WSCA Legislative Report
This week, legislators were back in policy committeesfor hearings on bills from the opposite chamber.
All legislation must be heard and voted out of committee before the next deadline (March 29), unless it is necessary to implement the budget.The Governor signed SSB 5023, to delay any cuts in local school levies for another year, and negotiations on a 2017-19 operating budget continued without the “levy cliff” hanging over the Legislature.
On Thursday, the State Economic and Revenue Forecast Council presented its economic review to state policy makers, which projected state revenues will increase by $571 million through 2019. This could mean an additional $313 million for the 2017-19 biennium and $258 million more for the current two-year budget. Senate budget leaders expressed optimism they will be able to propose an operating budget that both meets the McCleary funding obligation set forth by the State Supreme Court, and does not include new taxes. House budget leaders are less convinced all the state’s obligations can be met without new revenue.
The Senate is expected to release its budget proposal as early as next week (March 20/21), and the House will likely unveil their proposed budget the following week (March 27).
The Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee is having a public hearing next week on SHB 1046, legislation to eliminate the standardized state assessment as a high school graduation requirement for students beginning with the Class of 2017. The bill passed out of the House with a vote of 92-6. WSCA will have members at the hearing Monday to testify in support of the bill.
Upcoming Events
Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) - SHR 1, - 3/20 @ 1:30pm
- SHB 1046 - Public Hearing - Concerning certificates of academic and individual achievement.
Education (House) - HHR A, JLOB - 3/20 @ 1:30pm
- SB 5448 - Public Hearing - Concerning no required psychotropic medication use for students.
Higher Education (House) - HHR D, JLOB - 3/21 @ 8:00am
- ESB 5234 - Exec Session - Requiring establishment of credit policies regarding AP exams.
Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) - SHR 1, - 3/21 @ 1:30pm
- EHB 1551 - Public Hearing - Creating a competitive equipment assistance grant program to enhance student nutrition in public schools.
- ESHB 1508 - Public Hearing - Promoting student health and readiness through meal and nutrition programs.
Higher Education (House) - HHR D, JLOB - 3/22 @ 1:30pm
- ESB 5234 - Exec Session - Requiring establishment of credit policies regarding AP exams.
Education (House) - HHR A, JLOB - 3/23 @ 8:00am
- HB 1539 - Public Hearing - Regarding a curriculum for the prevention of sexual abuse of students.
- SB 5639 - Exec Session - Concerning alternative student assessments.
Higher Education (Senate) - SHR 3, - 3/23 @ 8:00am
- SHB 1293 - Public Hearing - Concerning witnessing a student's college bound scholarship pledge when efforts to obtain a parent's or guardian's signature are unsuccessful.
Bill Details / Status / Sponsor / Priority / Position
HB 1012 (Dead) (SB 5891) / H.S. graduation/science test / H Education / Taylor
Eliminating the use of the high school science assessment as a graduation prerequisite.
Changes graduation requirements by eliminating the use of the high school science assessment.
SHB 1046 / Certificates of achievement / S EL/K-12 / MacEwen
Concerning certificates of academic and individual achievement.
Discontinues certificates of academic and individual achievement as graduation requirements. Requires school districts to prepare plans for and notify students and their parents or legal guardians to assure: (1) Continued progress in academic achievement as a foundation for high school graduation; and (2) That students are on track for high school graduation.
SHB 1059 (ESB 5023) / School levy lid revs./delay / S Ways & Means / Lytton
Delaying implementation of revisions to the school levy lid.
Extends current statutory policies on local enrichment through calendar year 2018 to promote a school district's ability to plan for the future during the 2017 transition period.
HB 1256 (Dead) / School assessment system / H Education / Young
Reforming the school assessment system to focus on teaching and learning.
Changes school assessment system provisions by: (1) Eliminating nonfederally required tests; (2) Removing the graduation requirement from statewide tests; (3) Allowing opting out of standardized tests with no repercussion to students; and (4) Creating a balanced assessment system.
HB 1282 (SB 5183) / Career & technical education / H Approps / Tarleton
Concerning career and technical education funding.
Ties the career and technical funding for materials, supplies, and operating costs to the general education funding for materials, supplies, and operating costs by setting a rate for career and technical education that is equal to a specified multiplier of the general education funding.
SHB 1293 / College bound sch./signature / S Higher Ed / Ortiz-Self
Concerning witnessing a student's college bound scholarship pledge when efforts to obtain a parent's or guardian's signature are unsuccessful.
Addresses unsuccessful efforts to obtain a parent's or guardian's signature with regard to the witnessing of a student's college bound scholarship pledge.
HB 1310 (Dead) / School violence reports / H Education / Manweller
Creating a program to provide students and the community with the means to report anonymously concerning unsafe or violent activities, or the threat of these activities.
Creates the students protecting students program, within the office of the superintendent of public instruction, to provide students and the community with the means to relay information anonymously concerning unsafe, potentially harmful, dangerous, violent, or criminal activities, or the threat of these activities, to the appropriate schools or law enforcement agencies. Requires the office of the superintendent of public instruction to contract with an existing organization to provide the program. Requires school districts to annually: (1) Make available to students at least one age-appropriate educational program, class, or activity designed to teach students about the program; and (2) Disseminate information about the program, including contact information for anonymous reporting, to students and families through any normal means of existing communication.
