SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 6223
As of January 26, 2024
Title: An act relating to updating school district director compensation through the development of a state-funded compensation structure.
Brief Description: Updating school district director compensation.
Sponsors: Senators Nguyen, Frame, Kuderer, Lovick, Mullet and Nobles; by request of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Early Learning & K-12 Education: 1/29/24.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Allows school directors to receive compensation in an annual amount not to exceed $500/month plus $0.50 per student.
  • Permits school boards to adopt a compensation amount less than the maximum, but every board must adopt a compensation policy by September 1, 2026.
  • Requires the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to submit a biennial budget request to fully fund school director compensation and to provide that amount in apportionment payments to school districts that adopt a compensation model.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EARLY LEARNING & K-12 EDUCATION
Staff: Benjamin Omdal (786-7442)
Background:

Compensation for School Board Directors.  If authorized by a school district board of directors (board) resolution at a regularly scheduled meeting, the members of the board may receive compensation of $50 per day, or portion of a day, for attending board meetings and performing other services on behalf of the district.  This compensation is in addition to any reimbursement for expenses.

The compensation may not exceed $4,800 per year, and only locally collected excess levy funds available for this purpose may be used to provide the compensation.  Compensation for board members must not cause the state to incur any present or future funding obligation.  Any director may waive part or all of their compensation.
Summary of Bill:

Compensation for School Board Directors.  Each member of the board of a school district may receive compensation in an annual amount not to exceed the combined total of $500 per month plus $0.50 per student enrolled in the school district.  Enrollment is to be determined based on prior year actual enrollments as published by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).

A board may adopt a compensation amount less than the maximum allowable, a per-meeting amount of compensation, or any combination of per-meeting monthly compensation and per student provided that total annual compensation per director does not exceed maximum allowable amounts established in the bill.

Every board must adopt a compensation policy by September 1, 2026, in an open public meeting.

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction Updates and Apportionment.  By July 1st of each year, OSPI must publish an annual update to the monthly and per-student compensation amounts using the implicit price deflator from the previous calendar year as an inflation index.

Each biennium, OSPI must submit a maintenance-level budget request to the Office of Financial Management and the Legislature with the amount of state funds necessary to fully fund school director compensation for all school districts that have adopted a school director compensation model.

OSPI must provide a state-funded school director compensation amount in apportionment payments to each school district that adopts a compensation model.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect on July 1, 2025.