(1) The monitoring oversight committee is hereby established. The committee shall be comprised of the directors or their designated representatives of:

       (a) The salmon recovery office;

       (b) The department of ecology;

       (c) The department of fish and wildlife;

       (d) The conservation commission;

       (e) The Puget Sound action team;

       (f) The department of natural resources;

       (g) The department of transportation; and

       (h) The interagency committee for outdoor recreation.

       (2) The director of the salmon recovery office and the chair of the salmon recovery funding board, or their designees, shall cochair the committee. The cochairs shall convene the committee as necessary to develop, for the consideration of the governor and legislature, a comprehensive and coordinated monitoring strategy and action plan on watershed health with a focus on salmon recovery. The committee shall invite representation from the treaty tribes to participate in the committee's efforts. In addition, the committee shall invite participation by other state, local, and federal agencies and other entities as appropriate. The committee shall address the monitoring recommendations of the independent science panel provided under RCW 77.85.040(7) and of the joint legislative audit and review committee in its report number 01-1 on investing in the environment.

       (3) The independent science panel shall act as an advisor to the monitoring oversight committee and shall review all work products developed by the committee and make recommendations to the committee cochairs.

       (4) A legislative steering committee is created consisting of four legislators. Two of the legislators shall be members of the house of representatives, each representing different major political parties, appointed by the co-speakers of the house of representatives. The other two legislators shall be members of the senate, each representing different major political parties, appointed by the president of the senate. The monitoring oversight committee shall provide briefings to the legislative steering committee on a quarterly basis on the progress that the oversight committee is making on the development of the coordinated monitoring strategy and action plan, and the establishment of an adaptive management framework. The briefings shall include information on how the monitoring strategy will be coordinated with other government efforts, expected benefits and efficiencies that will be achieved, recommended funding sources and funding levels that will ensure stable sources of funding for monitoring, and the efforts and cooperation provided by agencies to improve coordination of their activities.

       (5) The committee shall make recommendations to individual agencies to improve coordination of monitoring activities.

       (6) The committee shall:

       (a) Define the monitoring goals, objectives, and questions that must be addressed as part of a comprehensive statewide salmon recovery monitoring and adaptive management framework;

       (b) Identify and evaluate existing monitoring activities for inclusion in the framework, while ensuring data consistency and coordination and the filling of monitoring gaps;

       (c) Recommend statistical designs appropriate to the objectives;

       (d) Recommend performance measures appropriate to the objectives and targeted to the appropriate geographical, temporal, and biological scales;

       (e) Recommend standardized monitoring protocols for salmon recovery and watershed health;

       (f) Recommend procedures to ensure quality assurance and quality control of all relevant data;

       (g) Recommend data transfer protocols to support easy access, sharing, and coordination among different collectors and users;

       (h) Recommend ways to integrate monitoring information into decision making;

       (i) Recommend organizational and governance structures for oversight and implementation of the coordinated monitoring framework;

       (j) Recommend stable sources of funding that will ensure the continued operation and maintenance of the state's salmon recovery and watershed health monitoring programs, once established; and

       (k) Identify administrative actions that will be undertaken by state agencies to implement elements of the coordinated monitoring program.

       (7) In developing the coordinated monitoring strategy, the committee shall coordinate with other appropriate state, federal, local, and tribal monitoring efforts, including but not limited to the Northwest power planning council, the Northwest Indian fisheries commission, the national marine fisheries service, and the United States fish and wildlife service. The committee shall also consult with watershed planning units under chapter 90.82 RCW, lead entities under this chapter, professional organizations, and other appropriate groups.

       (8) The cochairs shall provide an interim report to the governor and the members of the appropriate legislative committees by March 1, 2002, on the progress made in implementing this section. By December 1, 2002, the committee shall provide a monitoring strategy and action plan to the governor, and the members of the appropriate legislative committees for achieving a comprehensive watershed health monitoring program with a focus on salmon recovery. The strategy and action plan shall document the results of the committee's actions in addressing the responsibilities described in subsection (6) of this section. In addition, the monitoring strategy and action plan shall include an assessment of existing state agency operations related to monitoring, evaluation, and adaptive management of watershed health and salmon recovery, and shall recommend any operational or statutory changes and funding necessary to fully implement the enhanced coordination program developed under this section. The plan shall make recommendations based upon the goal of fully realizing an enhanced and coordinated monitoring program by June 30, 2007.

       NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. If specific funding for the purposes of this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not provided by June 30, 2001, in the omnibus appropriations act, this act is null and void."

       Correct the title., and the same are herewith transmitted.

CYNTHIA ZEHNDER, Co-Chief Clerk

TIMOTHY A. MARTIN, Co-Chief Clerk

MOTION

      On motion of Senator Jacobsen, the Senate concurred in the House amendment to Substitute Senate Bill No. 5637.

      The President declared the question before the Senate to be the roll call on the final passage of Substitute Senate Bill No. 5637, as amended by the House.

ROLL CALL

      The Secretary called the roll on the final passage of Substitute Senate Bill No. 5637, as amended by the House, and the bill passed the Senate by the following vote: Yeas, 48; Nays, 0; Absent, 0; Excused, 1.

     Voting yea: Senators Benton, Brown, Carlson, Constantine, Costa, Deccio, Eide, Fairley, Finkbeiner, Franklin, Fraser, Gardner, Hale, Hargrove, Haugen, Hewitt, Hochstatter, Honeyford, Horn, Jacobsen, Johnson, Kastama, Kohl-Welles, Long, McAuliffe, McCaslin, McDonald, Morton, Oke, Parlette, Patterson, Prentice, Rasmussen, Regala, Roach, Rossi, Sheahan, Sheldon, B., Sheldon, T., Shin, Snyder, Spanel, Stevens, Swecker, Thibaudeau, West, Winsley and Zarelli - 48.

     Excused: Senator Kline - 1.

      SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 5637, as amended by the House, having received the constitutional majority, was declared passed There being no objection, the title of the bill will stand as the title of the act.

MESSAGE FROM THE HOUSE

April 18, 2001

MR. PRESIDENT:

      Under suspension of the rules, ENGROSSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 5695 was returned to second reading for purpose of an amendment and the bill passed the House with the following amendment(s):

       Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:

       "NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds and declares:

       (1) Teacher qualifications and effectiveness are the most important influences on student learning in schools.

       (2) Preparation of individuals to become well-qualified, effective teachers must be high quality.

       (3) Teachers who complete high-quality alternative route programs with intensive field-based experience, adequate coursework, and strong mentorship do as well or better than teachers who complete traditional preparation programs.

       (4) High-quality alternative route programs can provide more flexibility and expedience for individuals to transition from their current career to teaching.

       (5) High-quality alternative route programs can help school districts fill subject matter shortage areas and areas with shortages due to geographic location.

       (6) Regardless of route, all candidates for residency teacher certification must meet the high standards required by the state.

       The legislature recognizes widespread concerns about the potential for teacher shortages and finds that classified instructional staff in public schools represent a great untapped resource for recruiting the teachers of the future.

       NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. There is hereby created a statewide partnership grant program to provide new high-quality alternative routes to residency teacher certification. To the extent funds are appropriated for this specific purpose, funds provided under this partnership grant program shall be used solely for school districts, or consortia of school districts, to partner with state-approved higher education teacher preparation programs to provide one or more of three alternative route programs in section 5 of this act, aimed at recruiting candidates to teaching in subject matter shortage areas and areas with shortages due to geographic location. Districts, or consortia of districts, may also include their educational service districts in their partnership grant program. Partnership programs receiving grants may enroll candidates as early as January 2002.

       NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) Each district or consortia of school districts applying for state funds through this program shall submit a proposal to the Washington professional educator standards board specifying:

       (a) The route or routes the partnership program intends to offer and a detailed description of how the routes will be structured and operated by the partnership;

       (b) The number of candidates that will be enrolled per route;

       (c) An identification, indication of commitment, and description of the role of approved teacher preparation programs that are partnering with the district or consortia of districts;

       (d) An assurance of district provision of adequate training for mentor teachers either through participation in a state mentor training academy or district-provided training that meets state-established mentor-training standards specific to the mentoring of alternative route candidates;

       (e) An assurance that significant time will be provided for mentor teachers to spend with the alternative route teacher candidates throughout the internship. Partnerships must provide each candidate with intensive classroom mentoring until such time as the candidate demonstrates the competency necessary to manage the classroom with less intensive supervision and guidance from a mentor;

       (f) A description of the rigorous screening process for applicants to alternative route programs, including entry requirements specific to each route, as provided in section 5 of this act; and

       (g) The design and use of a teacher development plan for each candidate. The plan shall specify the alternative route coursework and training required of each candidate and shall be developed by comparing the candidate's prior experience and coursework with the state's new performance-based standards for residency certification and adjusting any requirements accordingly. The plan may include the following components:

       (i) A minimum of one-half of a school year, and an additional significant amount of time if necessary, of intensive mentorship, starting with full-time mentoring and progressing to increasingly less intensive monitoring and assistance as the intern demonstrates the skills necessary to take over the classroom with less intensive support. For route one and two candidates, before the supervision is diminished, the mentor of the teacher candidate at the school and the supervisor of the teacher candidate from the higher education teacher preparation program must both agree that the teacher candidate is ready to manage the classroom with less intensive supervision. For route three candidates, the mentor of the teacher candidate shall make the decision;

       (ii) Identification of performance indicators based on the knowledge and skills standards required for residency certification by the state board of education;

       (iii) Identification of benchmarks that will indicate when the standard is met for all performance indicators;

       (iv) A description of strategies for assessing candidate performance on the benchmarks;

       (v) Identification of one or more tools to be used to assess a candidate's performance once the candidate has been in the classroom for about one-half of a school year; and

       (vi) A description of the criteria that would result in residency certification after about one-half of a school year but before the end of the program.

       (2) Districts may apply for program funds to pay stipends to both mentor teachers and interns during their mentored internship. For both intern stipends and accompanying mentor stipends, the per intern district request for funds may not exceed the amount designated by the BA+0 cell on the statewide teacher salary allocation schedule. This amount shall be prorated for internships and mentorships that last less than a full school year. Interns in the program for a full year shall be provided a stipend of at least eighty percent of the amount generated by the BA+0 cell on the statewide teacher salary allocation schedule. This amount shall be prorated for internships that last less than a full school year.

       NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. (1) The professional educator standards board, with support from the office of the superintendent of public instruction, shall select school districts and consortia of school districts to receive partnership grants from funds appropriated by the legislature for this purpose. Factors to be considered in selecting proposals include:

       (a) The degree to which the district, or consortia of districts in partnership, are currently experiencing teacher shortages;

       (b) The degree to which the proposal addresses criteria specified in section 3 of this act and is in keeping with specifications of program routes in section 5 of this act;

       (c) The cost-effectiveness of the proposed program; and

       (d) Any demonstrated district and in-kind contributions to the program.

       (2) Selection of proposals shall also take into consideration the need to ensure an adequate number of candidates for each type of route in order to evaluate their success.

       (3) Funds appropriated for the partnership grant program in this chapter shall be administered by the office of the superintendent of public instruction.

       NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. Partnership grants funded under this chapter shall operate one to three specific route programs. Successful completion of the program shall make a candidate eligible for residency teacher certification. For route one and two candidates, the mentor of the teacher candidate at the school and the supervisor of the teacher candidate from the higher education teacher preparation program must both agree that the teacher candidate has successfully completed the program. For route three candidates, the mentor of the teacher candidate shall make the determination that the candidate has successfully completed the program.

