2017 legislative review
Education & Workforce Development
Amy Anderson : Education , Workforce , Federal Issues , and AWB Institute
Funding of the state ’ s K-12 system was perhaps the most watched issue of the 2017 legislative session . Facing a contempt of court ruling by the state Supreme Court in the McCleary ruling , legislators struggled to address the need to relieve local areas of the burden of funding education and secure funding from the state to meet its constitutional responsibility of providing education for the state ’ s K-12 system .
The session also saw several education bills addressing such issues as school assessments , the so-called “ levy cliff ,” post-secondary scholarship programs , and job training opportunities , among others .
education funding
Amy Anderson , AWB government affairs director for workforce and education , during testimony before the Senate Higher Education Committee .
Since 2012 , Washington has invested an additional $ 4 billion in the K-12 education system and yet the 2017 Legislature needed to invest additional funds into the system to meet the state ’ s constitutional mandate , put forth by the state Supreme Court , to provide basic education for all of the state ’ s primary and secondary students . In addition to the governor ’ s education proposal , lawmakers introduced three education funding bills this session : Substitute Senate Bill 5607 ( Majority Coalition Caucus proposal ); Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1843 ( House Democratic Caucus proposal ); and Senate Bill 5825 ( Senate Democratic Caucus proposal ), with a final negotiated proposal , Engrossed House Bill 2242 , which was signed into law by the governor on July 6 .
All proposals addressed critical policy issue areas necessary to satisfy the state Supreme Court McCleary decision , including teacher salaries , per-student funding , and elimination of reliance on local levies . The final negotiated education funding plan , Engrossed House Bill 2242 , allocates an additional $ 7.3 billion in state funding for K-12 education over the next two biennia . The legislation also :
• Increases and revises state allocations for K-12 basic education salaries and replaces the K-12 salary allocation model , increases minimum salary allocations , establishes maximum salaries and other salary limitations , and adjusts state allocations for inflation and regional differences in the cost of hiring staff .
• Adds a state allocation for professional learning days , up to three days .
• Enhances state basic education funding under the prototypical school model through increases to special education , vocational education , highly capable , and transitional bilingual programs , all beginning in the 2017-18 school year .
• Creates a new learning assistance allocation for highpoverty schools , beginning in the 2017-18 school year .
• Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to publish per-pupil funding rates for each school district for general apportionment and specified categorical programs .
• Codifies into the Basic Education Act allocation requirements for services and staffing previously funded in the budget .
26 association of washington business