House
Republicans sparred with Democrats over a House rule change to create an
education-only budget before
writing the rest of the budget, in an attempt to
show that Democrats didn’t think education was the state’s paramount duty. Not
to be outdone, minority Senate Democrats sought to take advantage of a Senate
Republican resignation, and a temporary 24-24 tie, to force the Senate to vote
on a bill that would extend about $400 million in local levy authority through
January 1, 2019. Both efforts failed, but the floor action did create some
political theater. On another note,
Senate Republicans released an education spending plan on Saturday and
scheduled a hearing on Monday at 3:30 p.m., in the Senate Ways & Means
Committee. Finally, the House Education
Committee passed HB 1046, which would eliminate the requirement to pass state
assessments to graduate; the bill passed on a 17-2 vote.
Status of Top Five Legislative
Priorities - Update
1.
Social and Emotional Learning
·
HB 1377 – school support services staff.
·
HB 1518 – SEL throughout the calendar year.
2.
Amply Funding Basic Education
·
SB 5297 – Inslee compensation schedule.
·
HB 1059 – extending the levy
cliff through January 1, 2019.
·
HB 1282/SB 5183 – increasing MSOC CTE funding. WSPTA signed in as
support in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education committee.
·
SB 5432 –
increasing the funding allocation for special education programs for students
with disabilities.
3.
Closing the Opportunity Gap
·
HB 1511 – expansion of LAP funding.
·
SB 5348 – special needs assessments/diploma/transitional services.
·
HB 1295 – creating a language access advisory committee, and lighthouse
projects.
4.
Standards for Para-educators
·
HB 1115 – JC Mitchell testified in favor of the
bill in the House Education Committee. The bill sponsor has introduced a
substitute to the original, which would remove the requirements for
certification and endorsements in ELL and Special Education but boost training.
·
SB 5070 – not scheduled for executive action yet.
5.
Breakfast after the Bell
·
HB 1508 – requiring a breakfast after the bell program
in high needs schools and eliminating lunch co-pays. Bill is scheduled for
a public hearing Thursday, February 2, in House Education at 8 a.m.
·
NEW: HB 1551 – creating a kitchen equipment
competitive grant program to enhance student nutrition in public schools. The bill is scheduled for a public hearing
Friday, February 3, in House Capital Budget at 8 a.m.
2017
WSPTA Supported Issues:
·
Improving Educational Outcomes for Foster Children
o
SB 5241/HB 1628 would require school districts to
consolidate partial credits, unresolved or incomplete coursework and provide opportunities
for credit accrual that eliminates barriers to foster youth.
·
Engaging Families in Student Success
o
NEW: HB 1618 would create a single definition of
“family and community engagement coordinators,” and set duties and
responsibilities.
·
Post-Secondary/Higher Education Access and
Affordability
o
HB 1033 - concerning the State Need Grant.
o
HB 1452/SB 5361 – expanding the Opportunity Scholarship Program.
o
HB 1512 – expanding eligibility for the College Bound scholarship
program.
o
NEW: HB 1651 would put an emphasis on student orientation and supports
once a student begins a two-year or four-year college or university.
o
NEW: SB 5476 would expand the State Need Grant
income eligibility to families with 85% of the state’s median family income.
o
NEW: SB 5568 would freeze tuition at the two-year and four-year
colleges and universities to 2016-17 levels.
·
Removing Barriers to Implementing ECEAP
o
SB 5107 would allow local governments, school
districts and non-profit organizations to pay for early learning programs, and
would direct Dept of Early Learning to help increase access to early learning.
o
HB 1518 would create a summer Jump Start ECEAP
pilot program to be used in public schools to get students entering
kindergarten ready.
·
Restorative Justice and School Safety
o
SB 5155 would prohibit the suspension or expulsion
of a student in grades K-2, except for the remainder of the day. The bill had a
public hearing last week; concerns were raised about the need to have enough
time to set up a plan to provide safety to all involved.
Also
of note:
·
Simple majority for bonds: Several bills have been
introduced that would allow a simple majority on school bond elections.
o
HB 1778/SB 5076 would allow simple majority at all
elections.
o
HB 1779 would allow simple majority at only
November general elections.
Week in Review
WSPTA
signed in as support in the House on a bill related to CTE MSOC funding. Member
JC Mitchell testified at the House Education Committee in support of the
para-educators bill, HB 1115.
The Week Ahead
Monday, January 30
1:30 p.m., Senate Early
Learning & K-12 Education, SHR 1
Work Session: High school graduation
requirements.
Public Hearing:
1.
SB 5202 - Authorizing
nationally recognized college assessments for high school assessment purposes.
2.
SB 5238 - Requiring that
cursive writing be taught in common schools.
3. SB 5241 - Concerning the educational success of youth in foster care.
Tuesday, January 31
8 a.m., Senate Higher
Education, SHR 3
Public Hearing:
·
SB 5361 - Concerning the opportunity scholarship program.
1:30 p.m., House Education, HHR A
Public Hearing:
·
HB 1451 - Improving language access for public school students and families with
limited English proficiency.
1:30 p.m., Senate Early
Learning & K-12 Education, SHR 1
Work
Session: Parent/Family engagement
and community-school connections. WSPTA
President Barbara Martin will be presenting on behalf of the Washington State
PTA.
3:30 p.m., House Capital
Budget, HHR B
Work Session:
1.
School Construction.
2.
Early Learning Facilities Needs.
Wednesday, February 1
1:30 p.m., House Higher Education, HHR D
Work Session: Report from the William
D. Ruckelshaus Center on "Situation Assessment of the Regulation of
For-Profit Degree-Granting Institutions and Private Vocational Schools in
Washington."
Public Hearing:
·
HB 1425 - Creating the Washington next generation educational savings account
pilot program.
·
HB 1452 - Concerning the opportunity scholarship program.
8 a.m., House Education,
HHR A
Public Hearing:
1.
HB 1235 - Assessing
physical education practices in public schools.
2.
HB 1346 - Clarifying the
authority of a nurse working in a school setting.
3. HB 1377 - Improving students' mental health by enhancing nonacademic professional
services.
4. HB 1508 - Promoting student health and readiness through meal and nutrition
programs.
5.
HB 1542 - Concerning
dropout prevention through engaging youth in farming.
1:30 p.m., Senate Early Learning & K-12
Education, SHR 1
Work Session:
1.
Home visiting.
2. Programs for highly capable students.
Friday, February 3
8 a.m., House Capital Budget, HHR B
Public Hearing:
·
HB 1551 - Creating a competitive equipment assistance grant program to enhance
student nutrition in public schools.
Prepared by
Marie Sullivan
WSPTA Legislative Consultant
