Senate Passes Paraeducator Bill Today - Update

In a strong bipartisan vote, the Senate today approved a comprehensive para-educator development program. SB 5070 passed on a 37-12 vote and will require standards, professional development, a career ladder, a more accessible path to teacher certification, and training for teachers who supervise para-educators. Support for Standards for Para-educators is a Top 5 Priority Platform issue for Washington State PTA, so we’re excited to see the Senate take this important step forward. 

Author: 

Beth Sigall 

VP Family & Community Engagement

Lake Washington PTSA Council

WSPTA Bill Status & Upcoming Events Report

Appropriations (House) - HHR A, JLOB - 2/20 @ 1:30pm

·         SHB1115 - Public Hearing - Concerning para-educators.

·         HB1282 - Public Hearing - Concerning career and technical education funding.

Appropriations (House) - HHR A, JLOB - 2/21 @ 1:30pm

·         SHB1115 - Executive Session - Concerning para-educators.

Prepared by

Marie Sullivan

WSPTA Legislative Consultant

Email Marie

February 17 Marks First Major Deadline for Bills

Last week began with a public hearing in the House Appropriations Committee on the two competing education funding proposals: SSB 5607 (Senate Republicans) and HB 1843 (House Democrats). The bills drew more than two hours’ worth of testimony, most of it mixed on both spending plans, although the support for HB 1843 outweighed that of SSB 5607.

Some of the objections raised to SSB 5607 included the concern about the lack of a local levy in calendar 2019 and the impact on programs and staffing that would have on two school years; the cap on use of a 10% local M&O levy on programs and activities that might currently be funded by local levies; the limit on salaries to 80% of a total budget, along with setting a minimum salary; and the overall lack of new funding to the system. In addition, the state counties association and fire district association weighed in with concerns about the impact the additional $1.80 statewide property tax would have on other taxing districts that access funds within the property tax box.

Concerns about HB 1843 included elimination of a minimal salary structure to provide stability for salaries at all levels, including experience and education; failure to address the system’s inequity by maintaining a statewide 24% local levy; and the inclusion of TRII as an allowed expenditure.

SHB 1843 was amended in committee, and passed out on a party-line vote. The changes include the additional of an accountability monitoring and reporting system, requiring districts to report on WaKIDS, 3^rd grade reading proficiency, 8^th grade math proficiency, and four-year graduation rates. The amended bill also includes a work group organized by OSPI to review the 12.7% cap on state spending for students with special needs and to make recommendations whether the percent should be adjusted. Finally, while calling it a drafting error, the amendment reduces the prototypical funding percentage for parent involvement coordinators from all schools to just prototypical elementary schools.

Friday, February 17^th marks the first of many deadlines the Legislature uses to winnow the number of bills they consider. By Friday, policy bills must have passed out of committee to a budget committee or to the Rules committee to stay under consideration. This deadline will be followed by February 24^th, which is the cutoff for bills with a fiscal impact (to the state) to be considered.

Status of Top Five Legislative Priorities - Update

1.       Social and Emotional Learning

·         The bill that would embed SEL throughout the calendar year is up for public hearing Monday.

2.       Amply Funding Basic Education

·         The House Appropriations Committee passed SHB 1823 (see above).

3.       Closing the Opportunity Gap

·         No new bills introduced

4.       Standards for Parae-ducators

·         SHB 1115 was voted out of House Education as a substitute, replacing requirements for certification and endorsements with training and standards for all para-educators, and standards for para-educators who are in classrooms with students with special needs and ELL students.

5.       Breakfast after the Bell

·         SB 5696 is the Senate version of the Breakfast after the Bell bill. It is scheduled for public hearing Thursday, February 16 at 1:30 in the Senate education committee. 

2017 WSPTA Supported Issues:

·         Improving Educational Outcomes for Foster Children

o   No new bills

·         Engaging Families in Student Success

o   HB 1843 specifically increases to 1.085 the family engagement coordinator per prototypical school.

o   Unfortunately, SHB 1843, the House Democrats’ education funding plan, removed the increase to 1.085 FTE for all prototypical schools, setting it only for elementary schools.

·         Post-Secondary/Higher Education Access and Affordability

o   Several bills had public hearings last week, and bills WSPTA is tracking have passed or are on the schedule for executive action this session.

