Weekly Legislative Update – March 3, 2023

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CSTP Updates

We have made it through the first two major cut-offs and are cruising right on to the halfway point of the 2023 Legislative Session. Last week was jam packed with fiscal committee hearings and executive sessions, leaving lawmakers scrambling to add last minute amendments in order to ensure that their bill made it out of committee. The next major cut-off date is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8, and is the deadline for bills to pass in their house of origin. 

In a mid-February meeting with the State Board of Education (SBE), State Superintendent, Chris Reykdal, sketched out the money pressures currently facing Washington public schools. He expanded on the topic in an interview with the Seattle Times that was published on Monday. In this interview, Reykdal addressed these growing financial stressors and why he thinks the state is not doing enough to fund education. He sighted the possible school closures that the Bellevue School District announced a few weeks ago, and noted that Seattle Public Schools is also starting to talk about consolidating some schools to save money. Reykdal stated, “We’re down to enrollment levels we thought we’d see in about 10 years, which is 1.06 million students. If you’re a district that’s experiencing this disproportionately, it almost puts a freeze on your budget. … It is a perfect storm, and we are preparing ourselves for a number of districts who are going to find themselves in more financial distress.”

Education Committee Hearings for Next Week on TVW.org

House Education Committee:

  • Tuesday, March 7 at 8 a.m.
  • Thursday, March 9 at 8 a.m.

Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee:

  • Thursday, March 9 at 1:30pm

House Bills:

2SHB 1013: which would require OSPI and Washington ESDs to jointly establish a regional apprenticeship pilot program with one site each in Eastern and Western Washington. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.

SHB 1015: which revises minimum employment requirements for paraeducators. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.

ESHB 1057: which would provide a benefit increase to certain retirees of the public employees’ retirement system plan 1 and the teachers’ retirement system plan 1. The bill has passed out of the House Rules Committee. 

SHB 1109: which would provide additional special education funding to school districts in order to increase initial evaluations during summers. The bill has passed out of the House Rules Committee.

SHB 1113: which would require the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) to adopt rules for reviewing and vacating reprimands issued to certificated professional educators. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.

HB 1146: which would require schools to notify high school students and their families about available dual credit programs and any available financial assistance. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.

SHB 1207: which aims to prevent and respond to harassment, intimidation, bullying, and discrimination in schools through updated policies and procedures. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.

2SHB 1238: which would require K-5 elementary public schools, beginning with the 2024-25 school year, to offer universal free breakfasts and lunches if up to 30% of students at the school qualify for free or reduced lunch. The bill is in the House Rules Committee. This bill was highlighted in Crosscut this week.

2SHB 1239: which would establish a simple and uniform system for complaints related to, and instituting a code of educator ethics for, conduct within or involving public elementary and secondary schools. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.

ESHB 1277: which would establish rules to improve the consistency and quality of the implementation of the fundamental courses of study for paraeducators. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.

2SHB 1305: which would make changes to the requirements to initial student evaluations for special education and to the development and implementation of individualized education programs (IEPs) in order to improve access to a free appropriate public education for students with disabilities. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.

​​HB 1308: which establishes a graduation pathway option that enables students to meet pathway requirements by completing a performance-based learning experience. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.

2SHB 1316:  which would lower dual enrollment program costs for eligible students from $65 to $42.50 per credit by creating a subsidy program, incentivizing reduction of per college credit fees charged to college in the high school students, and revising eligibility for the Running Start (RS) program tuition fee waiver. The bill is in the House Rules Committee. 

2SHB 1332: which would require all school districts to incorporate a tribal sovereignty curriculum into their social studies curricula by September 1, 2023, as well as require districts to consult with the nearest federally recognized Indian tribe(s) about incorporating materials about their history, culture, and government into their social studies curricula by September 1, 2025. The bill is in the House Rules Committee. 

ESHB 1377:  which would require the posting of approved courses and providers of continuing education. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.

HB 1436: which authorizes school districts to apply to OSPI for additional special education funding beyond state excess cost allocations, and increases excess cost multipliers for special education students over four school years. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.

HB 1478: which establishes a statement of student rights for public schools and requires public schools to develop student-focused educational and promotional materials that incorporate the statement and to include the materials into required civics instruction. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.

2SHB 1479: which would prohibit students from being subjected to isolation, mechanical restraint, or chemical restraint by school staff, except for school resource officers under some circumstances, and specifies that existing isolation rooms must remain unlocked, and no new isolation rooms may be created, and, by January 1, 2024, isolation rooms must be removed or repurposed. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.

SHB 1504: which requires public schools, beginning with the 2024-25 school year, to provide daily recess for all students in kindergarten through grade 5, and grade 6 if the students attend an elementary school. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.

2HB 1550: which would establish the transition to kindergarten program to provide no-charge assistance to eligible children in need of additional preparation to be successful kindergarten students in the following school year. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.

2SHB 1565: which requires the development of an online platform for the recruitment and hiring of public school employees and establishes a teacher residency program. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.

HB 1622: which aims to support the needs of students experiencing homelessness by aligning program goals, establishing common reporting requirements, and establishing examples of permitted expenditures for the OSPI program. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.

SHB 1658: which would authorize high school students aged 16 and above to earn up to two elective credits through paid work experience if approval and alignment with the student’s High School and Beyond Plan are met. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.