       (1) Partnership grant programs seeking funds to operate route one programs shall enroll currently employed classified instructional employees with transferable associate degrees seeking residency teacher certification with endorsements in special education, bilingual education, or English as a second language. It is anticipated that candidates enrolled in this route will complete both their baccalaureate degree and requirements for residency certification in two years or less, including a mentored internship to be completed in the final year. In addition, partnership programs shall uphold entry requirements for candidates that include:

       (a) District or building validation of qualifications, including three years of successful student interaction and leadership as a classified instructional employee;

       (b) Successful passage of the statewide basic skills exam, when available; and

       (c) Meeting the age, good moral character, and personal fitness requirements adopted by rule for teachers.

       (2) Partnership grant programs seeking funds to operate route two programs shall enroll currently employed classified staff with baccalaureate degrees seeking residency teacher certification in subject matter shortage areas and areas with shortages due to geographic location. Candidates enrolled in this route must complete a mentored internship complemented by flexibly scheduled training and coursework offered at a local site, such as a school or educational service district, or online or via video-conference over the K-20 network, in collaboration with the partnership program's higher education partner. In addition, partnership grant programs shall uphold entry requirements for candidates that include:

       (a) District or building validation of qualifications, including three years of successful student interaction and leadership as classified staff;

       (b) A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. The individual's college or university grade point average may be considered as a selection factor;

       (c) Successful completion of the content test, once the state content test is available;

       (d) Meeting the age, good moral character, and personal fitness requirements adopted by rule for teachers; and

       (e) Successful passage of the statewide basic skills exam, when available.

       (3) Partnership grant programs seeking funds to operate route three programs shall enroll individuals with baccalaureate degrees, who are not employed in the district at the time of application, or who hold emergency substitute certificates. When selecting candidates for certification through route three, districts shall give priority to individuals who are seeking residency teacher certification in subject matter shortage areas or shortages due to geographic locations. For route three only, the districts may include additional candidates in nonshortage subject areas if the candidates are seeking endorsements with a secondary grade level designation as defined by rule by the state board of education. The districts shall disclose to candidates in nonshortage subject areas available information on the demand in those subject areas. Cohorts of candidates for this route shall attend an intensive summer teaching academy, followed by a full year employed by a district in a mentored internship, followed, if necessary, by a second summer teaching academy. In addition, partnership programs shall uphold entry requirements for candidates that include:

       (a) Five years' experience in the work force;

       (b) A baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. The individual's grade point average may be considered as a selection factor;

       (c) Successful completion of the content test, once the state content test is available;

       (d) External validation of qualifications, including demonstrated successful experience with students or children, such as references letters and letters of support from previous employers;

       (e) Meeting the age, good moral character, and personal fitness requirements adopted by rule for teachers; and

       (f) Successful passage of statewide basic skills exams, when available.

       NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. The alternative route conditional scholarship program is created under the following guidelines:

       (1) The program shall be administered by the higher education coordinating board. In administering the program, the higher education coordinating board has the following powers and duties:

       (a) To adopt necessary rules and develop guidelines to administer the program;

       (b) To collect and manage repayments from participants who do not meet their service obligations; and

       (c) To accept grants and donations from public and private sources for the program.

       (2) Participation in the alternative route conditional scholarship program is limited to classified staff in routes one and two of the partnership grant programs under section 5 of this act. The Washington professional educator standards board shall select classified staff to receive conditional scholarships.

       (3) In order to receive conditional scholarship awards, recipients shall be accepted and maintain enrollment in alternative certification routes through the partnership grant program, as provided in section 5 of this act. Recipients must continue to make satisfactory progress towards completion of the alternative route certification program and receipt of a residency teaching certificate.

       (4) For the purpose of this chapter, a conditional scholarship is a loan that is forgiven in whole or in part in exchange for service as a certificated teacher employed in a Washington state K-12 public school. The state shall forgive one year of loan obligation for every two years a recipient teaches in a public school. Recipients that fail to continue a course of study leading to residency teacher certification or cease to teach in a public school in the state of Washington in their endorsement area are required to repay the remaining loan principal with interest.

       (5) Recipients who fail to fulfill the required teaching obligation are required to repay the remaining loan principal with interest and any other applicable fees. The higher education coordinating board shall adopt rules to define the terms for repayment, including applicable interest rates, fees, and deferments.

