- includes $50 million in additional MSOC;
- shifts the $97 million from 1,080 instructional hours to begin a phase in of a 24-credit diploma; and
- restores $2 million to school districts with 57% poverty in counties that receive federal timber payments.
All three issues support positions adopted by the 2013 Legislative Assembly.
Additional funding for MSOC will help the Legislature be better prepared for the 2015-17 biennial budget and the phase in of the McCleary decision and ESHB 2261 (2009). Over the interim, school districts identified issues with the funding for 1,080 hours and several bills were introduced to make sure the funding was spent in a meaningful way. The federal timber payment issue has been on the WSSDA positions list for years.
