By Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org
The state House of Representatives started the first day of session by welcoming a new member who was appointed last fall, and passing three bills. In addition, as reported last week, more than 600 bills were introduced in the House and Senate on Monday, January 8th. This gave committees plenty of bills to consider, including a public hearing on Governor Jay Inslee’s 2024 supplemental budgets, public hearings in both House and Senate policy committees, and a work session on isolation and restraint in the House Education Committee (which can be watched here, and their Tuesday work session can be found here).
Day Two was just as busy but included a joint session of the Legislature and Governor Inslee’s 10th (and final) State of the State Address. Governor Inslee urged legislators to support his top priorities and “run through the tape,” a coaching tip from his father to run beyond the finish line at top speed. The Governor said he is committed to continuing to work with the Legislature to strengthen the state’s behavioral health system, address the housing crisis, and prioritize funding for students and schools. He also reiterated the urgency of fighting climate change. Watch the address to the Legislature here.
On Wednesday, January 10, Superintendent Chris Reykdal delivered his 3rd annual State of Education update. Among his many points, Reykdal said, “While our state has made significant gains in recent years in school funding, the funding provided by the state is not keeping up with inflation. As the impact of inflation reduces school districts’ buying power, they are also balancing the impending expiration of emergency relief funds and the fiscal impact of declining student enrollments at the height of the pandemic. These factors have placed many districts in a challenging financial situation.” He also stressed gains that Washington students were making compared to students across the country and urged the Legislature to continue to invest in student mental health. Listen to the 75-minute press conference here.
During the week, the Senate Ways & Means Committee also held public hearings on Governor Inslee’s operating and capital budgets, and the House Capital Budget heard testimony on the proposed 2024 supplemental capital budget. Testimony on K-12 funding was a mix of support in the operating budget for additional funding for special education services, expanding school meal programs, and wage increases for paraeducators. On the capital budget side, the Governor’s K-12 proposal got high marks for increasing the “cost per square foot” in the School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP), funding to improve indoor air quality, and a significant investment in the Small District Modernization & Tribal Compact Grant program. However, many speakers urged budget writers not to adopt the Governor’s approach of reducing the use of state bonds to support school construction and swapping out the bonds with capital gains revenues.
Another work session of note was in the House Finance Committee, which used the two-hour session to learn about finance policy structure for K-12 education. Former school board director and committee Chair April Berg, D-Mill Creek, explained the need to hold the work session was to better understand school finance and to hear from thought leaders and subject matter experts as lawmakers consider policies regarding education finance. “The need (for school funding) is greater than the source of funds, i.e., the revenue, so that leads us here,” said Berg.
Panelists included:
- House non-partisan staff, who described how the prototypical school funding model works. Listen here.
- Superintendent Chris Reykdal, who urged House Finance members to consider Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and said that Washington falls below the national average as a percentage of funding, noting a high-water mark in 2018-19 and steady decline since. SPI Reykdal’s comments can be watched here.
- David Knight, Associate Professor of Education Finance and Policy, University of Washington, who offered his thoughts on school financing. One of his suggestions was to consider adding “student weights” to the prototypical school funding model to drive out more funding to higher need schools, e.g., poverty and multilingual learners. His presentation is here.
- The work session was rounded out by Melissa Beard, legislative consultant with the Washington State School Directors Association, and Julie Salvi, lobbyist for the Washington Education Association. Their remarks are here.
- In addition to the informative work session, here are some of the documents presented to legislators.
Advocacy in Action!
- Angela Steck, President of Washington State PTA, testified January 8th before the House Appropriations Committee, thanking Governor Jay Inslee for investments in school meals and lifting the cap on special education from 15% to 17.25%. Angela also pointed out that 113 school districts would remain above the 17.25% cap, so it was imperative for lawmakers to remove the artificial threshold all together. Listen to Angela here.
- On January 9th, WSPTA Past President Nancy Chamberlain testified before the legislature on the Governor’s supplemental operating budget. Nancy’s remarks echoed those provided by Angela, and urged the Legislature to use any and all tools to stabilize school district finances this session. Watch Nancy here.
- WSPTA Advocacy Committee member Natalya Yudkovsky testified in favor of SB 5882, a bill that would increase the school funding formula ratios for instructional paraeducators and non-instructional classified staff. Natalya shared a personal story – always a good idea – and asked members of the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee to pass the bill. Listen to Natalya here.
