SENATE BILL REPORT
2SHB 1664
As of February 21, 2022
Title: An act relating to prototypical school formulas for physical, social, and emotional support in schools.
Brief Description: Concerning prototypical school formulas for physical, social, and emotional support in schools.
Sponsors: House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Rule, Stonier, Shewmake, Senn, Ramel, Wicks, Johnson, J., Callan, Berg, Cody, Davis, Goodman, Leavitt, Santos, Simmons, Kloba, Pollet, Riccelli, Harris-Talley, Hackney and Frame).
Brief History: Passed House: 2/10/22, 73-23.
Committee Activity: Ways & Means: 2/22/22.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Increases minimum allocations for nurses, social workers, psychologists, and counselors in the prototypical school funding model over three school years beginning in the 2022-23 school year.
  • Designates certain staff positions as physical, social, and emotional support staff (PSES staff) and specifies that the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) may only allocate funding for those positions to the extent of and proportionate to a school district's demonstrated actual ratios of PSES staff, up to the combined minimum allocations.
  • Directs the SPI to adopt rules that require school districts to prioritize specified funding allocated through the model for PSES staff with a valid educational staff associate certificate.
  • Requires the SPI to submit to the Legislature four biennial implementation reports.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS
Staff: Kayla Hammer (786-7305)
Background:

Prototypical School Model.  The state's public school funding model allocates funding to school districts based on assumed levels of staff and other resources necessary to support a prototypical school serving an assumed number of students at defined elementary, middle, and high schools levels.  The use of prototypical schools is intended to illustrate the level of resources needed to operate a school of a particular size using commonly understood terms such as class size, hours of instruction, and specified staff positions.

The structure of the formula, which appears in statute, provides allocations for classroom teachers at an assumed class size, plus other building-level staff such as principals, teacher-librarians, counselors, and office support.  Based on these staffing ratios, the state uses salary assumptions for each of the different staff types to generate state funding allocations.  The funding provided to school districts through the prototypical school formulas is for allocation purposes only, and districts have discretion over how the money is spent, subject to some limits.  For example, funding for average K-3 class sizes may be provided only to the extent of, and proportionate to, a school district's demonstrated actual class sizes in grades K-3, up to the funded class sizes.
 
The prototypical school model currently provides allocations for school nurses, social workers, psychologists, and guidance counselors using the following staff unit amounts:
 

 ElementaryMiddleHigh
School Nurses0.0760.0600.096
Social Workers0.0420.0060.015
Psychologists0.0170.0020.007
Guidance Counselors0.4931.2162.539

 

Educational Staff Associates.  Individuals with educational staff associate (ESA) certificates provide education and health services to students.  There are nine ESA roles including school counselor, school nurse, school psychologist, and school social worker.  Any individual employed by a public school as an ESA must hold a valid ESA certificate for the role, with the exception of school nurses employed at school districts with fewer than 2000 students. 

School districts may also contract with non-employees for nursing, counseling, psychology, and social work services.  Individuals contracted for these services are not required to hold valid ESA certificates unless they are supporting students with disabilities with services listed on an individualized education program.

Summary of Bill:

Prototypical School Funding Model Allocations.  The minimum allocations in the prototypical school funding model are increased for specified staff types, over three years, as follows:

 

 2022-232023-242024-25
SCHOOL STAFF - ELEMENTARY   
Nurses0.2460.4160.585
Social Workers0.1320.2220.311
Psychologists0.0460.0750.104
Counselors0.6600.827

0.993

SCHOOL STAFF - MIDDLE   
Nurses

0.336

0.6120.888
Social Workers0.0330.0600.088
Psychologists0.0090.0160.024
Counselors1.3831.5501.716
SCHOOL STAFF - HIGH   
Nurses0.3390.5820.824
Social Workers0.0520.0890.127
Psychologists0.0210.0350.049
Counselors2.7062.8823.039

 
Exceptions to Discretionary Spending of Allocations.  Funding, up to the combined minimum allocations, for nurses, social workers, psychologists, counselors, classified staff providing student and staff safety, and parent involvement coordinators through the prototypical school funding model may be allocated only to the extent of and proportionate to a school district's demonstrated actual ratios of:  full-time equivalent physical, social, and emotional support staff (PSES staff) to full-time equivalent students.  Physical, social, and emotional support staff include nurses, social workers, psychologists, counselors, classified staff providing student and staff safety, parent involvement coordinators, and other school district employees and contractors who provide physical, social, and emotional support to students as defined by the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI).

The SPI must adopt rules to implement these provisions and the rules must require school districts to prioritize funding allocated for PSES staff who hold a valid ESA certificate appropriate for the staff's role.
 
Implementation Reports.  By February 1, 2023, 2025, 2027, and 2029, the SPI must submit to the Legislature a report that:

  • compares the staffing units provided for nurses, social workers, psychologists, counselors, classified staff providing student and staff safety, and parent involvement coordinators through the prototypical school funding model to the actual school district staffing levels for PSES staff, disaggregated by school district; and
  • analyzes trends with respect to employed PSES staff and contract PSES staff; and the percentage of  PSES staff with a valid ESA certificate—these trends must be disaggregated by assignment duty code, as well as analyzed year over year and by school district size and geography.

 
For the analysis, the SPI must use personnel data reported on or around October 1st of the report year and the prior year, and any other relevant data.  For the report due February 1, 2023, the SPI must complete the analysis only to the extent that relevant data are available.

 

School Counselors.  References to counselors in the prototypical school model are changed from Guidance counselors, a function that includes parent outreach and graduation advising, to the new title of Counselors.
 
Skill Center Class Size.  The average skill center class size within the prototypical school model is reduced from 20 students per teacher to 19 students per teacher to align with allocations currently provided in the operating budget.

Appropriation: The bill contains a null and void clause requiring specific funding be provided in an omnibus appropriation act.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: The bill contains several effective dates. Please refer to the bill.