After reviewing input from directors on legislative priorities Board Legislative Representative, Steve Madsen, and Superintendent Green have compiled and herewith propose for consideration the following 12 Legislative priorities. The priorities are presented in rough order of priority:
WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation and funding for innovative and equitable solutions to provide additional opportunities to access rigorous coursework to prepare students for careers and college, including but not limited to transition classes, work-based learning, equivalency courses of study, and competency-based crediting.
WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that fully funds and implements all aspects of Washington’s redefined program of Basic Education as outlined in E2SSB 6362 (Chapter 266, Laws of 2018), EHB 2242 (Chapter 13, Laws of 2017), and ESHB 2261 (Chapter 548, Laws of 2009).
WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that establishes a state-level process for regular review of and recommendations regarding statewide salary allocation methodologies. This includes, but may not be limited to, review of regionalization, hold harmless, and other
42 adjustment factors. Among these are annual cost-of-living adjustments and overall impacts on school districts to ensure the state basic education educator compensation levels are equitable and competitive in order to recruit and retain qualified educators statewide. This shall be a transparent process using research-based data for making recommendations for changes.
WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that provides for the full funding of appropriate staff levels for the following necessary functions:
WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation which requires full funding for special education programs and services. Such programs and services should maximize assistance to children rather than to their various categorizations and assessments. Any state funding formula shall:
WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation and ample funding for SocialEmotional Learning (SEL) and behavioral support services for P-12 based on individual student needs and aligned with national model standards and recommendations. The state will help every school build capacity for wrap-around services by enhancing the prototypical school funding formula for support service staffing (including but not limited to school nurses, social workers, counselors, and psychologists). Districts will have the flexibility to increase support personnel through local funding and grants.
WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that provides a stable and equitable funding system for students’ costs (i.e., tuition, books, fees, and transportation) associated with Washington’s dual credit options. Funding should apply, but not be limited to, classes taken through the AP/IB/Cambridge systems, Running Start, Tech Prep, College in the High School, online college coursework, and/or participating classes at Skill Centers.
WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation which would provide funding for public early childhood education including kindergarten preparedness and assistance programs, especially for children in poverty or for whom English is not their primary language.
WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation which supports improved state funding for school construction that achieves existing state policy codified in RCW 28A.525.166. That state law specifies that, on average, state funds will provide half the cost of school construction. To achieve this level of funding the legislature must:
WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that eliminates inequities and the differential access of school districts across the state to access levy and levy equalization (Local Effort Assistance, LEA) resources resulting from EHB 2242 (2017) by:
However, if the current policy in EHB 2242 is maintained, levy and LEA policy needs to be adjusted by:
All state levy and LEA policies must also minimize and fund time for compliance reporting, accounting, and auditing levy fund uses.
WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that requires an automatic review of the efficacy of new legislated demands placed on our K-12 system after the first 3 years of implementation. This would include an initial review of legislated demands implemented between 2008 – 2015 to bring us current with a review.
WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that promotes and funds innovative models and/or opportunities for world language instruction in kindergarten through eighth grades.