Establish new sections under chapter 392-341 WAC, State assistance in providing school plant facilities—Preliminary provisions; chapter 392-343 WAC, State funding assistance in providing school plant facilities—Basic state support; chapter 392-344 WAC, State assistance in providing school plant facilities—Procedural regulations; and chapter 392-347 WAC, State funding assistance in providing school plant facilities—Modernization.

Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: The Washington state legislature enacted SSB 5933 in 2022, which requires the office of superintendent of public instruction (OSPI) to implement the school seismic safety program (SSSP) to allow districts to receive seismic funds and be eligible to receive funding from the school construction assistance program. In alignment with SSB 5933 (2022), OSPI is considering rule making concerning SSSP. OSPI's current school construction rules do not provide a process that would allow OSPI to timely or effectively award these grant funds during the biennium. New grant funding procedures are necessary to preserve the general welfare by allowing OSPI to proceed with the grants and distribution of funding to school districts in accordance with legislative intent.

Process for Developing New Rule: Early solicitation of feedback and recommendations concerning new or amended rules, and consideration of comments and recommendations in the course of drafting rule language.

Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Scott Black, OSPI, P.O. Box 47200, Olympia, WA 98504, phone 360-742-4028, TTY 360-664-3631, email SchoolFacilityRules@k12.wa.us, website ospi.k12.wa.us.