·         Removing Barriers to Implementing ECEAP

o   HB 1518 is an SEL bill, but also would create the opportunity for school districts to offer a summer-only ECEAP program for children entering kindergarten the upcoming year.  

·         Restorative Justice and School Safety

o   No new bills

Week in Review

WSPTA parent Jennifer Ogle testified February 6 on the House and Senate education funding plans. Parent Sarah Butcher is scheduled to testify on behalf of WSPTA on Monday, February 13 on the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) bill.

The Week Ahead

Monday, February 13

Education (House) - HHR A, JLOB - 2/13 @ 1:30pm

Public hearing:

·         HB 1511 - Concerning the learning assistance program.

·         HB 1518 - Improving student achievement by promoting social emotional learning throughout the calendar year.

·         HB 1618 - Concerning family and community engagement coordinators.

Tuesday, February 14

Early Learning & Human Services (House) - HHR C, JLOB - 2/14 @ 8:00am

·         HB 1867 - Public Hearing - Improving transitions in extended foster care to increase housing stability for foster youth.

Higher Education (House) - HHR D, JLOB - 2/14 @ 8:00am

Executive session:

·         HB 1375 - Providing students at community and technical colleges with the costs of required course materials.

·         HB 1169 - Enacting the student opportunity, assistance, and relief act.

·         HB 1440 - Establishing a student loan bill of rights.

·         HB 1425 - Creating the Washington next generation educational savings account pilot program.

·         HB 1452 - Concerning the opportunity scholarship program.

·         HB 1488 - Expanding higher education opportunities for certain students.

·         HB 1512 - Expanding college bound scholarship eligibility.

·         HB 1840 - Establishing the Washington promise program.

·         HB 1651 - Supporting students' success by increasing retention and graduation rates with evidence-based programs.

Higher Education (Senate) - SHR 3, JACB - 2/14 @ 8:00am

·         SB 5476 - Public Hearing - Expanding state need grant eligibility.

Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) - SHR 1, JACB - 2/14 @ 1:30pm

·         SB 5183 - Exec Session - Concerning career and technical education funding.

·         SB 5348 - Exec Session - Concerning students who receive special education services who earn certificates of individual achievement.

Education (House) - HHR A, JLOB - 2/14 @ 1:30pm

Executive session:

·         HB 1511 - Concerning the learning assistance program.

·         HB 1518 - Improving student achievement by promoting social emotional learning throughout the calendar year.

·         HB 1618 - Concerning family and community engagement coordinators.

Ways & Means (Senate) - SHR 4, JACB - 2/14 @ 3:30pm

·         SSB 5107 - Public Hearing - Creating a local pathway for local governments, school districts, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations to provide more high quality early learning opportunities by reducing barriers and increasing efficiency.

·         SB 5070 - Public Hearing - Concerning paraeducators. WSPTA signing in

Wednesday, February 15

Early Learning & Human Services (House) - HHR C, JLOB - 2/15 @ 1:30pm

·         HB 1867 - Exec Session - Improving transitions in extended foster care to increase housing stability for foster youth.

Higher Education (House) - HHR D, JLOB - 2/15 @ 1:30pm

Executive session:

·         HB 1375 - Providing students at community and technical colleges with the costs of required course materials.

·         HB 1169 - Enacting the student opportunity, assistance, and relief act.

·         HB 1440 - Establishing a student loan bill of rights.

·         HB 1425 - Creating the Washington next generation educational savings account pilot program.

·         HB 1452 - Concerning the opportunity scholarship program.

·         HB 1488 - Expanding higher education opportunities for certain students.

·         HB 1512 - Expanding college bound scholarship eligibility.

·         HB 1840 - Establishing the Washington promise program.

·         HB 1651 - Supporting students' success by increasing retention and graduation rates with evidence-based programs.

Appropriations (House) – HHR A, JLOB – 2/15 @ 3:30pm

·         SHB 1046 – Public Hearing – Concerning certificates of academic and individual achievement.

·         HB 1621 – Public Hearing – Providing funding allocations to promote children’s health and social-emotional learning.

Thursday, February 16

Education (House) – HHR A, JLOB – 2/16 @ 8:00am

Executive session:

·         HB 1511 - Concerning the learning assistance program.

·         HB 1518 - Improving student achievement by promoting social emotional learning throughout the calendar year.

·         HB 1618 - Concerning family and community engagement coordinators.

Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) - SHR 1, JACB - 2/16 @ 1:30pm

·         SB 5758 - Public Hearing - Increasing college and career readiness and graduation rates in public schools.

·         SB 5696 - Public Hearing - Concerning breakfast after the bell programs. (Hearing is on the Proposed Substitute.)

Ways & Means (Senate) - SHR 4, JACB - 2/16 @ 3:30pm

·         SB 5702 - Public Hearing - Improving state funding for school construction, modernization, and asset preservation.

·         SB 5753 - Public Hearing - Concerning the financing of early learning facilities.

Friday, February 17

Higher Education (House) - HHR D, JLOB - 2/17 @ 10:00am

Executive session:

·         HB 1375 - Providing students at community and technical colleges with the costs of required course materials.

·         HB 1169 - Enacting the student opportunity, assistance, and relief act.

·         HB 1440 - Establishing a student loan bill of rights.

·         HB 1425 - Creating the Washington next generation educational savings account pilot program.

·         HB 1452 - Concerning the opportunity scholarship program.

·         HB 1488 - Expanding higher education opportunities for certain students.

·         HB 1512 - Expanding college bound scholarship eligibility.

·         HB 1840 - Establishing the Washington promise program.

·         HB 1651 - Supporting students' success by increasing retention and graduation rates with evidence-based programs.

WSPTA Bill Tracker - updated 2/12/17

Prepared by:

Marie Sullivan

WSPTA Legislative Consultant

Email Marie

WSPTA Member, JC Mitchell, Testifies in Support of Para-educators

Mitchell, gentleman
seated on far right

Speaking on behalf of WSPTA and favor of HB 1115, creating standards for para-educators, JC Mitchell asks the House Education committees to pass this bill.

"It is essential that we have highly skilled para-educators working with our children," said Mitchell. "When talking with my son's Para-educators in a field trip, I was struck with how empowering it was for them to know that we are fighting for standards and training to help them be successful."

Watch the full broadcast here.

Work Session “101” Continues, Some Bill Action

Most committees continued to have a mix of work sessions designed to bring new committee members and new legislators up to speed on a host of issues, including the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), K-12 budget briefings, getting to know the education players and their roles and responsibilities.   

Status of Top Five Legislative Priorities

1.       Social and Emotional Learning

·      HB 1377 would require first-class (student enrollment above 2,000) to provide at least one hour of professional collaboration for school counselors, social workers, and psychologists that focuses on recognizing signs of emotional or behavioral distress in students. Would create the professional collaboration lighthouse grant program to assist school districts with early adoption and implementation of mental health professional collaboration time. Would require the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) to convene a task force on school counselors, psychologists, and social workers.

·      HB 1518 would reconvene the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) benchmarks group to identify benchmarks for SEL throughout the calendar year for grades K-12. It also would create a summer Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) program for K-12 school buildings, which would also incorporate SEL. Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) would be directed to have a technical assistance coordinator for SEL. 

2.      Amply Funding Basic Education

·      Several bills were introduced that would generate the revenues associated with Governor Inslee’s education budget.

·      SB 5297 is the Governor's compensation model bill. It would create a salary allocation model, starting in the 2017-18 school year; would fund 30 hours of professional development in 2017-18; 80 hours in 2018-19. Would fund (Beginning Educator Support Team) BEST mentors.

3.      Closing the Opportunity Gap

·      HB 1511 would generate additional funding under the Learning Assistance Program for students who are English Language Learners (ELL), homeless or in the foster care system.

·      SB 5348 would allow a student with special needs who earns a certificate of individual achievement to get: a diploma; transitional services for ages 18-21 when specified as needed in the IEP; and would allow school districts to get state and federal funds for the student while the student is getting transitional services.

4.      Standards for Para-educators

·      HB 1115 – scheduled for a public hearing on Thursday, January 26 at 8 a.m.

·      SB 5070 – WSPTA member Beth Sigall testified in favor.

5.      Breakfast after the Bell

·      HB 1508 – would create a mandate for schools that have 70 percent eligibility for Free and Reduced Price meals to offer a Breakfast after the Bell (BAB) program. Would include grants for schools that are affected, and would make time eating count as instructional hours if instruction is occurring. Also would seek to eliminate school lunch co-pays.   

2017 WSPTA Supported Issues:

·         Improving Educational Outcomes for Foster Children

o   HB 5241 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 – no legislation at this time.

