Report on WSSDA

Report on Washington State School Directors Association’s

 2016-2017 Legislative Priorities

by Susan Shotthafer,
Elected Port Angeles School Board Member

Posted 9/25/2016

2016 Current WASSDA Priorities for WA Legislature

On September 19th, 168 school leaders representing 82 districts attended WSSDA’s annual Legislative Assembly. The Assembly approved 39 new positions, added nine Standing Legislative Positions, amended six, and eliminated seven.  Then, the districts in attendance voted for their top 10 legislative priorities. Results of the vote will be considered by the Legislative Committee in October, and a “short list” of top priorities for 2016 will be adopted by the Board of Directors in November. 

1. Simple Majority for Bonds in November General Elections WSSDA supports legislation to allow passage of bonds with a simple majority vote in November general elections. (Introduced 2015)
2. School Construction (SLP 7.1.16) WSSDA supports “ample provision” for school construction through state policies that:

• fund school construction needs when districts are determined eligible;
• maintain a reliable system of funding that supports adequate planning at the local level;
• provide specific sources of revenue to support and enhance state trust revenue; • give highest priority to projects that address un-housed student needs, either through new construction or remodeling;
• allocate square footage to meet current and future program needs with square feet per student at least meeting the national average;
• fund actual construction costs including mandated green building costs;
• fund construction costs resulting from new legislation and changes in class size or graduation requirements;
• A little good news here in, last 2 bullets] allow limited improvement of not more than 10 percent of the current value of the facility, such as energy retrofits, in existing facilities without requiring a review and/or upgrade of the entire building to meet current codes in other areas; and,
• equalize funding for modernization of existing school facilities in lieu of abandonment and new construction. (Adopted 2001; Amended 2008 and 2015)

3. Full Funding of Basic Education (SLP 7.1.12) 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 ESHB 2261. (Adopted 2012)
4. MSOC Funding (SLP 7.1.2) WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation and appropriations which recognize that school districts’ abilities to maintain and enhance quality educational opportunities, for all students are strengthened by ample funding for maintenance, supplies and operating costs (MSOC). WSSDA supports enhanced MSOC funding, regularly increased recognizing inflationary costs, with a required review by OSPI every four years of actual costs, as submitted by school districts. (Adopted 2005; Amended 2010, 2014 and 2015)

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5. Statewide Bargaining for Salaries and Healthcare WSSDA supports legislation that transfers authority for bargaining salaries and healthcare benefits for school employees from local bargaining units to the state. (Introduced 2015)
6. Professional Development is a Critical Component of Basic Education WSSDA supports legislation and funding for at least 96 hours of professional development including 16 hours of cultural competency and equity education per year for each certificated teacher in Washington as part of Basic Education. (Introduced 2015)
7. Changing School Bond Approval Requirements WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that would change the bond approval percentage from 60 percent to a simple majority. (Introduced 2013)
8. Special Education and Special Needs Students (SLP 7.1.6) 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: • recognize that costs will vary according to the needs of every child and, therefore, for every district, based upon the I.E.P. of each student;  • provide adequate funding for all of the required services for eligible special education students without imposing an artificial cap; • exclude Students for whom districts do not receive an annual basic education allocation from any special education program enrollment funding caps; • recognize that any funding formula based upon the assumption that every district has the same budget percentage costs for special education is inherently flawed and will not work; and, • support state and federal funding of recognized costs associated with the McKinney Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act. (Adopted 1988; Amended 1990, 1996, 2005, 2014, and 2015)
9. Levy Equalization Funding and Formulas WSSDA supports maintaining or improving levy equalization for districts that receive Local Effort Assistance. Any change in the levy formula that occurs as a result of levy/compensation reform shall include an equalization factor to mitigate differences in local funding capability. That factor shall assure equity among districts at a rate equivalent to or higher than the current formula. (Introduced 2015)
10. Attract and Retain High Quality Staff in Hard-to-staff Schools WSSDA supports legislation that encourages equity across the state through incentives structured to enhance the ability of small, property-poor, or hard-to-staff districts to attract and retain staff. (Introduced 2015)
11. Social-emotional and Behavioral Support for Students WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation and funding for social-emotional and behavioral support services individualized to meet the needs of each student. The state will help every school build capacity for wrap-around services by enhancing the prototypical school funding formula for support service staffing to the national standard. Districts will have the flexibility to increase support personnel through local funding and grants. (Introduced 2015)
12. 14. Fully Fund Facilities for Mandated Class Size Reduction WSSDA supports legislation to fully fund any and all mandated class size reduction. Funding will support property acquisition and facilities to provide the necessary classroom space. (Introduced 2015)
13. Student Sex Offenders in the Classroom WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that permits a school district to deny a registered sex offender from attending the same school or program as the victim. (Introduced 2013) [Does this send up trigger warnings and questions in your mind?]

