Sine Die (meeting adjourned!)
And just like that, the Legislature has adjourned! This short session was a whirlwind of policy discussions and budget negotiations. In the end, legislators voted on final supplemental and capital budgets that show tremendous support for students, educators, and schools. There was a last-minute push yesterday to get HB 1699across the finish line, which was amazing. This bill will allow retired educators, including administrators in districts with less than 2,000 students, to work more hours each year in schools.
Budget Highlights
Supplemental Budget
Here are some of the highlights of the final supplemental budget (SB 5693) for K–12 education:
Enrollment Stabilization — $346.5 million
This funding will support 230 districts that continue to experience enrollment declines, backfilling 50% of a district’s revenue loss.
Staffing Allocations — $90.6 million ($548.3 million for 2023–25)
Funding is provided to increase staffing ratios and allocations for support staff such as nurses, social workers, psychologists, counselors, classified staff providing student and staff safety, and parent involvement coordinators and other school district employees and contractors who provide physical, social, and emotional support to students, as defined by OSPI.
Increases in Inflation for K–12 Salaries and MSOC — $236 million
A new 5.5% inflationary factor is used to adjust the 2022 supplemental operating budget, providing the following minimum salary allocations for the 2022–23 school year: $72,728 for instructional staff; $107,955 for administrators; and $52,173 for classified staff. By way of contrast, most state employees will receive a 3.25% increase in salary with a one-time payment of $3,400.
LAP Hold Harmless — $27.0 million
Funding is provided to hold school districts harmless by allowing them to use 2019–20 school year free and reduced-price lunch percentages for calculating Learning Assistance Program (LAP) funding.
Federal Food Assistance and Community Eligibility Provision — $43.6 million
Funding is provided for state reimbursements to school districts for schools and groups of schools required to participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) under 2SHB 1878 but who are not eligible for the full federal reimbursement rate. Federal assistance is also provided from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Supply Chain Assistance and Local Food for Schools funds.
Transportation — $13 million
Funding is provided for transportation safety net funding to school districts with a demonstrated need for additional transportation funding for special passengers.
Residential Outdoor School — $10.0 million
Funding is appropriated to OSPI to implement and administer an Outdoor Learning Grant Program with funds for school districts to develop or support outdoor educational experiences, funds for outdoor education providers to support or increase capacity at their sites, and funds that will prioritize outdoor experiences for 5th and 6th-grade students.
After-Exit Running Start — $3.0 million
Funding is provided for after-exit Running Start grants to school districts that identify Running Start students that have exceeded maximum enrollment under Running Start formulas and high school graduates who have 15 or fewer college credits to earn before meeting associate degree requirements. High school graduates who meet these requirements are eligible to receive funds from these grants for fees to the Community and Technical College to earn up to 15 college credits during the summer academic term following their high school graduation.
Financial Literacy Education — $3.0 million
Funding is provided to establish a new Financial Literacy Education Professional Development Grant Program. Grants are to be provided to school districts for integrating financial literacy education into professional development for certificated staff.
Capital Budget
Here are a few of the main components of the capital budget for schools.
- School Seismic Safety Grant Program — $100.0 million
- Distressed Schools— $21.7 million (including $13 million to rebuild Almira Elementary School)
- West Sound Technical Skills Center Modernization — $10.9 million
- Small District and Tribal Compact Schools Modernization — $7.6 million
There are many other pieces to these final budgets. For a comprehensive review, check out Dan Steele’s Special Edition TWIO (This Week in Olympia) on the final supplemental budget. Thank you, Dan!
Final Bill Tracking
Budget
Students
- HB 1723 | Telecommunication Access
- HB 1833 | Electronic Option for School Meal Needs
- HB 1878 | Increasing Participation in Community Eligibility Provision
- HB 2068 | Creating the Imagination Library Program
- HB 2078 | Outdoor School for All
- SB 5497 | Student Board of Education Members
- SB 5657 | Computer Science in Juvenile Institutions
- SB 5720 | Financial Literacy
- SB 5878 | Arts Instruction
High School/Dual Credit
- HB 1736 | State Student Loan Program
- HB 1805 | Opportunity Scholarship Program
- HB 1835 | Postsecondary Enrollment (FAFSA completion support)
- HB 1867 | Dual Credit Data
- SB 5498 | Awarding Diplomas Posthumously
- SB 5789 | Career and College Pathways Innovation Challenge Program
Health/Safety
- HB 1800 | Increasing Access to Behavioral Health Services for Minors
- HB 1834 | Student Mental Health Absences
- HB 1890 | Children and Behavioral Health Work Group
- HB 1941 | Active Shooter Drills
Workforce/Staff
- HB 1617 | School/State Holidays (Juneteenth)
- HB 1699 | Educators Working in Retirement
- HB 1974 | State Board and ESD Elections Moved to WSSDA
- SB 5252 | School District Consultation with Tribes
- SB 5628 | Concerning Cyber Harassment
Other Important Bills and Issues
I’m mentioning these bills and links to important resources because they passed last year and have either already gone into effect or will very soon.
Comprehensive School Counseling Programs
Check out OSPI’s page on School Counseling Programs following the passage of SB 5030.
Staff Mental Health/Secondary Trauma
Check out OSPI’s page for resources for educators who have experienced secondary trauma in the work environment and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s page with resources to help reduce secondary traumatic stress among educators following the passage of HB 1363.
Educator Certification
Here is PESB’s page with NEW information about certification renewal for administrators including NEW requirements to complete 10 clock hours in educational leadership, 10 clock hours in equity, and 5 clock hours in government to government relations with tribes following the passage of HB 1426.
Juvenile Access to Attorneys
For more information on the Youth Access to Counsel program, visit the Office of Public Defense’s website. This was developed after the passage of HB 1040.
Youth Tip Line
Last session, SB 5092 established the Tipline Advisory Committee to advise the Attorney General’s Office as it develops processes for risk assessment, threat assessment, referral and follow-up, data retention, and confidentiality of the Tipline Program. The Tipline will be a statewide 24-hour, seven days per week line to support youth safety and well-being. Youth identified through the Tipline will be provided with appropriate resources or triaged to appropriate intervention within the state. More information will be coming soon.
Student Growth Goals
At the beginning of the 2021–22 school year, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) released revised Student Growth Rubrics for schools and districts for their optional use this year. The revised rubrics capture critical learnings from the past ten years of student growth goals as part of the evaluation process and are informed by feedback from schools that elected to pilot the revised rubrics this year. This process requires reflection and conversation, and favors learning and growth over the attainment of a certain level of performance or achievement. These will continue to be piloted in the 2022–23 school year and will eventually be required in the TPEP process.
Thank you ALL for your advocacy this legislative session. We are already working on issues to advocate for during the interim as we work toward 2023, and we’ll share more on that soon. In the meantime, please reach out to me with any questions. Thank you!