·         Post-Secondary/Higher Education Access and Affordability

o   HB 1033 would change the amount of the State Need Grant students going to private four-year universities would receive (currently a higher dollar amount); the bill would make the grant award equal to lowest tuition charged at four-year public state university.

o   HB 1452/SB 5361 would expand the Opportunity Scholarship Program to include students pursuing professional technical degrees or professional technical certificates at institutions of higher education in programs approved by the State Board of Community & Technical Colleges.

o   HB 1512 would add 9th and 10th graders to the College Bound scholarship program if they were income ineligible in the 7th and 8th grades. Awards would be equal to tuition and fees for public community & technical colleges. It would cap attendance at two- and four-year institutions to four years of awards, and cap attendance in private vocational schools to two years of awards.

·         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.

·         Restorative Justice and School Safety

o   HB 1310 would create the Students Protecting Students Program at OSPI, to provide students and the community with a way 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.

Week in Review

WSPTA signed in as support in the House on a bill related to family and medical leave. Member Beth Sigall testified at the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee in support of the para-educators bill.

The Week Ahead

Monday, January 23

1:30 p.m., House Education, HHR A

Work Session: Educator Shortages, Part One.

1:30 p.m., Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education, SHR 1

Work Session: Career and Technical Education.
Public Hearing:

1.       SB 5183 - Concerning career and technical education funding.

2.      SB 5155 - Concerning suspension and expulsion of kindergarten and early elementary school students.

Tuesday, January 24

1:30 p.m., House Education, HHR A

Work Session: Educator Shortages, Part Two.

Thursday, January 26

8 a.m., House Education, HHR A

Public Hearing:

·         HB 1115 - Concerning para-educators.

Prepared by:

Marie Sullivan

WSPTA Legislative Consultant

Email Marie

Legislative Committee Schedule: Week 3

Monday, January 23

1:30 p.m., House Education, HHR A

Work Session: Educator Shortages, Part One.

1:30 p.m., Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education, SHR 1

Work Session: Career and Technical Education.

Public Hearing:

1.        SB 5183 - Concerning career and technical education funding.

2.       SB 5155 - Concerning suspension and expulsion of kindergarten and early elementary school students.

Tuesday, January 24

1:30 p.m., House Education, HHR A

Work Session: Educator Shortages, Part Two.

1:30 p.m., Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education, SHR 1

Work Session: Education Funding Task Force's Consultant Report.

Public Hearing:

1.        SB 5117 - Transitioning military student participation in extracurricular activities.

2.       SB 5129 - Concerning charter school students participating in inter-school athletics and extracurricular activities.

Wednesday, January 25

1:30 p.m., House Higher Education, HHR D

Public Hearing:

1.        HB 1169 - Enacting the student opportunity, assistance, and relief act.

2.       HB 1214 - Increasing the number of state need grant recipients by awarding the community and technical college rate in certain financial aid programs for a student's first two years of post-secondary credit.

3.       HB 1293 - Concerning witnessing a student's college bound scholarship pledge when efforts to obtain a parent's or guardian's signature are unsuccessful.

Possible Executive Session:

1.        HB 1107 - Eliminating the term "branch" as an identifying factor for extensions of the public institutions of higher education.

2.       HB 1129 - Providing associate degree education to enhance education opportunities and public safety.

3.       HB 1130 - Making the customized training program permanent.

Thursday, January 26

8 a.m., House Education, HHR A

Public Hearing:

1.        HB 1115 - Concerning para-educators.

2.       HB 1174 - Requiring the superintendent of public instruction to develop an elective firearms safety and hunter education course for high school students.

3.       HB 1208 - Concerning charter school students participating in inter-school athletics and extracurricular activities.

4.       HB 1235 - Assessing physical education practices in public schools.

Possible Executive Session:

1.        HB 1012 - Eliminating the use of the high school science assessment as a graduation prerequisite.

2.       HB 1023 - Concerning military student participation in varsity extracurricular activities.

3.       HB 1046 - Concerning certificates of academic and individual achievement.

1:30 p.m., Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education, SHR 1

Work Session: Civic Learning Initiative.

Public Hearing: Creating the civic learning public-private partnership [S-0406.2].

The draft bill is posted on the Committee's website here, and is also available from committee staff. Possible executive session on bills heard in committee. Other business.

Note: Schedule subject to change.