Standing Legislative Positions Calendar

PART TWO: AMENDMENTS TO STANDING LEGISLATIVE POSITIONS Part Two considers amendments to current Standing Legislative Positions (SLPs). Article IX, Section 6, B-3 of WSSDA’s by-laws directs the Legislative Committee to review about 20% of the association’s SLPs for possible updates through amendment or elimination. Districts may also propose amendments or eliminations through the position solicitation process each spring. In spring 2016, a sub-committee of WSSDA’s Legislative Committee and Board of Directors reviewed 100% of the SLPs in an effort to streamline and/or consolidate like-positions and/or positions that may be out-of-date.

23. 7.1.25 Sustainable Revenue for Education Funding Recommendation: DO PASS

WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation to implement a comprehensive, attainable, stable and sustainable funding plan for education in Washington State. (Adopted 2014)

24. 7.1.29 McKinney – Vento Homeless Assistance Act Funding Note: This SLP is listed out of order so that it may be considered with the first proposal on the Regular Calendar that follows it.

WSSDA supports state and federal funding of recognized costs associated with the McKinneyVento Homeless Education Assistance Act.

ARGUMENT FOR THE AMENDMENT: The focus of SLP 7.1.6 is on the support and resources needed for special education programs. On review, the Legislative Committee determined that the original SLP 7.1.6 included language on support for homeless youth that was inconsistent with this focus.

Standing Legislative Positions Calendar

Standing Legislative Positions (SLPs) are positions that are so important or universally accepted by school directors that they do not need to be reintroduced every year to remain on WSSDA’s legislative agenda. Once, adopted, these positions remain SLPs until they are amended or eliminated.

 

From Page 2.

7.1.10 Technology Funding WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation which would fully fund the provision and maintenance of technology in school districts, as a part of basic education, to a statewide standard established by OSPI, in consultation with its K-12 technology advisory committee. (Adopted 2010)

7.1.18 Passage of School Finance Issues WSSDA believes that passage of all school finance issues should be by a simple majority of the ballots cast on those issues.  (Adopted 1977; Amended 2000 and 2001)

7.1.25 Sustainable Revenue for Education Funding WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation to implement a comprehensive, attainable, stable and sustainable funding plan for education in Washington State. (Adopted 2014)

7.3.2 School Year WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation which provides state-funded training and planning time for staff and more academic time for students, in the following manner:

Provide for summer school programs;  Substantially increase the length of the students’ school year;

Assure that staff has planning and in-service time in excess of the students’ calendar year

Provide financial flexibility and incentives for local districts to operate year-round instruction in any or all of their school buildings. (Adopted 1988; Amended 1990, 1992 and 2005)

7.3.8 Students in Residential Placement WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation mandating collaboration and coordination between school districts, OSPI, and those state agencies responsible for placing challenging students in residential placements to develop:

An agreement by all key agencies on how such students are placed in communities across the state;

Policy and procedures that mandate timely, collaborative district-agency planning before challenging students are actually moved into school districts; and

Mechanisms whereby fiscal resources are shared by agencies with those school districts charged with educating these students. (Adopted 2013)

7.3.9 Mandatory School Age WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation lowering the age for mandatory school attendance from eight to six. (Adopted 2013)

7.3.13 Immigration Status WSSDA opposes any legislation that would require school districts to inquire into the immigration status of a student or his/her family, or exclude students based on their actual or perceived immigration or citizenship status.  (Adopted 2014)

7.4.4 WSSDA Universal Membership and Dues WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that maintains the current dues structure [paid by taxpayers for WASSDA school board membership] in statute and the association’s state agency status.  (Adopted 2014)

7.4.5 Charter Schools under Locally Elected School Boards WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that authorizes charter schools be formed only under the governance of existing locally elected School Boards of Directors.  (Adopted 2015)

7.5 EARLY LEARNING AND HIGHER EDUCATION 

7.5.1 Early Childhood Education WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation which would provide funding for public early childhood education and assistance programs.   (Adopted 1991; Amended 2011)

7.5.2 Conditional Scholarships WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that provides policy change to link state conditional college scholarships and loan repayment with federal conditional scholarship and loan repayment programs. Both programs provide scholarship and loan repayment in exchange of teaching service in Washington state’s public K-12 schools in high-need areas — including high-need areas of teaching, such as special education, math, science and teachers with bilingual abilities and high-need districts of the state. These two programs should be linked to maximize the benefit of state dollars. (Adopted 2011)

7.6.10 Diversity Training WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation and/or regulations that include an academic experience of diversity requirements of certification for all new teachers, administrators and educational staff associate preparation programs. Additionally, continuing education programs will offer diversity training classes.  (Adopted 1995; Amended 2003

[In 2016 our state legislators passed 4SHB 1541 which states among numerous provision, “Cultural competency training must be developed by the OSPI for administrators and school, and staff and by the WASSDA for the school board and superintendents.

