WSCA Legislative Update
Today marks the first major cutoff of the 2016 legislative session. Any bill remaining in its committee of origin by 5:00 today is technically “dead” for this year. Policy committees will take a break for the next few weeks while bills containing financial implications to the state are heard by the Legislature’s fiscal committees, and the Senate and House move to their respective chambers to start voting bills across the Rotunda.
Many important bills for school counselors were passed out of their policy committees this week, including several key bills regarding assessments, the teacher shortage, school bus safety, unfunded mandates, and career and college readiness.
WSCA testified in favor of HB 2373, a bill to require ESDs to provide training in social-emotional learning for school personnel. The bill would ensure the recommendations from the SEL work group at OSPI are implemented once they are finalized later this year. The bill passed out of the House Education Committee yesterday. The Senate version of the bill did not pass out of committee.
HB 2381, legislation convening a task force on school counselors, psychologists and social workers, was also passed out of the House Education Committee this week with bipartisan support, and referred directly to House Rules. WSCA testified in support of this bill last week. The bill was modified to specify the PESB will convene the task force and accept the recommendations from the group by December 1, 2016.
HB 2439, an important mental health bill for children and youth, passed out of the House Early Learning and Human Services Committee this week. Among other things, this bill directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee to conduct an inventory of the mental health service models available to students in schools, school districts, and Educational Service Districts and report its findings to the Legislature by October 31, 2016. WSCA supported this legislation, which has been referred to House Appropriations.
SB 6429, “The Sandman Act,” originally proposed to mandate schools start one hour later than current start times, but was amended in the Senate Early Learning/K-12 Committee before passing out unanimously this week. The bill now directs the Washington State Institute of Public Policy to conduct a study of the student achievement outcomes and other related outcomes when schools have later school day start times. WSIPP must submit a report to the Legislature by December 1, 2016.
Bill Details / Status / SponsorESHB 1236 / College bound scholarship / H Hi Ed / Ortiz-Self
Allowing certain school personnel to witness a student's college bound scholarship pledge if the student's parent or guardian is unavailable. (REVISED FOR ENGROSSED: Concerning witnessing a student's college bound scholarship pledge when efforts to obtain a parent's or guardian's signature are unsuccessful. )
HB 1236-S - Allows a school counselor or an administrator to witness a student's college bound scholarship pledge if the parent or guardian is unavailable.
E3SHB 1295 (SB 5437) / Breakfast after the bell / S EL/K-12 / Hudgins / Support
Concerning breakfast after the bell programs.
HB 1295-S3 - DIGEST Requires each high-needs school to offer breakfast after the bell to each student and provide adequate time for students to eat. Requires the state to provide, and the office of the superintendent of public instruction to administer, one-time start-up allocation grants of six thousand dollars to each high-needs school implementing a breakfast after the bell program. Requires the office of the superintendent of public instruction to: (1) Develop and distribute procedures and guidelines for the implementation of this act; and (2) Dedicate staff within the office to offer training and technical and marketing assistance to public schools and school districts related to offering breakfast after the bell. Authorizes the office of the superintendent of public instruction to convene a work group to determine how to reduce the sugar content in all school meals. Requires the office of the superintendent of public instruction, school districts, and affected schools to implement the provisions of this act only after funding is specifically provided for the purposes of this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, in a biennial or supplemental operating budget.
HB 1345 / Professional learning / S EL/K-12 / Lytton
Adopting a definition and standards of professional learning.
Adopts a statewide definition of effective professional learning. Directs public schools and school districts to establish targeted, sustained, relevant professional learning opportunities that meet the definition and are aligned to state and district goals.
2SHB 1408 / Family engagemnt coordinator / S EL/K-12 / Ortiz-Self
Concerning the development of a definition and model for "family engagement coordinator" and other terms used interchangeably with it.