- WSPTA Secretary Melissa Stone testified on the Governor’s proposed capital budget in both the House Capital Budget and the Senate Ways & Means committees on January 11th. She thanked Governor Inslee for his investments in improving indoor air quality and adding funding to the School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) by increasing the state cost per square foot from $272 to $350. She also noted the significant funding for small districts through the Small District Modernization & Tribal Compact Grant program. Watch Melissa in the House here and listen to Melissa in the Senate here.
- Also testifying on the capital budgets was former WSPTA President Nancy Chamberlain. Nancy urged budget writers not to support the Governor’s swap of state bonds for excess capital gains revenues, saying that once the state bonds were lost to other priorities, it would be difficult – if not impossible – to claw them back for school construction. Listen to Nancy in the House here and in the Senate Nancy’s testimony can be heard here.
- Zero emission buses was a hot topic in the House Appropriations Committee on January 11th, as committee members heard testimony on proposed second substitute HB 1368. Starting in 2027, the bill would require any new school bus purchases to be zero emission buses, with a one-time waiver for districts unable to comply. WSPTA’s “Mitigating Climate Change” issue submitter Devon Kellogg testified to the benefits of zero emission buses and the opportunities at the federal and state levels for funding incentives. Listen to Devon here.
The Week Ahead
As noted in last week’s report, more than 600 bills were introduced on January 8th. Over the week many more bills were introduced and can be found on the bill list and next week’s schedule.
Here’s a quick summary of committee action during the week of January 15-19, 2024 (schedule subject to change).
Law & Justice (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 1/15 @ 10:30am
- SB 5444 – Public Hearing – Concerning firearm sensitive places. (Remote Testimony Available). (Monitoring)
Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 1/15 @ 1:30pm
- SB 5852 – Public Hearing – Concerning special education safety net awards. (Remote Testimony Available).
- SB 5883 – Public Hearing – Concerning the burden of proof for special education due process hearings. (Remote Testimony Available).
- SB 6014 – Public Hearing – Increasing the special education enrollment funding cap. (Remote Testimony Available).
Education (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 1/15 @ 1:30pm
- HB 1915 – Public Hearing – Making financial education instruction a graduation prerequisite and a required component of public education. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 1935 – Public Hearing – Promoting resource conservation practices that include student education and leadership opportunities in public schools. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 2282 – Public Hearing – Identifying African American studies curricula for students in grades seven through 12. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 1843 – Public Hearing – Modifying school district elections. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HJR 4207 – Public Hearing – Amending the Constitution to allow 55 percent of voters voting to authorize school district bonds. (Remote Testimony Available).
Civil Rights & Judiciary (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 1/16 @ 10:30am
- HB 1902 – Public Hearing – Enhancing requirements for the purchase or transfer of firearms. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 1903 – Public Hearing – Reporting lost or stolen firearms. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 2021 – Public Hearing – Concerning the disposition of privately owned firearms in the custody of state or local government entities or law enforcement agencies. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 2054 – Public Hearing – Concerning bulk purchases and transfers of firearms. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 2118 – Public Hearing – Protecting the public from gun violence by establishing additional requirements for the business operations of licensed firearms dealers. (Remote Testimony Available).
Law & Justice (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 1/16 @ 10:30am
- SB 5985 – Public Hearing – Concerning firearms background check program. (Remote Testimony Available).
Environment, Energy & Technology (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 1/16 @ 1:30pm
- SB 6016 – Public Hearing – Creating a green energy community fund to support school districts and nonprofit organizations that service the communities where renewable energy projects are located. (Remote Testimony Available).
Health Care & Wellness (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 1/16 @ 1:30pm
- HB 1929 – Public Hearing – Supporting young adults following inpatient behavioral health treatment. (Remote Testimony Available).
Education (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 1/16 @ 4:00pm
- HB 1879 – Public Hearing – Naming the curriculum used to inform students about tribal history, culture, and government after John McCoy (lulilaÅ¡). (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 2005 – Public Hearing – Including weighted grade point averages on high school transcripts. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 2110 – Public Hearing – Reorganizing statutory requirements governing high school graduation. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 2267 – Public Hearing – Providing public school students with opportunities for cultural expression at commencement ceremonies. (Remote Testimony Available).
Higher Education & Workforce Development (Senate) – SHR 2 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 1/17 @ 8:00am
- SB 5904 – Exec Session – Extending the terms of eligibility for financial aid programs.
- SB 5999 – Exec Session – Expanding financial aid eligibility.
Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 1/17 @ 10:30am
- SB 5819 – Public Hearing – Making financial education instruction a graduation prerequisite and a required component of public education. (Remote Testimony Available).
- SB 5849 – Public Hearing – Concerning a computer science competency graduation requirement. (Remote Testimony Available).
- SB 5851 – Public Hearing – Concerning Holocaust and genocide education in public schools. (Remote Testimony Available).
Consumer Protection & Business (House) – HHR C and Virtual JLOB – 1/17 @ 1:30pm
- HB 1933 – Exec Session – Supporting the servicing and right to repair of certain products with digital electronics in a secure and reliable manner.
Human Services, Youth, & Early Learning (House) – HHR D and Virtual JLOB – 1/17 @ 1:30pm
- HB 2256 – Public Hearing – Addressing the children and youth behavioral health work group. (Remote Testimony Available).
Postsecondary Education & Workforce (House) – HHR B and Virtual JLOB – 1/17 @ 1:30pm
- HB 2214 – Public Hearing – Permitting beneficiaries of public assistance programs to automatically qualify as income-eligible for the purpose of receiving the Washington college grant. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 2360 – Public Hearing – Creating the Washington digital empowerment and workforce inclusion act. (Remote Testimony Available). (If measure is referred to committee.)
Appropriations (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 1/17 @ 4:00pm
- HB 2053 – Public Hearing – Establishing the ninth grade success grant program. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 2180 – Public Hearing – Increasing the special education enrollment funding cap. (Remote Testimony Available).
Education (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 1/18 @ 8:00am
- HB 1956 – Public Hearing – Addressing fentanyl and other substance use prevention education. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 1914 – Exec Session – Improving the education of students with varying abilities by enhancing special education services.
- HB 2038 – Exec Session – Collecting data on student transfers and withdrawals from public schools and school districts.
- HB 2058 – Exec Session – Increasing student access to free meals served at public schools.
Law & Justice (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 1/18 @ 8:00am
- SB 5444 – Exec Session – Concerning firearm sensitive places. (Monitoring)
- SB 5985 – Exec Session – Concerning firearms background check program.
Capital Budget (House) – HHR B and Virtual JLOB – 1/18 @ 1:30pm
- HB 2017 – Public Hearing – Addressing school districts with aged facilities and a history of capital bond failure. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 2092 – Public Hearing – Concerning school construction assistance program funding for preschool and before-and-after school care program enrollments. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 2195 – Public Hearing – Strengthening the early learning facilities grant and loan program by revising criteria and providing resources to the Ruth LeCocq Kagi early learning facilities development account. (Remote Testimony Available).
- HB 2297 – Public Hearing – Requiring the installation of solar energy systems on new school buildings. (Remote Testimony Available).
Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 1/18 @ 1:30pm
- SB 6018 – Public Hearing – Designating early learning coordinators at educational service districts. (Remote Testimony Available).
Finance (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 1/18 @ 1:30pm
- HB 2044 – Public Hearing – Standardizing limitations on voter-approved property tax levies. (Remote Testimony Available).
Appropriations (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 1/18 @ 4:00pm
- HB 1368 – Exec Session – Requiring and funding the purchase of zero emission school buses. (Support/Medium)
Ways & Means (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 1/18 @ 4:00pm
- SB 5770 – Public Hearing – Providing state and local property tax reform. (Remote Testimony Available).
Health Care & Wellness (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 1/19 @ 8:00am
- HB 2197 – Public Hearing – Concerning the availability of prevention services under medical assistance programs. (Remote Testimony Available). (Support/Medium)
Postsecondary Education & Workforce (House) – HHR B and Virtual JLOB – 1/19 @ 8:00am
- HB 2214 – Exec Session – Permitting beneficiaries of public assistance programs to automatically qualify as income-eligible for the purpose of receiving the Washington college grant.
- HB 2360 – Exec Session – Creating the Washington digital empowerment and workforce inclusion act. (If measure is referred to committee.)
Civil Rights & Judiciary (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 1/19 @ 10:30am
- HB 1903 – Exec Session – Reporting lost or stolen firearms.
- HB 2021 – Exec Session – Concerning the disposition of privately owned firearms in the custody of state or local government entities or law enforcement agencies.
- HB 2118 – Exec Session – Protecting the public from gun violence by establishing additional requirements for the business operations of licensed firearms dealers.
Labor & Workplace Standards (House) – HHR D and Virtual JLOB – 1/19 @ 10:30am
- HB 2036 – Exec Session – Concerning workplace safety and operational standards for adult entertainment establishments.