Prepared by Marie Sullivan, legconsultant@wastatepta.org
Last week the Senate released a proposed 2023-25 capital budget on Monday, March 20th and a proposed 2023-25 operating budget on Thursday, March 23rd. The capital budget public hearing was the same day as the release, while a full day was provided to review the 1,240-page operating budget. That hearing, by the way, was six hours long and included more than 300 testifiers. A Senate budget staff member apparently was keeping track of the requests for additions to the budget and noted that mid-way through the testimony they’d reached $1 billion in new requests.
The Senate unanimously passed ESSB 5200, the capital budget, on March 24th. The Senate Ways & Means Committee is scheduled to mark-up the operating budget, PSSB 5187, on Monday, March 27th, and pass the bill during floor session on Wednesday. Among the 130+ amendments being offered, Senator Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island, is proposing to add $10 million for OSPI to offer inclusionary teaching practices professional development and technical assistance.
The House plans to release the 2023-25 operating, capital, and transportation budgets at noon Monday March 27th.
Things we’ll be looking for in the operating budget: the level of funding for special education; how they handle the transportation safety net grant program for special passengers; which bills they fund and if funds are provided for district implementation or create new opportunities; and, most importantly, how the House handles rebasing regionalization of teacher salaries and changes to the experience factor.
All budgets, highlights, agency detail, etc., can be found on the LEAP site here once they are released.
Regionalization and Experience Factor
The Senate released rebased regionalization factors and lumped in changes to Experience Factor in the LEAP document found here. Many superintendents, board members, OSPI, school district representatives and Washington State PTA expressed concern about the immediate cliff posed by changes announced only five+ months from the start of the 2023-24 school year.
Thirty-two school districts would immediately lose 4%, totaling about $8.5 million to hold the districts harmless for the next school year. Many districts also would see a loss in regionalization. While the 3% rollback to zero was projected for some districts that initially received 6% in the 2017-18 school year, others had no idea they would lose 6% or 12%, which is a significant hit.
Senate leadership has signaled they likely won’t address the issue before the bill passes out of committee or even off the floor. They shared it’s possible the House will have a different approach. Pressure needs to continue on Senate budget writers: Christine Rolfes, June Robinson, and Lynda Wilson, and on House budget writers: Timm Ormsby, Steve Bergquist, and Drew Stokesbary, as well as with each school district’s local legislators.
Core message? Pause any decline in salary allocations for the 2023-24 school year and adopt a clear policy of rebasing to the experience factor for the 2024-25 school year, using data from the 2022-23 school year.
Bill updates
As mentioned above, bills need to pass from policy committees by March 29th. Senate and House committees are full of “executive action” over the next few days, and changes are expected. Here’s a quick look at what is still under consideration:
Special Education
- E2SSB 5311 passed out of House Education unchanged and was sent to House Appropriations;
- ESHB 1436 has been scheduled for a vote Monday, March 27th. The striking amendment would remove the phase-out of the cap and changes to the multiplier and would retain a section on an OSPI study on disproportionate identification and a JLARC/SAO audit. This tells me that perhaps a deal has been struck to use the Senate bill for the money and the House bill for policy.
- SHB 1109 would create a voluntary program to reimburse school districts for evaluating students for special education services in July, August, and September. The bill also would make changes to the safety net program. The bill is scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Ways & Means committee on March 28th.
- E2SHB 1479 would make changes to isolation and restraint practices in schools. The bill hasn’t been scheduled for action in the Senate education committee.
Transportation
Last week the House Appropriations Committee passed E2SSB 5174, which would create a safety net program to cover excess expenditures associated with transportation of students with disabilities, and students who are experiencing homelessness or are in the foster care system.
As amended by the House, the bill also would require privately contracted transportation providers to offer health and pension benefits comparable to those offered to school employees performing the same work. Reimbursement is an option for districts that see a change to their contract directly attributable to increased benefits required in the bill, based on funding provided in the budget. Ten Republicans voted against the bill and two voted without recommendation. The bill now heads to House Rules.
Preventing gun violence and youth suicide
Bills continue to be advanced that would ban military-style assault weapons (HB 1240), require a 10-day waiting period (HB 1143), and hold the firearms industry accountable (SB 5078). The two House bills are scheduled for a vote in the Senate Law & Justice Committee, while the Senate bill was voted out of the House Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee March 24 on a straight party-line vote.
The Senate Early Learning & K-12 Committee passed HB 1230 without any amendments. The bill would require school districts to link to websites developed by the Department of Health about safe storage of medications and firearms. As WSPTA advocate Gwen Loosmore testified in committee, suicide is often an impulsive act, and making access more difficult should result in fewer deaths. The bill has been sent to the Senate Rules Committee.
Meaningful high school diploma
- For the first time since anyone can remember, the House Postsecondary Education & Workforce Committee passed a bill to fund College in the High School courses for all students in grades 9-12. Funding for 2SSB 5048, is included in the Senate budget, and inflationary adjustments are part of the operating budget and policy. The bill will be sent to House Appropriations.
- Passing out the Senate education committee last week, 2SHB 1316 advanced to the Senate Ways & Means Committee. The bill was adjusted in the policy committee, and likely will have another amendment supported by Senator Brad Hawkins, R-Wenatchee, to allow 10th grade students to pursue Running Start online classes when they meet certain conditions and receive approval from a school counselor or principal. Senator Lisa Wellman, D-Mercer Island, likens participation for 10th graders in online RS to mastery-based learning.
- The Senate education committee also passed out HB 1308, which would add a performance-based learning experience as a pathway option for graduation. As modified, and to get enough votes to pass the bill, only math and English Language Arts would be allowed for the new performance pathway rather than “any two” of the core subjects. The new pathway would be allowed to “take variety of forms, such as a project, practicum, work-related experience, community service, or cultural activity, and may result in a variety of products that can be evaluated, such as a performance, presentation, portfolio, report, film, or exhibit.”
- On Monday, SHB 1658 is scheduled for executive action with no amendments shown at this time. The bill would create an opportunity for students to earn up to two elective credits through work-based experience. As written, half a credit would be offered for 180 hours earned or one credit for 360 hours, and only after demonstrating the student has met financial education standards. Students would be allowed to use work experience gained during or after the school day and during the summer if approved by a school official.
Transitional Kindergarten
The Senate Early Learning & K-12 held a public hearing on a Senate-proposed striking amendment to 2SHB 1550, the bill that would overhaul the transitional kindergarten program, replacing it with a “transition to kindergarten” program. Several differences exist between the two, with the largest being the funding levels offered at a less than ECEAP slot rate v. the FTE kindergarten basic education allocation.
HB 1550 bill sponsors Reps. Sharon Tomiko Santos, D-Seattle, and Tana Senn, D-Mercer Island, shared with Senate committee members where they saw similarities and differences between the bill as passed the House and the proposed striking amendment offered at the public hearing. Feedback from testifiers on the proposed striking amendment was mainly positive, with childcare and early childhood learning providers speaking against.
The bill is scheduled for executive action Monday, March 27th and a new striking amendment is being proposed by Senator Claire Wilson, who is also the Vice Chair of the committee for Early Learning. The amendment would make several changes, including clarifying student eligibility and making TTK developmentally appropriate, encouraging stronger collaboration between districts and early learning providers, and requiring the Caseload Forecast Council to forecast eligible children participating in the TTK program. Read the striking amendment here.
Advocacy in Action!
March 20th was a busy day for Washington State PTA, with four members testifying in both the Senate and House.
- Parent advocate Jennifer Crespi urged members of the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee to support E2SHB 1479, relating to isolating and restraint of student. Listen to Jennifer’s testimony at the hearing here.
- Long-time advocate for mitigating gun violence, Dr. Gwen Loosmore testified in the Senate education committee in support of HB 1230, a bill that would require school districts to share information about safe storage of medications and firearms. Gwen’s testimony can be found here.
- During the public hearing on the Senate capital budget, school safety issue submitter DaleAnn Baker thanked the Senate Ways & Means Committee for $40 million for new seismic safety grants and for a historic investment in Small District Modernization Grant funding, much of which supports upgraded HVAC systems and energy efficient heating systems. Listen to DaleAnn’s testimony here.
- Advocacy Committee member Natalya Yudkovsky encouraged members of the House Postsecondary Education & Workforce Committee to pass ESSB 5048, a bill that would cover fees related to College in the High School courses. The testimony March 21st also elicited several questions and a discussion about transcript fees, which might become a topic to address in the next session. Listen to Natalya’s testimony here and the question poised to Natalya from Rep. Mari Leavitt here.
- Advocacy Committee member Melissa Stone testified Pro on SHB 1658, allowing students to earn up to 2 credits for work. Melissa asked members of the Senate Early Learning & K12 Committee to consider lowering the number of hours required to earn 1 credit from 360 hours (180 hours for 0.5 credit) to 240 hours (120 hours for 0.5 credit). She also suggested that the credits could be earned for work linked to the student’s High School and Beyond Plan and on learning standards beyond simply financial literacy. Listen to Melissa’s testimony here.
- WSPTA President Nancy Chamberlain asked members of the Senate Ways & Means Committee to hold firm on their level of funding for students with disabilities when negotiating with the House and to add funding for inclusionary training. Nancy also expressed disappointment that, as a member of the K-12 Salary Rebase work group, the legislature did not even consider the recommendations the work group made for a more equitable regionalization system, clarity with the experience factor, and incentives to attract and retain educators. Listen to Nancy here.
The Week Ahead – Schedule is subject to change
Bills from the opposite chamber must pass out of policy committees by Wednesday, March 29. Fiscal bills must pass from the fiscal committees by Tuesday, April 4th. After that point, all action turns to the floor and to conference committees negotiating the budgets and any bills in dispute.
Early Learning & K-12 Education (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 3/27 @ 1:30pm
- SHB 1044 – Exec Session – Providing capital financial assistance to small school districts with demonstrated funding challenges. (Support)
- ESHB 1436 – Exec Session – Funding special education. (Concerns/High)
- 2SHB 1550 – Exec Session – Assisting eligible children in need of additional preparation to be successful in kindergarten by establishing the transition to kindergarten program. (Monitoring)
- SHB 1658 – Exec Session – Authorizing public high school students to earn elective credit for paid work experience. (Support)
Education (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 3/27 @ 1:30pm
- SSB 5054 – Exec Session – Promoting and facilitating the use of professional learning communities.
- SB 5180 – Exec Session – Adopting the interstate teacher mobility compact. (Support/Low)
- E2SSB 5243 – Exec Session – Concerning high school and beyond planning. (Support/Medium)
- E2SSB 5315 – Exec Session – Concerning nonpublic agencies operating special education programs for students with disabilities. (Monitoring)
- ESB 5355 – Exec Session – Mandating instruction on sex trafficking prevention and identification for students in grades seven through 12.
- ESB 5462 – Exec Session – Promoting inclusive learning standards and instructional materials in public schools. (Support)
- SSB 5626 – Exec Session – Expanding and enhancing media literacy and digital citizenship in K-12 education. (Support)
Appropriations (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 3/27 @ 4:00pm
- HB 1140 – Public Hearing – Making 2023-2025 fiscal biennium operating appropriations. (Hearing is on the Proposed Substitute).
Ways & Means (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 3/27 @ 4:00pm
- SB 5187 – Exec Session – Making 2023-2025 fiscal biennium operating appropriations.
Capital Budget (House) – HHR B and Virtual JLOB – 3/28 @ 8:00am
- HB 1147 – Public Hearing – Concerning the capital budget. (Hearing is on the Proposed Substitute.)
Health & Long Term Care (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 3/28 @ 8:00am
- 2SHB 1724 – Exec Session – Increasing the trained behavioral health workforce.
Law & Justice (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 3/28 @ 10:30am
- E2SHB 1143 – Exec Session – Concerning requirements for the purchase or transfer of firearms. (Support/Medium)
- SHB 1240 – Exec Session – Establishing firearms-related safety measures to increase public safety. (Support/High)
Environment, Energy & Technology (Senate) – SHR 1 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 3/28 @ 1:30pm
- ESHB 1589 – Exec Session – Supporting Washington’s clean energy economy and transitioning to a clean, affordable, and reliable energy future. (Support)
Health Care & Wellness (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 3/28 @ 1:30pm
- 2SSB 5555 – Exec Session – Creating the profession of certified peer specialists. (Monitoring)
Education (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 3/28 @ 4:00pm
- SSB 5054 – Exec Session – Promoting and facilitating the use of professional learning communities.
- SB 5180 – Exec Session – Adopting the interstate teacher mobility compact. (Support/Low)
- E2SSB 5243 – Exec Session – Concerning high school and beyond planning. (Support/Medium)
- E2SSB 5315 – Exec Session – Concerning nonpublic agencies operating special education programs for students with disabilities. (Monitoring)
- ESB 5355 – Exec Session – Mandating instruction on sex trafficking prevention and identification for students in grades seven through 12.
- ESB 5462 – Exec Session – Promoting inclusive learning standards and instructional materials in public schools. (Support)
- SSB 5626 – Exec Session – Expanding and enhancing media literacy and digital citizenship in K-12 education. (Support)
Ways & Means (Senate) – SHR 4 and Virtual JACB – 3/28 @ 4:00pm
- SHB 1109 – Public Hearing – Providing funding for school districts for special education. (Remote Testimony Available). (Support/Low)
- E2SHB 1238 – Public Hearing – Providing free school meals for all. (Remote Testimony Available). (Support/Low)
- SHB 1701 – Public Hearing – Concerning basic education services to youth who are served through institutional education programs. (Remote Testimony Available). (Support)
Higher Education & Workforce Development (Senate) – SHR 2 and Virtual J.A. Cherberg – 3/29 @ 8:00am
- EHB 1823 – Exec Session – Modifying the Washington student loan program. (Monitoring)
Health Care & Wellness (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 3/29 @ 1:30pm
- 2SSB 5555 – Exec Session – Creating the profession of certified peer specialists. (Monitoring)
Appropriations (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 3/29 @ 4:00pm
- HB 1140 – Exec Session – Making 2023-2025 fiscal biennium operating appropriations.
Capital Budget (House) – HHR B and Virtual JLOB – 3/30 @ 8:00am
- HB 1147 – Exec Session – Concerning the capital budget.
- HB 1148 – Exec Session – Concerning state general obligation bonds and related accounts.
Appropriations (House) – HHR A and Virtual JLOB – 3/30 @ 1:30pm
- SB 5031 – Exec Session – Concerning safety net award distributions. (Monitoring)
- SSB 5189 – Exec Session – Establishing behavioral health support specialists.
Capital Budget (House) – HHR B and Virtual JLOB – 3/31 @ 8:00am
- SSB 5126 – Exec Session – Providing common school trust revenue to small school districts. (Support)