Requires the office of the education ombuds to: (1) Together with the educational opportunity gap oversight and accountability committee, develop and recommend to the education committees of the legislature a definition for the term that is variously referred to as "family engagement coordinator," "parent and family engagement coordinator," and "parent involvement coordinator"; and a model or framework for such a staff position; and (2) In developing the model or framework for the staff position, collaborate with the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the Washington education association, the public school employees of Washington, the Washington school counselors' association, the association of Washington school principals, and the state school directors' association. Expires July 1, 2017.
4SHB 1541 / Educational opportunity gap / S EL/K-12 / Santos
Implementing strategies to close the educational opportunity gap, based on the recommendations of the educational opportunity gap oversight and accountability committee.
Adopts policies and procedures to implement the following recommendations of the educational opportunity gap oversight and accountability committee: (1) Reduce the length of time students of color are excluded from school due to suspension and expulsion and provide students support for reengagement plans; (2) Enhance the cultural competence of current and future educators and classified staff; (3) Endorse all educators in English language learner and second language acquisition; (4) Account for the transitional bilingual instruction program instructional services provided to English language learner students; (5) Analyze the opportunity gap through deeper disaggregation of student demographic data; (6) Invest in the recruitment, hiring, and retention of educators of color; (7) Incorporate integrated student services and family engagement; and (8) Strengthen student transitions at each stage of the education development pathway.
E2SHB 1682 (SB 5065) / Homeless students / H Rules R / Fey
Concerning data reported by the office of the superintendent of public instruction for homeless students. (REVISED FOR ENGROSSED: Concerning homeless students. )
HB 1682-S2 - Requires the office of the superintendent of public instruction to report to the governor and the legislature the following data for homeless students: (1) The number of identified unaccompanied homeless students enrolled in public schools; and (2) The academic performance and educational outcomes of unaccompanied homeless students. Defines "unaccompanied homeless student" as a student who is homeless and is not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian.
SHB 1855 / Local graduation requiremnts / S EL/K-12 / Caldier
Waiving local graduation requirements for certain students.
Requires the waiver of certain graduation requirements for students who are at-risk youth or children in need of services pursuant to the family reconciliation act and for students who are homeless.
HB 1900 / School counselor, etc. / H Rules R / Ortiz-Self
Defining the role of the school counselor, social worker, and psychologist.
Specifies that the primary role of school counselors, social workers, and psychologists is to: (1) Focus on student mental health; (2) Work with at-risk and marginalized students; (3) Perform risk assessments; and (4) Collaborate with mental health professionals.
2SHB 1916 / Chem dependncy & mental hlth / H HC/Wellness / Cody
Integrating administrative provisions for chemical dependency and mental health.
Addresses the integration of chemical dependency and mental health administrative provisions. Designates the department of social and health services as the state behavioral health authority which includes recognition as the single state authority for substance use disorders and state mental health authority.
HB 2113 / Poverty, task force on / H Erly Lrn/H Svc / Walkinshaw
Creating a task force on poverty.
Creates the legislative task force on poverty and requires the task force to develop a comprehensive plan for more effective and efficient poverty relief solutions through identification of pathways out of poverty. Expires December 31, 2017.
SHB 2214 / HS student assessments / S EL/K-12 / Reykdal
Increasing academic rigor and streamlining assessment requirements for high school students.
Eliminates the tenth grade assessments in reading, writing, and mathematics and alternative assessments that students may use to obtain a certificate of academic achievement. Requires students to meet the standard on the smarter balanced English language arts and mathematics assessments administered in high school, or demonstrate by the beginning of their senior year that they have met state standards using the SAT or ACT. Intends for students who fail to meet the standard to take and pass locally determined courses in their senior year that align with their college or career goals and college and career standards including, when available, high school transition courses and dual credit courses. Declares it is the intent of the legislature for Washington to administer only the following for high school graduation: The assessment developed with a multistate consortium in English language arts; the assessment developed with a multistate consortium in mathematics; and the statewide assessment in science including, when operational, the comprehensive next generation science standards assessment.
ESHB 2366 (SB 6195) / Basic education obligations / S EL/K-12 / Lytton
Concerning basic education obligations.
