House Education Committee hears simple majority for bonds bill

Articulate parents from Tacoma, Lake Washington and Vancouver spoke strongly in favor of HB 2441 and HJR 4216, bills that would lower the 60% requirement to a simple majority for school bond elections. The parents are active members of their local PTAs and have worked on their bond measures.

Also speaking in favor were WSSDA, WEA, the Education Alliance, and the Puget Sound Schools Coalition.

Of the 24 bond measures on the ballot February 11, representing nearly $3 billion in requests, in unofficial results, 13 are failing. Of those, 10 would have also passed with a simple majority.

Speaking on other bills were school directors Anne Moore (Issaquah) and Glen Morgan (Rochester) on a bill that would allow school districts to post legal notices on their web site instead of in the closest daily newspaper. While the savings to the district isn't huge, both argued that it would cut some costs and provide broader reach in many cases.

HB 2319 is sponsored by Rep. Chad Magendanz, R-Issaquah, and is a WSSDA-adopted position titled "Legal Notices." Magendanz said that legal notices,in all but one case, were significantly more expensive than the general advertising rate. "School district need the flexibility to communicate in the best way," he said. "We require that school districts buy a product," and it's time to change that practice, he said.

Speaking against the bill were representatives of the newspaper industry.

School director Karen Vialle (Tacoma) testified in favor HB 2291, a bill that would require a majority of school board members on both of the boards considering a boundary change to agree before school boundaries could be changed.

Sponsored by Rep. Liz Pike, R-Camas, the bill was shared with the WSSDA legislative committee last summer; the committee did not adopt a position but was split on the issue. Lawmakers also seemed unconvinced, and Rep. Kathy Haigh, D-Shelton, said she had put the ESD as the neutral party in place years ago to avoid some of the issues that were being raised in the hearing.

WSSDA president Mari Taylor speaks in favor of professional development

WSSDA President Mari Taylor kicked off a panel of school district representatives during a work session on professional development before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education..

Taylor, a 14-year veteran of the Lake Stevens School Board of Directors, said that state funding for professional learning for our classroom teachers, paraeducators and principals is critical, particularly in light of recent changes in the past few years.

Districts specifically need to focus on training around common core state standards and the next generation science standards, along with using data to improve student achievement and the new evaluation system.

Taylor shared how Lake Stevens is embedding professional learning throughout the district on an on-going basis and in a collaborative manner. The best learning doesn't occur in short bursts, said Taylor. Rather, learning occurs throughout the year, and is intimately connected to daily work, she said..

WSSDA has prioritized professional development funding as one of its top priorities, and is promoting companion bills in the House and Senate (HB 2313/SB 6161) that would require at least two days of state funding for training for all certificated instructional staff, building-level administrators, and paraeducators who work with LAP, ELL, highly capable, and special education students.

School leaders from North Thurston, Tacoma, Vancouver, and Mary M. Knight school districts also discussed the importance of systematic professional learning and collaboration that is thoughtful and relevant.

Choose kids over big oil, say HB 2465 proponents

Supporters of closing a tax preference policy that has been extended to oil refineries testified in favor of HB 2465 this morning. Sporting buttons that read, "Choose little kids over big oil," several bill proponents said that the state's paramount duty is to fund education and closing this loophole would add $30 million a year for education..

In addition to Shawn Lewis of WEA, Clifford Traisman, representing the Washington Environmental Council, flagged passing this bill as one of its top two priorities this session. The WEC represents 23 environmental organizations; Traisman said that the bill is about fairness and it was more important to invest in kids over investing in fossil fuel companies.

On the other side of the debate were representatives of oil refineries and business organizations. Company owners said they already made significant contributions to education in their communities and through taxes, and closing this tax preference would have a negative impact on their business.

A similar bill passed the House twice in 2013 and has been targeted by former Gov. Christine Gregoire and by Gov. Jay Inslee as part of a larger package to reach $200 million for investments in education this session..

Senate and House education committees act on bills

Earlier this morning, the House Education Committee moved four out of more than a dozen bills before the House policy deadline took effect. Left on the table were bills that would have authorized the 24-credit framework and fixing the 1,080 minimum instructional hours requirement.

3SHB 1680 passed out of committee on nearly a party-line vote, with  Republican Kevin Parker, R-Spokane, joining all Democratic members to pass the bill from committee. The bill would implement recommendations from the Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight & Accountability Committee, and ranges from changes to discipline to requiring bilingual instructors in ELL classes.

Democratic committee members turned down several amendments offered by ranking member Cathy Dahlquist, R-Enumclaw, designed to minimize the impact on school districts and students.