HB 1313 (Dead) / Applied learning / H Education / Pettigrew
Improving and expanding applied learning opportunities in public schools.
Creates the applied learning advisory committee to provide guidance to legislators, the superintendent of public instruction, the governor, and other policymakers on the improvement and expansion of applied learning opportunities in public schools.
SHB 1319 / Educators evaluation freq. / H Passed 3rd / McCaslin
Concerning the frequency of evaluations for certain educators.
Requires certain classroom teachers and principals to receive an annual comprehensive summative evaluation every six years.
ESHB 1333 (ESB 5234) / AP exam credit / S Higher Ed / Stambaugh
Requiring establishment of a systemwide policy for granting credit for AP exams.
HB 1333-S - DIGEST Requires institutions of higher education, in collaboration with the student achievement council, to establish a policy for granting undergraduate course credits, that fulfill certain requirements, to students who have earned minimum scores of three on AP exams.
HB 1374 (SB 5283) / Ed. staff assocs/service yrs / H Approps / Dolan
Concerning the calculation of years of service for educational staff associate positions for salary allocation purposes.
Addresses educational staff associate positions for salary allocation purposes with regard to the calculation of years of service in a nonschool position.
SHB 1377 / Student mental health / S EL/K-12 / Ortiz-Self
Improving students' mental health by enhancing nonacademic professional services.
Addresses the role of a school counselor, a school social worker, and a school psychologist in promoting student achievement and creating a safe learning environment. Requires first-class school districts to provide at least six hours of professional collaboration per year for school counselors, social workers, and psychologists that focuses on recognizing signs of emotional or behavioral distress in students. Creates the professional collaboration lighthouse grant program to assist school districts with early adoption and implementation of mental health professional collaboration time. Requires the superintendent of public instruction to designate two school districts as lighthouse school districts to serve as resources and examples of best practices in designing and operating a professional collaboration program for school counselors, social workers, and psychologists, and local licensed mental health service providers. Requires the professional educator standards board to convene a task force on school counselors, psychologists, and social workers to review certain issues.
HB 1415 (Dead) / High school student assess. / H Education / Taylor
Concerning statewide high school student assessments.
Declares an intent: (1) To simplify existing state assessment requirements and administer the ACT test as the statewide high school assessment for reading or language arts, mathematics, and science; and (2) For the administration of the ACT test to be for federal accountability purposes and does not intend for the ACT test to be used in determining whether a student is eligible to graduate from high school.
SHB 1444 / Progression and graduation / S EL/K-12 / Caldier
Facilitating on-time grade level progression and graduation for certain students.
Requires a school district to incorporate certain procedures to facilitate on-time grade level progression and graduation of students who are at-risk youth or children in need of services or homeless. Authorizes a school district of origin or of residence to enroll a high school student, who changes residence mid-term, in online courses or school programs for the remainder of the academic term. Requires a receiving school district to waive local requirements and ensure the receipt of a diploma if a student has enrolled in three or more school districts as a high school student and met state requirements but is ineligible to graduate from the receiving school district.
ESHB 1508 / Student meals & nutrition / S EL/K-12 / Stonier
Promoting student health and readiness through meal and nutrition programs.
Establishes the Washington kids ready to learn act of 2017. Requires each high-needs school to offer breakfast after the bell to each student and provide adequate time for students to consume the food. Requires the superintendent of public instruction to administer one-time start-up allocation grants to each high-needs school implementing a breakfast after the bell program. Creates the breakfast after the bell lighthouse project to promote best practices for breakfast after the bell programs. Requires school districts with school lunch programs to begin to eliminate lunch copays for students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade who qualify for reduced-price lunches. Authorizes school districts and the office of the superintendent of public instruction to coordinate with the department of agriculture to promote and facilitate farm-to-school programs and small and direct marketing farm programs within school districts. Authorizes the office of the superintendent of public instruction to award grants to school districts to collaborate with community-based organizations, food banks, and farms or gardens for reducing high school dropout occurrences through farm engagement projects. Provides that this act is null and void if appropriations are not approved.
HB 1509 / Credits for HS graduation / H Approps / Stonier
Concerning credit requirements for high school graduation.
Provides an opportunity for students to complete all credits required for high school graduation.
SHB 1518 / Social emotional learning / H Approps / Senn
Improving student achievement by promoting social emotional learning throughout the calendar year.
Establishes the summer step up act. Requires the department of early learning to contract for up to an additional six hundred slots in summer early childhood education and assistance programs at K-12 school building sites giving priority to programs operated in K-12 school buildings that: (1) Plan to include four-year old and five-year old children; (2) Are in low-income areas or areas underserved by the programs; and (3) Plan to fund meal programs during the summer using reimbursements from the United States department of agriculture or other nonstate sources. Requires the superintendent of public instruction to convene a work group to build upon the social emotional learning work group established in 2016. Creates the summer step-up grant program to increase the number of programs that combine academics and social emotional learning.