[A few good ideas below except for the funding part:]

7.6.11 Alternative Routes to Teacher Certification WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that maintains or increases funding for alternative routes to teacher certification in state-identified shortage areas, particularly for those routes that allow Para- Educators and other classified instructional employees to attain a teaching certificate.  (Adopted 2012)

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7.6.15 Retroactive Cuts and Reductions in Force  [ a good idea] WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation and policy to ensure that in the event the Washington State Legislature again chooses to make funding reductions to school districts during the academic year in which those committed funds were intended to be spent, then the Legislature must also via specific legislative action change the provisions of RCW 28A.405 to create a clear, efficient and effective mechanism enabling school districts to terminate certificated contracts mid-year when state funding is reduced during that year. Any such employee reduction must not require bargaining action by the district and shall in no case exceed the total amount of funding allocation reductions from the Legislature for that school district. (Adopted 2014)

7.6.16 Teacher Seniority and Reductions in Force WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that would support district consideration of variables, in addition to teacher seniority, when faced with a reduction in force due to declining enrollment or reduced state funding. (Adopted 2014)

[Return to the usual agenda]

7.7 STATE GOVERNMENT AND TAX POLICY [Maybe income tax?]               

7.7.1 Tax Reform WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation to restructure the Washington State tax system to establish a stable, broad-based, flexible source of revenue for the State of Washington which is equitable and adequate, in order to ensure better educational funding as well as to provide other essential state services.   (Adopted 1989; Amended 2013)

7.7.1    Tax Reform Recommendation: DO PASS AS AMENDED Submitted by: Legislative Committee WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation to implement a comprehensive, attainable, stable and sustainable funding plan for education in Washington State. WSSDA shall support legislation to restructure the Washington State tax system to establish a stable, broad-based, flexible source of revenue for the State of Washington which is equitable and adequate, in order to ensure better educational funding as well as to provide other essential state services.

7.8.2 Delinking Assessments from Graduation Requirements WSSDA shall initiate and/or support that removes state-mandated assessments as a graduation requirement. (Adopted 2014) 

7.8.3 Enrichment Programs WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that supports full funding of enrichment programs, such as the Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) program, in secondary schools. (Adopted 2015)

7.5.2 Conditional Scholarships WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that provides policy change to link state conditional college scholarships and loan repayment with federal conditional scholarship and loan repayment programs. Both programs provide scholarship and loan repayment in exchange of teaching service in Washington state’s public K-12 schools in high-need areas — including high-need areas of teaching, such as special education, math, science and teachers with bilingual abilities and high-need districts of the state. These two programs should be linked to maximize the benefit of state dollars. (Adopted 2011)

Return to the usual agenda

Standing Legislative Positions (SLPs) are proposals that have been adopted by the Legislative Assembly three times with no substantive changes and then adopted as an SLP in the fourth year.  

The 2015 Legislative Assembly added nine SLPs, amended six, and eliminated seven. The following SLPs are in effect until September 2016

1. 1. Common Core Funding Recommendation: DO PASS Submitted by: Legislative Committee WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation to ensure the state fully funds the transition, implementation and execution of new assessments required by Common Core Standards, which include formative and year-end assessments.

ARGUMENT FOR ADOPTION AS A STANDING LEGISLATIVE POSITION: As Washington incorporates Common Core there are costs for new materials, professional development, and testing. Adequate investments by the state are critical to ensure teachers and students are able to transition to Common Core seamlessly.

2. Enhanced Funding for Transitional Bilingual Education Recommendation: DO PASS Submitted by: Legislative Committee

WSSDA shall initiate and/or support the recommendations of the Quality Education Council (QEC) for funding and instructional hour increases for the Transitional Bilingual Instruction Program as outlined below:  •  increase hours of English language acquisition instruction for students in English proficiency levels 1-3 (as measured by the annual state based English proficiency exam) to provide six to eight instructional hours per week for grades 6-12; •  provide two years of three additional hours of English language instruction for exited students (level 4 students in all grades); and,  •  increase funding to support this as outlined by the QEC Page 2

3. Kindergarten Preparedness Recommendation: DO PASS

WSSDA shall initiate and/or support policies or legislation that provide resources for kindergarten preparedness, especially for children in poverty or for whom English is not their primary language.

ARGUMENT FOR ADOPTION AS A STANDING LEGISLATIVE POSITION: The research is clear; students who are better prepared when they arrive for kindergarten have a greater likelihood of academic success and require fewer social service interventions later in life. This is true for all children, but especially for low income students and English Language Learners who are less likely to have experienced comprehensive early childhood education before kindergarten. Public early childhood education programs allow closer alignment with the public K-12 system, providing a more seamless transition into kindergarten.

42. WaKIDS Implementation Recommendation: DO PASS

WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that enacts the full recommendations of the WaKIDS Workgroup report released by OSPI in January 2013. Particular emphasis should be placed on enacting recommendations to:

• Provide for automatic waivers of conference time at the start of the year from the 180 day requirement; • Provide “WaKIDS Implementation Grants” to cover the additional costs of completing the assessments; • Continue to take steps to reduce the amount of time it takes for teachers to complete WaKIDS assessments; and • Specifically allow schools to use strategies that involve school/district-based teams to support and assist classroom teachers in making the observations required under WaKIDS.

ARGUMENT FOR: WaKIDS is a process for students entering full-day Kindergarten programs that should increase public confidence in public education, as it supports a smoother transition from home or early learning settings into kindergarten. It provides parents and teachers an opportunity to learn from each other to better support learning and school success. But all of this will happen only if WaKIDS is adequately funded to allow teachers time to process and enter the assessment data and additional time for parent meetings and early learning collaborations that are meaningful and useful. Implementation of WaKIDS requires significant teacher time, outside of class, that is currently allocated for other activities. Without adequate funding to continue to support new teachers (approximately 20% of Kindergarten teachers are new to WaKIDS each year), the vision of this process to inform and support strong transitions for students will not be realized.

 

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51. Levy Equalization Funding and Formulas Recommendation: DO PASS see original
52. Use of Levy Funds for Non-Basic Education Programs Recommendation: DO PASS

 WSSDA shall initiate and/or support legislation that allows levy funds to be used for non-basic education programs. School districts must account for non-basic education levy fund uses. Time for reporting, accounting, and auditing levy fund uses must be minimized and funding to cover costs of compliance included.

ARGUMENT FOR: Current state law already prohibits the use of local levies for basic education obligations; however with the woeful underfunding of basic education from the state, districts have been forced to consider using local levy funding to support basic education obligations. While use of levy funding for non-basic education purposes has always been allowable, there has been limited effort to account for how levy funds are used for basic and/or nonbasic education purposes. However, in the 2016 supplemental operating budget, the Washington State Legislature enacted a reporting requirement for school districts to begin reporting to OSPI in the 2016-17 school year the accounting of the fund sources used, including the use of local levies. This information will be used to support the state’s transition to meet its obligation for providing state funding for basic education compensation and staffing and allow for school districts to utilize local levies for their intended use for providing enhancements to the solid program of basic education. This position encourages accurate reporting for use of levy dollars as sound fiscal practice and to build trust with taxpayers.

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56. 56. Equity in Remediation Money Recommendation: DO PASS

WSSDA supports equalizing the delivery of remedial money for poverty programs by using state Learning Assistance Program dollars to close the gap in per student funding among Title I qualified students, created by differing Title I funding formulas.

 

My priority selection from which I was to vote for 10 out of 62 proposals follows:

8. Changing School Bond Approval Requirement, NO
9. Levy Rollbacks, YES
10. 7.3.3 Bargaining/Negotiations, NO
11. 7.1.1 Levy Equalization/Levy Lid/Grandfathered Inequities: This proposal seems too complicated, confusing, and conflicted even though amended. I’m not voting on it.
12. 7.1.28 Truancy Becca Funding, YES
13. 7.6.5 Health Care Bargaining: If this amendment simply removes a duplicating proposal, i.e. # 16, I vote YES. If this proposal’s objective is to replace local contract negotiations with state negotiations for salaries and health care benefits (i.e. # 16 above), I vote NO.

Explanation for # 22. Is unclear to me. Apparently we are voting on 3 WASSDA proposals to relinquish part of our local control over union contract negotiations to the state?

REGULAR CALENDAR

26.  Alternative Assessments for High School Graduation Requirements & Accountability, YES

41.  Teacher Shortages, YES

46.  Statewide Bargaining for Salaries and Healthcare, NO

54.  Fiscal Notes and Unfunded Mandates, YES

58.  State Sales Tax Offset Dedicated to a School Construction Fund, YES