School districts employing certificated instruction staff (CIS) with relatively higher levels of experience and advanced degrees are eligible for an experience factor to be applied to the minimum state salary allocations for CIS generated by prototypical school formulas. An experience factor of 4 percent is provided to school districts that meet both of the following criteria: (1) a median years of experience for CIS above the statewide average years of experience for CIS; and (2) a ratio of CIS advanced degrees to bachelor's degrees higher than the statewide ratio.
Experience factors were initially assigned for CIS salary allocations from the 2019-20 school year through 2022-23 and were rebased in 2023. In total 46 districts receive the experience factor in the 2023-24 school year. School districts eligible in the 2022-23 school year for the experience factor that became ineligible as part of the 2023 rebase received a 2 percent factor in the operating budget for the 2023-24 school year.
Washington State Report Card.
The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) maintains the Washington State Report Card as an online information resource for the public about the K-12 system, schools, and school districts in the state. The website includes information about graduation rates, student assessments, enrollment data, and other measurements. Enrollment data include the number of students enrolled by program, including those identified as homeless and English language learners.
The following amounts are added to the calculations of median years of experience, and the ratio of advanced to bachelor's degrees for purposes of determining school district eligibility for the experience factor for certificated instruction staff (CIS) salary allocations, based on 2023-24 report card data published by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).
Ratio of Advanced to Bachelor's Degrees.
For school districts with fewer than 12,000 students, the proportion of homeless students to total student enrollment is added to the ratio of advanced to bachelor's degrees.
For school districts with 12,000 students or more enrolled, the proportion of homeless students to total student enrollment, reduced based on a district's enrollment size above 12,000, is added to the ratio of advanced to bachelor's degrees.
Median Years of Experience.
For school districts with fewer than 12,000 students and more than 8 percent eligible for the transitional bilingual program, 10 times the proportion of bilingual students to total student enrollment is added to the years of experience, rounded to the nearest whole number.
For school districts with 12,000 students or more enrolled and more than 30 percent eligible for transitional bilingual programs, 10 times the proportion of bilingual students to total student enrollment, reduced based on a district's enrollment size above 12,000, is added to the years of experience, rounded to the nearest whole number.
School districts not eligible for the 4 percent experience factor, but eligible in the previous year, receive a 2 percent experience factor.
Beginning in the 2024-25 school year, school districts not eligible for two consecutive years for the experience factor but eligible two years prior receive a 1 percent experience factor.
The substitute bill replaces the experience factor policy in the underlying bill, including the removal of the process for annual adjustments to the experience factor. The substitute bill adjusts calculations of experience factor eligibility for certificated instructional staff salary allocations based on a school district's homeless, bilingual, and total enrollments. The substitute bill adds a null and void clause, making the bill null and void unless funded in the budget.
(In support) The McCleary decision changed the funding formula for school district staff and eliminated the old experience factors. The current experience factor is calculated every four years and creates a fiscal cliff. School districts with more educated and experienced teachers have millions a year in higher costs that must be covered by local levies. During the pandemic, schools received more funding and hired temporary staff to support student learning and decrease class sizes. Temporary hires are great for kids but skew down the staff mix creating underpayment for the current realities. The current funding formula is obscure and makes school districts lose funding. An annual rebase will create a fair, predictable, more logical system to fund school districts for their actual staff. The bill also holds any ineligible district harmless for one year and creates a softer landing for ineligible districts in the future. This will help districts fully fund their teachers and keep experienced teachers. The bill will provide budget transparency and allow school districts to plan in advance.
(Opposed) None.
Julie Salvi, Washington Education Association; Derek Sarley, Walla Walla Public Schools; Mary Templeton, Washougal School District; Keith Swanson, Walla Walla Valley Education Association; Charlie Brown, Tacoma Public Schools; Christopher Granger, Blaine School District; and Nancy Katims, Edmonds School District.