including the authority to provide school districts with cooperative and informational services that provide for the development and implementation of programs, activities, services, or practices that support the education of public school students or that meet other requirements.  The provision of these services must be initiated by a written request from one or more school district board of directors within the ESD.
 
The ESD boards are also authorized to enter into contracts, including contracts with the ESD's school districts, the Washington Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth, and the Washington State School for the Blind for the joint financing of cooperative service programs.  The contracting authority for the ESD boards further permits the employment of consultants and legal counsel relating to any of the duties, functions, and powers of the ESDs.
Summary of Bill:

The provision of cooperative and informational services to school districts by the ESDs must be initiated by a written request from the superintendent of one or more school district within the ESD instead of by one or more of the school district boards of directors within the ESD.
 
The contracting authority of the ESD boards are also modified.  The ESD boards are specifically authorized to enter into contracts relating to any of the duties, functions, and powers of the ESDs, including contracts with federal, state, county, and city government agencies, state tribal compact schools, private schools, nonprofit and for-profit entities, community-based organizations, and universities and community colleges.
 
The authority of the ESD boards to enter into contracts and employ consultants and legal counsel is modified by removing the contracting requirement for the employment consultants and legal counsel.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 13, 2021.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.