HB 1539 (Dead) / Sexual abuse of students / H Education / McCabe
Regarding a curriculum for the prevention of sexual abuse of students.
Creates the Erin's law legislative task force for the purpose of adopting a model curriculum for the prevention of sexual abuse of students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.
HB 1549 (SB 5112) / Tax preferences / H Finance / Lytton
Investing in education and other vital public services by narrowing or eliminating tax preferences, making administrative revenue changes, and redirecting existing revenue sources.
Invests in education and other vital public services by: (1) Narrowing the use tax exemption for extracted fuel; (2) Modifying the nonresident sales and use tax exemption; (3) Eliminating the sales and use tax exemption for bottled water; and (4) Addressing the real estate excise tax on foreclosures; the limit trade-in exclusion; the business license fee; the interest rate on assessments and refunds; trust fund accountability; the economic nexus for retailing business and occupation tax; and the public works assistance account.
HB 1550 (SB 5113) / B&O tax/education / H Finance / Lytton
Investing in education by modifying the business and occupation tax and providing small business tax relief.
Modifies the business and occupation tax and provides small business tax relief to invest in education.
EHB 1551 (SB 5708) / Student nutrition/grants / S EL/K-12 / Riccelli
Creating a competitive equipment assistance grant program to enhance student nutrition in public schools.
HB 1551 - DIGEST Establishes the apple a day act of 2017. Creates a competitive equipment assistance grant program, to be known as the apple a day program, to enhance overall student nutrition in public schools. Requires the superintendent of public instruction to establish a competitive process to prioritize applications for state assistance. Provides that this act is null and void if appropriations are not approved.
HB 1572 (Dead) (SB 5202) / High school assessments / H Education / Dolan
Authorizing nationally recognized college assessments for high school assessment purposes.
Authorizes nationally recognized college readiness assessments to be used by local school districts in place of the statewide administered high school assessments for high school graduation and federal accountability purposes beginning with the 2018-2019 school year.
ESHB 1600 / Career and college readiness / S EL/K-12 / Santos
Increasing the career and college readiness of public school students.
Creates the work-integrated learning demonstration pilot project to promote work-integrated learning experiences for students. Requires the workforce training and education coordinating board to convene a work-integrated learning advisory committee to provide advice to the legislature and the education and workforce sectors on creating opportunities for students. Requires the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the advisory committee to jointly select three or four high schools to develop work-integrated learning project programs. Requires the workforce training and education coordinating board and the office of the superintendent of public instruction to jointly review and analyze reports and data submitted to evaluate the work-integrated learning project programs. Provides that this act is null and void if appropriations are not approved.
SHB 1618 / Engagement coordinators / S EL/K-12 / Ortiz-Self
Concerning family and community engagement coordinators.
Changes the following terms to family and community engagement coordinator: Family engagement coordinator, parent and family engagement coordinator, and parent involvement coordinator. Requires a family and community engagement coordinator, within a school building or school district, to: (1) Identify and bridge barriers to students' and families' access to needed services; (2) Consult with an advisory group of students' families who reflect the demographic diversity within the school building or school district; and (3) Partner with community-based organizations to increase resources for family and community engagement.
HB 1621 / Social-emotional learning / H Approps / Senn
Providing funding allocations to promote children's health and social-emotional learning.
Promotes children's health and social-emotional learning by providing funding to school districts to employ additional staff who are dedicated to supporting children's health and social-emotional learning.
E2SHB 1713 (SSB 5763) / Children's mental health / S HumSer/MenHlth / Senn
Implementing recommendations from the children's mental health work group.
Requires the state health care authority to: (1) Oversee the coordination of resources and services through the managed health care system and tribal organizations providing health care services for children who are eligible for medical assistance and have been identified as requiring mental health treatment; (2) Require provider payment for annual depression screening for certain youth; and (3) Require provider payment for maternal depression screening for mothers of children ages birth to one year. Requires the department of early learning to establish a child care consultation program linking child care providers with evidence-based, trauma-informed, and best practice resources regarding caring for infants and young children who present behavioral concerns or symptoms of trauma. Requires the office of the superintendent of public instruction to produce a case study of an educational service district that is successfully delivering and coordinating children's mental health activities and services. Requires Washington State University to offer one twenty-four month residency position that is approved by the accreditation council for graduate medical education to one resident specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry. Requires a behavioral health organization to, upon initiation or renewal of a contract with the department of social and health services, reimburse a provider for a behavioral health service provided to certain covered persons through telemedicine or store and forward technology. Provides that this act is null and void if appropriations are not approved.
ESHB 1753 (SSB 5580) / Mental health professionals / S HumSer/MenHlth/ / Cody
Concerning professionals qualified to examine individuals in the mental health and substance use disorder treatment systems.
Corrects a technical oversight by recognizing a designated chemical dependency specialist as one of the qualified examining professionals authorized to sign an initial fourteen-day substance use disorder detention petition during the interim period between June 28, 2016, and April 1, 2018. Allows a physician assistant working with a supervising psychiatrist to qualify as a designated crisis responder.