S-1065.1

SENATE BILL 5670

BySenators Hawkins, Randall, Holy, Kuderer, Nguyen, Nobles, Saldaña, and L. Wilson

AN ACT Relating to permitting 10th grade students to participate in running start in online settings; amending RCW 28A.600.320, 28A.600.330, and 28A.600.385; and reenacting and amending RCW 28A.600.310.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 28A.600.310 and 2019 c 252 s 115 and 2019 c 176 s 2 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

(1)(a) ((Eleventh and twelfth))Except as provided in (d) of this subsection, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students or students who have not yet received the credits required for the award of a high school diploma and are eligible to be in the ((eleventh or twelfth))10th, 11th, or 12th grades may apply to a participating institution of higher education to enroll in courses or programs offered by the institution of higher education.

(b) The course sections and programs offered as running start courses must also be open for registration to matriculated students at the participating institution of higher education and may not be a course consisting solely of high school students offered at a high school campus.

(c) A student receiving home-based instruction enrolling in a public high school for the sole purpose of participating in courses or programs offered by institutions of higher education shall not be counted by the school district in any required state or federal accountability reporting if the student's parents or guardians filed a declaration of intent to provide home-based instruction and the student received home-based instruction during the school year before the school year in which the student intends to participate in courses or programs offered by the institution of higher education. Students receiving home-based instruction under chapter 28A.200 RCW and students attending private schools approved under chapter 28A.195 RCW shall not be required to meet the student learning goals or to learn the state learning standards. However, students are eligible to enroll in courses or programs in participating universities only if the board of directors of the student's school district has decided to participate in the program. Participating institutions of higher education, in consultation with school districts, may establish admission standards for these students. If the institution of higher education accepts a secondary school pupil for enrollment under this section, the institution of higher education shall send written notice to the pupil and the pupil's school district within ten days of acceptance. The notice shall indicate the course and hours of enrollment for that pupil.

(2)(a) In lieu of tuition and fees, as defined in RCW 28B.15.020 and 28B.15.041:

(i) Running start students shall pay to the community or technical college all other mandatory fees as established by each community or technical college and, in addition, the state board for community and technical colleges may authorize a fee of up to ((ten))10 percent of tuition and fees as defined in RCW 28B.15.020 and 28B.15.041; and

(ii) All other institutions of higher education operating a running start program may charge running start students a fee of up to ((ten))10 percent of tuition and fees as defined in RCW 28B.15.020 and 28B.15.041 in addition to technology fees.

(b) The fees charged under this subsection (2) shall be prorated based on credit load.

(c) Students may pay fees under this subsection with advanced college tuition payment program tuition units at a rate set by the advanced college tuition payment program governing body under chapter 28B.95 RCW.

(3)(a) The institutions of higher education must make available fee waivers for low-income running start students. A student shall be considered low income and eligible for a fee waiver upon proof that the student is currently qualified to receive free or reduced-price lunch. Acceptable documentation of low-income status may also include, but is not limited to, documentation that a student has been deemed eligible for free or reduced-price lunches in the last five years, or other criteria established in the institution's policy.

(b)(i) By the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, school districts, upon knowledge of a low-income student's enrollment in running start, must provide documentation of the student's low-income status, under (a) of this subsection, directly to institutions of higher education.

(ii) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with the Washington student achievement council, shall develop a centralized process for school districts to provide students' low-income status to institutions of higher education to meet the requirements of (b)(i) of this subsection.

(c) Institutions of higher education, in collaboration with relevant student associations, shall aim to have students who can benefit from fee waivers take advantage of these waivers. Institutions shall make every effort to communicate to students and their families the benefits of the waivers and provide assistance to students and their families on how to apply. Information about waivers shall, to the greatest extent possible, be incorporated into financial aid counseling, admission information, and individual billing statements. Institutions also shall, to the greatest extent possible, use all means of communication, including but not limited to websites, online catalogues, admission and registration forms, mass email messaging, social media, and outside marketing to ensure that information about waivers is visible, compelling, and reaches the maximum number of students and families that can benefit.

(4) The pupil's school district shall transmit to the institution of higher education an amount per each full-time equivalent college student at statewide uniform rates for vocational and nonvocational students. The superintendent of public instruction shall separately calculate and allocate moneys appropriated for basic education under RCW 28A.150.260 to school districts for purposes of making such payments and for granting school districts seven percent thereof to offset program related costs. The calculations and allocations shall be based upon the estimated statewide annual average per full-time equivalent high school student allocations under RCW 28A.150.260, excluding small high school enhancements, and applicable rules adopted under chapter 34.05 RCW. The superintendent of public instruction, participating institutions of higher education, and the state board for community and technical colleges shall consult on the calculation and distribution of the funds. The funds received by the institution of higher education from the school district shall not be deemed tuition or operating fees and may be retained by the institution of higher education. A student enrolled under this subsection shall be counted for the purpose of meeting enrollment targets in accordance with terms and conditions specified in the omnibus appropriations act.

Sec. 2. RCW 28A.600.320 and 2009 c 524 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

A school district shall provide general information about the program to all pupils in grades ((ten, eleven, and twelve))nine, 10, 11, and 12 and the parents and guardians of those pupils, including information about the opportunity to enroll in the program through online courses available at community and technical colleges and other state institutions of higher education and including the college high school diploma options under RCW 28B.50.535. To assist the district in planning, a pupil shall inform the district of the pupil's intent to enroll in courses at an institution of higher education for credit. Students are responsible for applying for admission to the institution of higher education.

Sec. 3. RCW 28A.600.330 and 1994 c 205 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

A pupil who enrolls in an institution of higher education in grade ((eleven))10 may not enroll in postsecondary courses under RCW 28A.600.300 through 28A.600.390 for high school credit and postsecondary credit for more than the equivalent of the coursework for ((two))three academic years. A pupil who first enrolls in an institution of higher education in grade 11 may not enroll in postsecondary courses under this section for high school credit and postsecondary credit for more than the equivalent of the coursework for two academic years. A pupil who first enrolls in an institution of higher education in grade ((twelve))12 may not enroll in postsecondary courses under this section for high school credit and postsecondary credit for more than the equivalent of the coursework for one academic year.

Sec. 4. RCW 28A.600.385 and 1998 c 63 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) School districts in Washington and community colleges in Oregon and Idaho may enter into cooperative agreements under chapter 39.34 RCW for the purpose of allowing ((eleventh and twelfth))10th, 11th, and 12th grade students who are enrolled in the school districts to earn high school and college credit concurrently.

(2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, if a school district exercises the authority granted in subsection (1) of this section, the provisions of RCW 28A.600.310 through 28A.600.360 and 28A.600.380 through 28A.600.400 shall apply to the agreements.

(3) A school district may enter an agreement in which the community college agrees to accept an amount less than the statewide uniform rate under RCW 28A.600.310(((2)))(4) if the community college does not charge participating students tuition and fees. A school district may not pay a per-credit rate in excess of the statewide uniform rate under RCW 28A.600.310(((2)))(4).

(4) To the extent feasible, the agreements shall permit participating students to attend the community college without paying any tuition and fees. The agreements shall not permit the community college to charge participating students nonresident tuition and fee rates.

(5) The agreements shall ensure that participating students are permitted to enroll only in courses that are transferable to one or more institutions of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016.

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