Creates the education funding task force to continue the work of the governor's informal work group to review the data and analysis provided by the consultant mentioned below and make recommendations to the legislature on implementing the program of basic education. Requires the state institute for public policy, in consultation with the education funding task force, to contract for independent professional consulting services to: (1) Collect K-12 public school staff total compensation data; (2) Identify market rate salaries that are comparable to each of the staff types in the prototypical school funding model; and (3) Provide analysis regarding whether a local labor market adjustment formula should be implemented and if so which market adjustment factors and methods should be used. Requires the superintendent of public instruction to collect, and school districts and other applicable local education agencies to provide, compensation data necessary to implement this act with sufficient time for the consultant to accomplish the required work. Requires that legislative action be taken by the end of the 2017 session to eliminate school district dependency on local levies for implementation of the state's program of basic education. Makes appropriations. Expires June 30, 2017.
HB 2373 (SB 6432) / Student mental health / Passed, H Education / Senn
Making provisions to evaluate student mental health services and provide students with skills that promote mental health and well-being and increase academic performance.
Requires each educational service district to develop and maintain the capacity to serve as a convener, trainer, and mentor for educators, administrators, and other school district staff on social and emotional learning. Requires the joint legislative audit and review committee to conduct an inventory of the mental health service models available to students through schools, school districts, and educational service districts.
HB 2381 / School counselors task force / H Rules R / Ortiz-Self
Establishing a legislative task force on school counselors, psychologists, and social workers.
Creates the legislative task force on school counselors, psychologists, and social workers to review: (1) The projected need of school districts for each category of educational staff associate; (2) The current capacity of the state for meeting this need; (3) Alternative routes for educational staff associate certification; and (4) Social work, psychologist, and counselor preparation programs. Expires July 1, 2017.
HB 2396 / Homeless youth health care / H Judiciary / McBride
Concerning access to nonemergency, outpatient, primary health care services for unaccompanied homeless youth under the federal McKinney-Vento homeless assistance act.
Allows informed consent for health care for a patient under the age of majority to be obtained from a school nurse, a counselor, or a homeless student liaison under certain circumstances.
HB 2430 / Appliance water conservation / H Rules R / Stanford
Preserving water resources for an array of water supply needs, including irrigated agriculture, fish and wildlife habitat, and municipal use, by updating water conservation standards for appliances.
Updates water conservation standards for appliances to preserve water resources for water supply needs, including irrigated agriculture, fish and wildlife habitat, and municipal use.
HB 2439 (SB 6494) / Youth mental health services / H Approps / Kagi
Increasing access to adequate and appropriate mental health services for children and youth.
Creates the children's mental health work group to identify barriers to access of mental health services for children and families and to advise the legislature on statewide mental health services for this population. Requires the state health care authority and the department of social and health services to report to the appropriate legislative committees on the status of access to behavioral health services for children from birth through age seventeen. Requires the state health care authority to require universal screening and provider payment for depression for children ages eleven through twenty-one as recommended by the bright futures guidelines of the American academy of pediatrics. Provides that this act is null and void if appropriations are not approved.
HB 2556 / Academic achievement certif. / Passed, H Education / Hunt
Eliminating the certificate of academic achievement as a requirement for high school graduation.
Modifies high school graduation requirements by eliminating the certificate of academic achievement.
HB 2573 (SB 6332) / Teacher shortage / Passed, H Education / Santos
Concerning the shortage of public school teachers and substitute teachers.
Requires the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with school district and educational service district personnel, to develop and implement a comprehensive, statewide initiative to increase the number of qualified individuals who apply for teaching positions in the state. Authorizes, under certain circumstances and in addition to postretirement employment options, a teacher in plan 2 or plan 3 who has retired under alternate early retirement provisions to be employed with an employer that has documented a shortage of certificated substitute teachers without a suspension of the retiree's benefit. Requires a professional certificate to be issued to certain experienced out-of-state teachers if the teacher: (1) Holds a valid teaching certificate issued by the national board for professional teaching standards; or (2) Has a second-level teacher certificate from another state. Makes an appropriation.