       (6) To the extent funds are appropriated for this specific purpose, the annual amount of the scholarship is the annual cost of tuition for the alternative route certification program in which the recipient is enrolled, not to exceed four thousand dollars. The board may adjust the annual award by the average rate of resident undergraduate tuition and fee increases at the state universities as defined in RCW 28B.10.016.

       (7) The higher education coordinating board may deposit all appropriations, collections, and any other funds received for the program in this chapter in the student loan account authorized in RCW 28B.102.060.

       NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. This chapter expires June 30, 2005.

       NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. The Washington state institute for public policy shall submit to the education and fiscal committees of the legislature, the governor, the state board of education, and the Washington professional educator standards board, an interim evaluation of partnership grant programs funded under this chapter by December 1, 2002, and a final evaluation by December 1, 2004. If specific funding for the purposes of this section, referencing this section and this act by bill or chapter number, is not provided by June 30, 2001, in the omnibus appropriations act, this section is null and void.

       NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. Sections 1 through 8 and 10 of this act constitute a new chapter in Title 28A RCW.

       NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. School districts or approved private schools' ability to employ personnel under certification for emergency or temporary, substitute, or provisional duty as authorized by chapter 28A.410 RCW are not affected by the provisions of this act."

       On page 1, line 2 of the title, after "certification;" strike the remainder of the title and insert "adding a new chapter to Title 28A RCW; creating a new section; and providing an expiration date.", and the same are herewith transmitted.

CYNTHIA ZEHNDER, Co-Chief Clerk

TIMOTHY A. MARTIN, Co-Chief Clerk

MOTION

      Senator Eide moved that the Senate concur in the House amendments to Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill No. 5695.

      Debate ensued.

      The President declared the question before the Senate to be the motion by Senator Eide to concur in the House amendments to Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill No. 5695.

      The motion by Senator Eide carried and the House amendments were adopted.

      The President declared the question before the Senate to be the roll call on the final passage of Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill No. 5695, as amended by the House.

ROLL CALL

      The Secretary called the roll on the final passage of Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill No. 5695, as amended by the House, and the bill passed the Senate by the following vote:. Yeas, 48; Nays, 0; Absent, 0; Excused, 1.

     Voting yea: Senators Benton, Brown, Carlson, Constantine, Costa, Deccio, Eide, Fairley, Finkbeiner, Franklin, Fraser, Gardner, Hale, Hargrove, Haugen, Hewitt, Hochstatter, Honeyford, Horn, Jacobsen, Johnson, Kastama, Kohl-Welles, Long, McAuliffe, McCaslin, McDonald, Morton, Oke, Parlette, Patterson, Prentice, Rasmussen, Regala, Roach, Rossi, Sheahan, Sheldon, B., Sheldon, T., Shin, Snyder, Spanel, Stevens, Swecker, Thibaudeau, West, Winsley and Zarelli - 48.

     Excused: Senator Kline - 1.

      ENGROSSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 5695, as amended by the House, having received the constitutional majority, was declared passed There being no objection, the title of the bill will stand as the title of the act.

MESSAGE FROM THE HOUSE

April 12, 2001

MR. PRESIDENT:

      The House has passed SENATE BILL NO. 5937 with the following amendment(s):

       Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:

       "NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The department of retirement systems, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the department of personnel, and the health care authority shall jointly develop publications for use during the 2001-03 biennium to explain options for, and implications of, postretirement employment for members and retirees of the teachers' retirement system plan 1 and the public employees' retirement system plan 1.

       (2) The publications shall address such issues as: (a) Health insurance coverage upon reemployment; (b) health benefit options upon termination of postretirement employment; (c) sick leave, annual leave, and other compensation practices; (d) options for, and implications of, reentry into active retirement system membership; (e) hiring procedures for retirees; and (f) collective bargaining rights and responsibilities.

       Sec. 2. RCW 28A.405.900 and 1990 c 33 s 404 are each amended to read as follows: