Here’s the update on what’s active as of March 10, the end of the regularly scheduled 60-day legislative session:
Fully Fund McCleary
E2SSB 6195 was signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee on February 29th. The bill creates a nine-member Education Funding Task Force, who is directed to return by the 2017 legislative session with recommendations on ways to meet basic education funding obligations.
Promoting Social and Emotional Learning
2SSB 6243, a bill related to suicide prevention training, failed to pass. One element of the bill remains: a one-day summit on suicide prevention as a “train the trainer” approach.
Increasing Capital Funding
HB 2968, a bill that supports construction of smaller K-3 class sizes and the expansion of all-day kindergarten from July 2016 through 2025, remains on the House floor. Last year’s K-3/All Day Kindergarten (ADK) grant program was a pilot program and lawmakers will wait until the 2017-19 biennial capital budget to tinker with the policy and funding source.
The House passed SHB 2985, which allows former school buildings that were previously removed from a district’s inventory, to be excluded from the School Construction Assistance Program inventory if they’re used to support all-day kindergarten and/or reduced K-3 class sizes.
Increased Access to Higher Education
SSB 6354, which would require 4-year institutions of higher education to work with the State Board of Community & Technical Colleges (CTE) to recognize transfer of academic credits from 4-year institutions to CTE colleges, is on it’s way to the Governor’s desk/
Failing to pass was SB 6626, “Degree in Three,” which would have created a task force to consider how to graduate higher-ed students in three years as way of reducing debt associated with 4-year college.
Breakfast after the Bell
E3SHB 1295 was initially passed in the February 2016 session, but is stalled in the fiscal committee and must be part of final negotiations if the Senate agrees to fund it in the final supplemental operating budget.
Again, the 103rd Annual WSPTA Conference will be held May 20-22 in Yakima. Registration opens March 2016.