The bill moves to the House Appropriations Committee.

The House Education Committee also moved out SHB 2540, which would require school districts to grant course equivalency to CTE courses starting in the 2015-16 school year.

In the Senate, a majority voted in favor of SSB 5986, a bill that would restore basic education apportionment payments to 215 school districts that receive federal forest payments. Voting against the school-director supported bill were Senators McAuliffe, D-Bothell; Billig, D-Spokane; Mullet, D-Issaquah; and Cleveland, D-Vancouver.

The bill moves onto the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

House education committee hears bills on culminating project, 1080 hours

With a packed agenda today, the House Education Committee heard bills that would support expanded learning opportunities, eliminate the culminating project as a state requirement, and delay implementation of the 1,080 hour requirement to the 2015-16 school year.

A student from East Valley (Yakima) spoke in favor of HB 2402, which would remove the culminating project as a state graduation requirement. In her remarks, the student mentioned that most students just see the culminating project as a hoop to jump through on their way to graduation. She pointed out that most students don't take the requirement seriously, particularly if they don't see any value in the effort.

Also speaking in favor were representatives from the League of Women Voters, WASA and a teacher from East Valley High School, LWV and WASA emphasized local control, and the option that this would still be available to districts that wanted to keep it as part of the mix. The teacher said that some students may conduct significant projects while others either don't have the time or don't have the inclination to make the senior project a meaningful event.

Signing in with concerns was the Workforce Development & Education Training Board, which emphasized that their concern was making sure students had an opportunity to reach into the community for workforce experience, but it didn't have to take place through the culminating project . The school principals association indicated a recent survey of members was split 2 to 1 in favor of eliminating the culminating project and shared some comments from both sides.

Signing in against the bill was the State Board of Education.

Committee members also heard from many in support of  HB 2548, which would delay the 1,080 hour requirement from the 2014-15 school year to the 2015-16 school year and fix the instructional hours issue related to students graduating from high school who currently have the a five-day grace period at the end of the school year.

The bill was requested by Superintendent Dorn and is sponsored by Rep. Steve Bergquist, D-Renton.

Speaking in favor were representatives from OSPI, WEA, AWSP, WASA, Pat Jenkins, a school director from the Puyallup School District, and district superintendent Tim Yeomans.

Shawn Lewis of WEA suggested lawmakers pass the bill and keep the funding in the budget and allow districts the opportunity to use the funding in a flexible way and focus on students who are struggling.

Yeomans said that 24 credits, under the most recent State Board of Education framework, is important and asked lawmakers to redirect the funding to be used for phasing in the 24-credit requirement.

Ben Rarick of the State Board of Education said they were technically opposed to the bill, but supported the fix for seniors. Their opposition is to the section that would delay implementation of 1,080 hours. "We have made a commitment to an extra 80 hours, whether it is a few minutes in the day or an extra 15 days, and this bill would be a step backward."

The hearing is available on TVW.

Educators speak against 24 credit requirement bill

Superintendents from the greater Spokane area and WEA lobbyist Shawn Lewis raised concerns about HB 2181 which would authorize the 24-credit framework adopted by the State Board of Education on January 9, 2014.

Specifically, Lewis flagged the lack of funding to truly implement a 24-credit framework in schools across the state, including the need for additional staffing, materials and supplies, and building space for new course requirements. He mentioned several OSPI capacity reports that described the funding necessary to get to 24 credits for high school students.

With a full agenda, and more than 20 people signed in to testify, Chair Sharon Tomiko Santos left the public hearing open on HB 2181 after hearing from a few speakers.

Acting Executive Director James Koval signed in to testify with concerns, mainly about the bill's assumption that funding provided in the 2013-15 biennial budget was sufficient to meet the 24 credits proposed by the SBE. In addition, a consistent message from school directors has been to ensure sufficient choice is available to students to keep them engaged in school and graduate with meaningful diplomas.

Koval's recommendation would be to hold off on authorizing the 24-credit framework created by the Board until the Legislature has a clear plan for phasing in the funding to meet all aspects of the state's redefined program of basic education and the system was better funded.

Another bill, proposed substitute House Bill 1656, also focused on graduation credits with an attempt to create even more flexibility for students. Kim Reykdal, a Tumwater School District school director who is a school counselor in her "day job," spoke to the need for strong high school and beyond plans and counselors to help students and parents find their way through maze of credit requirements.

Ranking member Cathy Dahlquist, R-Enumclaw, questioned Reykdal about the funding, listing increases to MSOC, LAP, instructional hours, guidance counselors, and family engagement. Reykdal responded by focusing on the guidance counselor allocation of $11 million, which wouldn't sufficiently fund the prototypical schools model for school counselors.

School directors and superintendents speak in favor of HB 2207

School directors from the Mount Baker, Sequim, and Centralia school boards and superintendents from the Davenport and Tonasket districts testified in favor of a bill that would restore basic education funding that is reduced, dollar for dollar, to school districts that receive federal forest payments.

This bill supports a long-standing WSSDA position, which was ranked 15th at the 2013 Legislative Assembly. WSSDA has taken the lead, working with Whatcom County school districts and the other 215 districts that would see a boost in basic education funding for the 2014-15 school year.

Will Clark, a research analyst for WSSDA, also spoke on the legislation, encouraging the committee to support the bill and include restored basic education funding in the 2014 supplemental budget.

Legislative committee staff mentioned that the fiscal impact could vary each year, based on the federal forest payments to districts, but is initially estimated at about $7 million for the next year. In the 2012-13 school year, 215ndistricts had reductions in basic education by $8.3 million.

Superintendents, school directors challenge bill that would limit early release, late start days

School director Michael Howe, Sequim, was joined by seven superintendents from the greater Spokane area to oppose SB 5982, a bill that would limit the number of late starts and early releases to seven in a 180-day school calendar.

Testifying before the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee, school leaders emphasized that limiting the number of times a school district can bring its staff together to talk about student achievement and improve instruction could be detrimental to student outcomes.

Riverside School District Superintendent Roberta Kramer compared a high school basketball team that practices together, evaluates team performance, and shares ways to improve for the next game with the way her district approaches the collaborative time associated with late start and early release days.

Jim Kowalkowski, Davenport's superintendent, asked lawmakers whether they would be more likely to send their child who needs brain surgery to a surgeon who has training once a year or a surgeon who talks regularly with peers and is on the cutting edge of the best technology and practices. Kowalkowski said he'd pick the one more current.

Listening to the testimony, Sen. Andy Billig, D-Spokane, asked whether the number of early releases and late starts had increased with the elimination of learning improvement days. The answer, overwhelmingly, was yes.

Chairman Steve Litzow, R-Mercer Island, asked each panelist what was their high school graduation rates and percentage of students eligible for free and reduced price meals. District superintendents shared graduation rates ranging from 90 percent to 98 percent, which received positive feedback from Litzow.

Hearing from local education leaders such as our superintendents and school directors is critical in this short session, and legislators truly appreciate hearing from you.

House Education Committee moves bills

After a quick public hearing on HB 2167 that would change the date for OSPI to identify school districts for Required Action District status from December 1 to February 1, the House Education Committee moved five bills out of committee this morning.

The bills included:

HB 2017 - would authorize school districts and ESDs to send contract nonrenewal notices to certificated employees by June 15 if the omnibus budget wasn’t adopted in the regular session.

SHB 1709 - would direct the Office of the Education Ombuds to examine the feasibility of creating an education interpreter training program, including the use of volunteer interpreters. The study is due February 1, 2015.

SHB 1815 - would direct WSSDA to convene a work group to develop a model policy and procedures on the use of adult language interpreters and to define what constitutes "high stakes educational situations." The model policy and procedures would be due June 1, 2015; districts would have until August 1, 2016 to adopt the model policy and procedures.

3SHB 1424 - would enhance the statewide K-12 dropout prevention, intervention, and re-engagement system, including adding this to the prototypical funding formula and basic education. The bill passed out of committee on a party-line vote, with ranking member Cathy Dahlquist, R-Enumclaw, stating Republicans supported the concept but couldn't agree with adding this to basic education at this time.

SHB 2158 - would add dropout prevention, intervention, and re-engagement activities by educational service districts as a core service and would allow, through interagency agreement, an ESD under contract with a district to award credit for the official transcript for students residing in the district.

Quick glance summary of 2013 legislative session

WSSDA Governmental Relations has released a short summary of legislation signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee.

Click here for a copy of the 12-page summary.

Inslee vetoed only one bill that would have affected school districts, and that was ESHB 1652. The bill would have deferred impact fees from the time a building permit is submitted to the time of occupancy. Local jurisdictions have found it difficult to plan for new growth and ensure infrastructure is in place. School districts can't just close their doors to new enrollments. They count on impact fees to help cover the cost of portables and space remodeling.

In vetoing the bill, Inslee pledged to work with the state's smaller home builders who could use assistance as the industry recovers in the Great Recession.

WSSDA, the Puget Sound Schools Coalition, many individual school districts, local government associations, and environmental organizations formally requested the veto.

A complete session summary will be available once the 63rd Legislature wraps up its work.