HB 1692: which would create a nonpartisan Legislative District Student Council, composed of 11 student members, in each legislative district to serve as advisory bodies to examine and make recommendations on issues affecting youth and education. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.

SHB 1701: which concerns basic education services to youth who are served through institutional education programs. The bill is in the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.

Senate Bills:

SB 5019: which removes “classified staff providing student and staff safety” from the definition of physical, social, and emotional support staff and the specific funding considerations for that group. The bill is in the House Education Committee and scheduled for public hearing March 9 at 8 a.m.

SSB 5048: which would eliminate college in the high school fees. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.

SSB 5054: which would modify instructional hours to include time students spend in educational activities under the supervision of non-certificated staff while teachers participate in professional learning communities (PLCs) as well as encourage school districts to adopt a school calendar that includes at least four hours per week for teachers to engage in PLCs during the school day. The bill is in the House Education Committee.

SSB 5072: which would establish new requirements for identifying students who may be eligible for highly capable services, including conducting universal screenings once in or before second grade, and again before sixth grade (hearing time: 11:57).  The bill is in the House Education Committee and scheduled for executive session March 7 at 8 a.m.

SSB 5085: which would remove statutory limitations on the scope of collective bargaining in regards to supervisors, or principals and assistant principals, and would require specific evaluation criteria when transferring a principal/assistant principal to a subordinate certificated position. This bill would prohibit school district employment applications from including a question asking whether the applicant has ever been on a plan of improvement, or under an investigation. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.

SSB 5102: which requires school districts and school boards to provide every student with access to school library information and technology programs. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.

SSB 5127: which would clarify school districts’ ability to redact personal information related to a student. The bill has passed out of the Senate Rules Committee.

2SSB 5174: which would modify the student transportation allocation formula and expand the definition of “to and from school” to include the transportation of students participating in career connected and work based learning opportunities. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.

SB 5175: which would allow employment contracts between a school board and principal to be up to three years in length, as opposed to limited to a term of one year. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.

SB 5180: which aims to support the retention of teachers by removing barriers to licensure and creating a streamlined pathway to licensure mobility. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.

SSB 5243: which revises high school and beyond plan (HSBP) requirements, and would require OSPI to facilitate the transition and adoption of a common online platform for HSBPs. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.

ESSB 5257: which would ensure that public schools provide daily recess for all elementary students with a minimum of 45 minutes when the school day is longer than five hours and a minimum of 30 minutes when the school day is shorter, as well as prohibit schools from withholding recess as a punitive action (hearing time: 48:20). The bill is in the House Education Committee.

2SSB 5311: which would increase the special education excess cost multipliers for pre-K and K12 students over a four-year period and increase the special education enrollment funding cap from 13.5 percent to 14.5 percent. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.

2SSB 5315: which would require OSPI to establish standards for approval, monitoring, and investigating school district contracts with nonpublic agencies (NPAs) operating special education programs for students with disabilities, and requires that restraint and isolation procedures and notification requirements apply to NPAS. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.

ESB 5355: which requires school districts to provide instruction on sex trafficking prevention and identification at least once between grades 7 and 12 beginning in the 2024-25 school year. The bill is in the House Education Committee.

ESB 5462: which would direct OSPI to review and update relevant state learning standards at all grade levels to include the histories, contributions, and perspectives of LGBTQ people, and historically marginalized and underrepresented groups, by December 1, 2024. The bill is in the House Education Committee.

SB 5527: which would add additional courses to the list of courses approved as a graduation pathway option. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.

SSB 5617: which would require interdistrict cooperative agreements in a skill center to stipulate that any course equivalencies approved by OSPI or a host district must be honored by other participating school districts. The bill is in the House Rules Committee.

SSB 5626: which requires OSPI to establish a grant program for expanding the capability of school districts to integrate media literacy and digital citizenship into public school instruction. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.

SB 5647: which requires safe school plans to include how substitute teachers and other temporary employees receive necessary information, including school safety policies and procedures and the three basic functional drill responses. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.

SB 5650: which concerns salary inflationary increases for K-12 employees. The bill is in the Senate Rules Committee.

Odds and Ends:

Looking for additional tools to use in your classroom to help kids cope with stressors? From NPR Ed, How Grown Ups Can Help Kids Transition to Post-Pandemic School Life.

All schools in Washington state are now required to teach sexual health education. This week, The Seattle Times’ Education Lab reported on a new local podcast that provides a window into those classroom conversations in the Seattle area. “We really wanted to get ahead of that fear about what’s being talked about,” said Chris Johnson, director of prevention and education services at KCSARC. Check out, Seattle-Area Podcast Explores How to Talk to Kids About Consent.

Meet CSTP’s Legislative Update Coordinator Samantha Miller

Samantha Miller returns as CSTP’s Legislative Updates Coordinator for the 2023 legislative session. She writes weekly emails during the legislative session focusing on bills that impact Washington educators. Samantha has degrees in both Political Science and History, as well as a Master in Teaching. Samantha has worked in Elementary Education for 6 years, most recently as a 3rd Grade general education teacher. The majority of her time is spent chasing around her two children who keep her very busy. Samantha enjoys running, working in her yard, listening to political podcasts, and spending time with her family.