Catholic School Legislative Bulletin – 2016, No. 1
January 18, 2016
During the 2016 legislative session the Washington State Catholic Conference (WSCC) will again this year provide you with weekly bulletins to inform you of legislative developments in Olympia of particular concern to Catholic schools. The Legislature began its 2016 session on January 11.
In this bulletin, the bills covered are ones for which hearings have been scheduled. Hundreds of bills are introduced but not all of them are heard. A bill needs to be heard in committee before being scheduled for a vote. If a bill doesn’t receive a hearing, there is little chance it will ever become law.
Breakfast After the Bell
HB 1295 would require each high-needs school to offer breakfast after the bell to qualified students, and provide adequate time for students to eat. The bill passed the House in 2015, but did not pass the Senate. When the 2015 session ended, the bill was returned to the House. The House Education Committee passed the bill on Thursday, Jan. 14, and the House Appropriations Committee has scheduled a public hearing and a vote on HB 1295 for Monday, Jan. 18. WSCC supports HB 1295.
Graduation Requirements
HB 1855would waive local graduation requirements for at-risk students. If passed, the bill would require school districts to help facilitate high school graduation for homeless children, at-risk youth, and children in need of services in the same manner as for children who are dependent according to specific court-determined findings. HB 1855 would also require that, in the event a qualifying dependent child, homeless child, at-risk youth, or child in need of services has attended three or more high schools and has met state requirements but is ineligible to graduate from the receiving school district after all alternatives have been considered, the receiving school district must waive its local requirements and ensure the receipt of a diploma. In 2015, this bill passed the House by a vote of 89-0 in the Second Special Session. It did not receive a hearing in the Senate.
Charter Schools
SB 6194 would authorize charter schools and address the Washington Supreme Court's concerns by designating charter schools as schools which are not common schools and by funding them through the Washington Opportunity Pathways Account. It has already passed the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee. On Monday, Jan. 18, the Senate Ways & Means Committee will hold a hearing on SB 6194.
Another charter schools bill is SB 6163 which would address the Court's concerns of non-common school status and funding source by authorizing school districts to create district charter schools within the district. The Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee held a hearing on Jan. 12 regarding SB 6163.
Homeless Students
On Thursday, Jan. 21, the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee will hold a hearing on a bill that seeks to stabilize students who are homeless. SB 6298 would create a competitive grant process to evaluate and award state-funded three-year grants to school districts to increase identification of homeless students and to assess the capacity of the districts to provide support. The bill would also establish a grant program to link homeless students and their families with stable housing located in the homeless student's school district. WSCC supports SB 6298.
On Monday, Jan. 18, the House Appropriations committee will hold a hearing and have scheduled a vote on HB 1682. This bill is very similar to SB 6298 and passed the House in the 2015 session but stalled in the Senate.
Certification
HB 1293would establish new criteria and certification requirements for paraeducators. Many Catholic schools communities have paraeducators, or someone working under the supervision of a certificated staff member to support instructional services. HB 1293 had a hearing in the House Education committee in the 2015 session, but was not voted out of committee. This same committee has scheduled a hearing on the bill for Monday, Jan. 18. WSCC is monitoring this bill to ensure that new criteria is reasonable to produce safe and excellent learning environments.
Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB)
HB 1771 would clarify that data exchanged between educator preparation programs and PESB are protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The PESB is expressly named as an authorized representative of the state's educational agencies for the purpose of accessing and compiling student record data for research, monitoring, and evaluation purposes. The House Education committee will hear HB 1771 on Monday, Jan. 18 and has scheduled a vote on Thursday, Jan. 21. WSCC is monitoring this bill.
The Washington State Catholic Conference (WSCC) is the public policy voice of the Catholic Bishops of Washington State.
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