SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 5358
As of January 30, 2025
Title: An act relating to career and technical education in sixth grade.
Brief Description: Concerning career and technical education in sixth grade.
Sponsors: Senators Braun, Chapman, Christian, Cortes, Liias, MacEwen, Nobles, Salomon, Wellman and Wilson, C.; by request of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Early Learning & K-12 Education: 1/30/25.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Provides prototypical school funding for 6th grade Career and Technical Education Program (CTE) courses offered in a middle school.
  • Requires middle and high school CTE courses to be treated as a single program for accounting purposes.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EARLY LEARNING & K-12 EDUCATION
Staff: Alex Fairfortune (786-7416)
Background:

Career and Technical Education Programs. Career and Technical Education (CTE) is a planned program of courses and learning experiences that begins with exploration of career options and supports basic academic and life skills. CTE instruction is delivered through programs at middle and high schools, through approved online courses, and at skill centers.

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Career and Technical Education ?Funding. The prototypical school model provides funding for CTE courses offered at the middle school and high school level. This funding is calculated using CTE-specific student-to-teacher ratios and per-pupil amounts for materials, supplies, and operating costs (MSOC). MSOC funds are currently provided for exploratory CTE courses offered in grades 7 to 12, preparatory CTE courses offered in grades 9 to 12, and preparatory CTE courses offered in grades 11 to 12 through a skill center.
Summary of Bill:

The bill as referred to committee not considered.
Summary of Bill (Proposed Substitute):

Funding for exploratory CTE courses is expanded from grades 7? to 12 to grades 6 to 12 offered in a middle or high school.

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School districts may only receive funding for middle school preparatory CTE courses if those courses are developed within a planned program of study that provides a nonduplicative progression of aligned CTE opportunities across both middle and high school.

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Middle and high school CTE courses must be treated as a single program when accounting for and calculating minimum expenditures, carryover amounts, and recovery amounts. This treatment is exclusively for accounting purposes and must not result in disparate program quality across grade levels.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony On Proposed Substitute:

PRO: Coming from a family of manufacturing and trade was a unique and valuable experience, and it is something we have gotten away from in recent decades. This bill would allow students in middle school to have these hands on experiences. This is a simple, agency request bill that allows students in 6th grade to explore CTE opportunities.? Currently one third of students in a three-year middle school cannot be part of the master schedule and, if they are allowed, then it adds work for the fiscal managers to back out the calculation on their end. This would allow sixth graders to participate and makes sure there is a continuum process that supports the CTE pathway and high school and beyond plan. More sixth graders are moving to middle schools as the school buildings are being remodeled and this creates hands on experiences for them that aren't currently available. If the Legislature is unable to fully fund it this year at least there will be a framework in place for future years.
Persons Testifying: PRO: Senator John Braun, Prime Sponsor; Scott Kerwien, Spokane Public Schools; Misha Cherniske, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction; Tim Knue, Washington Association for Career and Technical Education.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: No one.