CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

SECOND SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5358

Chapter 134, Laws of 2025

69TH LEGISLATURE

2025 REGULAR SESSION

CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION—SIXTH GRADE EXPLORATORY COURSES AND ACCOUNTING

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 27, 2025

SECOND SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5358

BySenate Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Braun, Chapman, Christian, Cortes, Liias, MacEwen, Nobles, Salomon, Wellman, and C. Wilson; by request of Superintendent of Public Instruction)

AN ACT Relating to career and technical education in sixth grade; amending RCW 28A.150.265; and adding a new section to chapter 28A.700 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 28A.700 RCW to read as follows:

A school district may allow sixth grade students in middle school to enroll in exploratory career and technical education courses, but may not include such students in career and technical education enrollment counts for purposes of calculating allocations under RCW 28A.150.260 (4)(c) or (9).

Sec. 2. RCW 28A.150.265 and 2017 3rd sp.s. c 13 s 409 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) To the extent that career and technical education funding allocations under RCW 28A.150.260 (4)(c) and (9) exceed general education funding allocations under RCW 28A.150.260, school districts may use the difference only for the career and technical education purposes, defined as follows:

(a) Staff salaries and benefits for career and technical education program delivery;

(b) Materials, supplies, and operating costs;

(c) Smaller class sizes;

(d) Work-based learning programs such as internships and preapprenticeship programs, including coordination tied to career and technical education coursework;

(e) New high quality career and technical education and expanded learning program development in high-demand fields;

(f) Certificated work-based learning coordinators and career guidance advisors;

(g) School expenses associated with career and technical education community partnerships with a career discovery focus including research or evidence-based mentoring programs and expanded learning opportunities in school, before or after school, and during the summer, and career-focused education programs with private and public K-12 schools and colleges, community-based organizations and nonprofit organizations, industry partners, tribal governments, and workforce development entities;

(h) Student fees for national and state industry-recognized certifications; and

(i) Course equivalency development to integrate core learning standards into career and technical education courses.

(2) A school district's maximum allowable indirect cost charges for approved career and technical education programs funded by the state may not exceed the lower of five percent or the cap established in federal law for federal career and technical education funding provided to school districts, as the federal law existed on September 1, 2017.

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