Daily Legislative Update

As the fourth week of the 2010 Legislative Session comes to a close, things continue to move at a fast and furious pace. Today marks the Senate policy committee cut-off (the House policy committee cut-off was on Tuesday, Feb. 2). Any bill that failed to be acted upon and still remains in its original house policy committee is now technically dead for the session. The Senate Ways & Means Committee just started meeting this afternoon, with no scheduled end time, and the House Ways & Means Committee will meet for most of the day tomorrow, in an attempt to adopt priority bills before the next self-imposed legislative deadline arrives on Tuesday, Feb. 9 — all bills must be moved out of their original house fiscal committees by Tuesday in order to remain alive. Remember, however, that budget bills and bills considered “necessary to implement the budget” are exempt from these early deadlines.

Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee adopted numerous bills, including HB 2759, HB 2893, HB 3026, HB 2621, HB 2852, HB 2913, HB 3059 and HB 3068.

• HB 2759 would exclude from school districts' levy bases state or federal allocations that are based on non-resident students enrolled in an online school program. This bill is intended to keep school districts from starting online school programs for financial motives, rather than for academic purposes.
• HB 2893 would increase school district levy lids by four percent, increase Local Effort Assistance by two percent, and restore school district levy bases. We jumped the gun a bit earlier this week and reported this bill had already been adopted; however, the Committee did amend the bill as expected and moved the bill out yesterday. The approved striking amendment includes several technical corrections and a major policy decision. A “reverse severability” clause was added to the bill, which declares that each section of the bill represents a comprehensive plan for addressing school levy laws such that if any section passed by the Legislature is invalidated or not signed into law, or if OSPI does not certify that full funding has been appropriated for the LEA rates in the bill, the entire act is null and void. 
• HB 3026 would add a new chapter to the school code paralleling the current Sexual Equality chapter and prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, disability, or the use of a trained guide or service animal by a person with a disability. Additionally, OSPI would be: charged with developing rules and guidelines to eliminate such discrimination; and authorized to enforce compliance.
• HB 2621 would direct OSPI to designate up to three high schools to serve as “lighthouses” that offer technical assistance and advice to school districts and communities regarding best practices in STEM education.
• HB 2852 would authorize school districts to claim basic education funding for students enrolled in college credit-bearing courses offered by public institutions of higher education.
• HB 2913 would authorize innovative interdistrict cooperative high school programs. Sponsored by Rep. Kathy Haigh, the bill would allow nonhigh districts to establish “Innovation Academies” to provide local options to their high school age students.
• HB 3059, part of the “Race To The Top” package of bills, would expand options for educator performance.
• HB 3068 would allow, under certain circumstances, individuals who participated in one of the Recruiting Washington Teachers programs for high school students to participate in the Pipeline for Paraeducators conditional scholarship program.

Yesterday afternoon and last evening, the Senate Early Learning & K12 Education Committee held its final pre-cut-off meetings and adopted 13 bills: SB 6553, SB 6643, SB 6702, SB 6604, SB 6620, SB 6511, SB 6798, SJM 8023, SB 6494, SB 6800, SB 6740, SB 6533 and SB 6778:

• SB 6553 would delay the implementation of the math and science high school graduation requirements.
• SB 6643 would allow second-class school districts to submit a condensed compliance report to OSPI, rather than submit individual compliance reports.
• SB 6702 would provide for a program of education for juveniles confined in adult jail facilities.
• SB 6604 would provide school districts with additional flexibility by repealing, suspending or amending a series of unfunded mandates. A few amendments were made to the bill; however, language remains (Sections 15 and 16) that would change the membership structure of the Washington State School Directors’ Association by amending current law provisions which provide for automatic membership in WSSDA.
• SB 6620 would provide schools and school districts recognized as being successful with flexibility as a reward.
• SB 6511 would direct OSPI to develop rules, definitions, guidance and model policies (with WSSDA’s assistance) regarding gangs and hate groups. The bill would also allow school districts to suspend or expel students if they are members of, or associate with, a criminal street gang. Schools districts could also reject applications from non-resident students on grounds of criminal street gang membership.
• SB 6798 would implement recommendations of the Achievement Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee, including the implementation of cultural competence standards.
• SJM 8023 is a Memorial that would request Congress to fulfill the federal commitment to fund special education to 40 percent of total special education costs experienced by the states.
• SB 6494 require the State Board of Health to revise their rules pertaining to primary and secondary school facilities to eliminate rules that are obsolete or not specifically funded or implemented.
• SB 6800 would give OSPI the authority to monitor, investigate, and prepare complaints for victims of discrimination in public schools based on violations of either state or federal civil rights laws. Complaints prepared by OSPI would be required to be submitted to the Human Rights Commission for enforcement.
• SB 6740 would modify the charge of the Local Finance Working Group (as established by HB 2261) to examine options for a comprehensive K-12 finance policy based on the following principles: increasing support for public schools through the statewide property tax; reducing reliance on property taxes from voter-approved excess levies; removing historical inequities caused by grandfathering of levy lids in certain school districts; providing a consistent source of financing to support K-12 capital facilities; and providing a fair and equitable means of adjusting tax burden for property-poor school districts. These key principles to be addressed are linked to the Iseminger Education Funding Plan (which was unanimously endorsed by the WSSDA Board of Directors in December). Rather than implementing the Iseminger Education Funding Plan, this bill drives the discussion on revenue options, based on the tenets established in Iseminger’s Plan. We hope this bill will force legislators to focus on the revenue question for K-12 education.
• SB 6533 would allow high school credits to be provided for physical education, visual and performing arts, and elective requirements for educational experiences selected by parents and students.
• SB 6778 would allow an alternative route to a high school diploma. If a student completed the minimum course requirements for admission to a public four-year higher education institution, attained at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average in those courses and completed a culminating project and a high school and beyond plan, they would be awarded a high school diploma. These students wouldn’t be required to earn a Certificate of Academic Achievement or a Certificate of Individual Achievement.

Finally, on Sunday and Monday, Feb. 7-8, several hundred school directors and administrators will be coming to Olympia for the annual WSSDA/WASA Legislative Conference.  The purpose of the Conference is to provide up-to-the-minute information on legislative activities of the most interest to members of our two organizations and to provide an opportunity to discuss those interests directly with your legislators.  Given the state’s ongoing budget woes, efforts to implement HB 2261 (basic education finance reform), attempts to adopt major education policy changes to secure federal Race To The Top funds, the 2010 Legislative Conference could be one of the best opportunities to positively influence the Legislature that school directors and administrators have had in a long time.  Also, please note, due to Conference activities on Monday, we will likely not disseminate an Update on that day.