Washington Business Fall 2018 | Legislative Review & Vote Record | Page 25

issue area reports | education and workforce Education & Workforce Development Amy Anderson: Education, Workforce, Federal Issues, and AWB Institute The Legislature officially completed its years- long effort to satisfy the McCleary court ruling by adding nearly $1 billion to the K-12 system in 2018, as well as additional investments in early learning and post-secondary education. This brings the total investment in the state’s K-12 system in the last four years to $4.6 billion with an additional $8.4 billion investment planned through 2021. Resolving the McCleary ruling was a significant milestone, but AWB remains committed to addressing education beyond McCleary. AWB’s focus will be on how this money is being utilized and supporting programs that prepare the next generation of workforce to help employers grow and attract new business to the state. k-12 education E2SSB 6362 modifying basic education provisions Passed/AWB Supported The Legislature dedicated almost $1 bil- lion more to the state’s K-12 system in the 2018 supplemental budget. The budget bill, Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 6362, was sponsored by Sens. Lisa Well- man, D-Mercer Island; Christine Rolfes, D-Bainbridge Island; and Andy Billig, D-Spokane. It was intended to comply with the state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision, most importantly to fully fund increases in school employee salaries in the 2018-19 school year — without a tax increase. The Legislature also considered factors in regionalization to accommo- date the disparity in cost of living in some school districts. Additional changes to the 2017 funding bill included increases in special education funding, the creation Bill considered as part of AWB’s voting record AWB Government Affairs Director Amy Anderson holds a copy of the AWB 2017 Manufacturing Week tour book as she testifies in favor of House Bill 2177, the Rural County High Employer Demand Jobs Program, during a Jan. 29 hearing of the House Appropriations Committee. of a transportation alternate funding grant program, a delay in the requirement that districts meet kindergarten through grade 3 class size ratios until the 2019-20 school year, a statement of legislative intent to provide funding to support schools with paid sick leave costs, and a delay in the implementation of the state allocation for professional learning days by one year. career and technical education SSB 6133/HB 2641 career and technical education SSB 6133-Passed, HB 2641-Died/AWB Supported Both A notable disappointment in the 2018 legislative session was the lack of action on Ca reer a nd Tech n ica l Educat ion (CTE). For the last 15 years, f unding f or C T E c l a s s e s h a s b e e n r e du c e d or redirected, making it diff icult for school dist r ict s to prov ide st udent s Favorable outcome for Washington businesses with the skills needed for success in today’s globally competitive economy. Despite the overall lack of action, the 2018 legislative session saw one win in the CTE category. Substitute Senate Bill 6133, sponsored by Sen. Hans Zeiger, R-Puyallup, expanded statewide career and technical education course equivalency options in t he a rea s of science, tech nolog y, engineering and math. The bill specifically directs the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to develop a list of CTE courses that have content in these areas that are equivalent to academ ic st a nda rd s i n science a nd math courses. Another bill was not as successful. House Bill 2641, sponsored by Reps. Bob McCa sl i n , R- Spok a ne Valley; Mark Hargrove, R-Coving ton; Matt Shea, R-Spokane Valley; Jacquelin Maycumber, R-Republic; David Taylor, R-Moxee; Jef f Holy, R-Cheney; Ca r y Condotta, R-East Wenatchee; and, Jesse Young, R-Gig Harbor, would have required Missed Opportunities special edition 2018 23