CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT
ENGROSSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5670
Chapter 159, Laws of 2024
68th Legislature
2024 Regular Session
RUNNING START PROGRAM—SUMMER FOLLOWING 10TH GRADE
EFFECTIVE DATE: June 6, 2024
Passed by the Senate February 2, 2024 CERTIFICATE
Yeas 48 Nays 0
I, Sarah Bannister, Secretary of
the Senate of the State of
DENNY HECK Washington, do hereby certify that
President of the Senate the attached is ENGROSSED SECOND
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5670 as
passed by the Senate and the House
of Representatives on the dates
Passed by the House February 29, 2024 hereon set forth.
Yeas 92 Nays 1
SARAH BANNISTER
LAURIE JINKINS
Secretary
Speaker of the House of
Representatives
Approved March 18, 2024 3:27 PM FILED
March 19, 2024
Secretary of State
JAY INSLEE State of Washington
Governor of the State of Washington
 ENGROSSED SECOND SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5670
Passed Legislature - 2024 Regular Session
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2023 Regular Session
By Senate Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Hawkins,
Randall, Holy, Kuderer, Nguyen, Nobles, Saldaña, and L. Wilson)
READ FIRST TIME 02/24/23.
1 AN ACT Relating to summer running start for rising juniors;
2 amending RCW 28A.600.310 and 28A.600.320; and creating a new section.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
4 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature believes it is in the best
5 interest of the state to create opportunities to help ease students
6 into running start prior to their 11th grade academic year. Affirming
7 the opportunity for running start during the summer term following
8 the 10th grade academic year will improve access to higher education
9 opportunities and increase the likelihood of postsecondary degree
10 attainment.
11 Sec. 2. RCW 28A.600.310 and 2023 c 350 s 2 are each amended to
12 read as follows:
13 (1) Every school district must allow eligible students as
14 described in subsection (2) of this section to participate in the
15 running start program.
16 (2) ((Student)) In addition to the eligibility provided for in
17 subsection (6) of this section, student eligibility for the running
18 start program is as follows: Eleventh and 12th grade students or
19 students who have not yet received the credits required for the award
20 of a high school diploma and are eligible to be in the 11th or 12th
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 1 grade, including students receiving home-based instruction under
2 chapter 28A.200 RCW and students attending private schools approved
3 under chapter 28A.195 RCW, may apply to a participating institution
4 of higher education to enroll in courses or programs offered by the
5 institution of higher education.
6 (3) Students receiving home-based instruction under chapter
7 28A.200 RCW enrolling in a public high school for the sole purpose of
8 participating in courses or programs offered by institutions of
9 higher education shall not be counted by the school district in any
10 required state or federal accountability reporting if the student's
11 parents or guardians filed a declaration of intent to provide home-
12 based instruction and the student received home-based instruction
13 during the school year before the school year in which the student
14 intends to participate in courses or programs offered by the
15 institution of higher education.
16 (4) Participating institutions of higher education, in
17 consultation with school districts, may establish admission standards
18 for eligible students. If the institution of higher education accepts
19 a secondary school student for enrollment under this section, the
20 institution of higher education shall send written notice to the
21 student and the student's school district within 10 days of
22 acceptance. The notice shall indicate the course and hours of
23 enrollment for that student.
24 (5) The course sections and programs offered as running start
25 courses must be open for registration to matriculated students at the
26 participating institution of higher education and may not be a course
27 consisting solely of high school students offered at a high school
28 campus.
29 (6) Rising 11th grade students, defined as students who have
30 completed their 10th grade year and not yet begun their 11th grade
31 year, may enroll for up to 10 quarter credits, or the semester
32 equivalent, during the summer academic term.
33 (7)(a) In lieu of tuition and fees, as defined in RCW 28B.15.020
34 and 28B.15.041:
35 (i) Running start students shall pay to the community or
36 technical college all other mandatory fees as established by each
37 community or technical college and, in addition, the state board for
38 community and technical colleges may authorize a fee of up to 10
39 percent of tuition and fees as defined in RCW 28B.15.020 and
40 28B.15.041; and
p. 2 E2SSB 5670.SL
 1 (ii) All other institutions of higher education operating a
2 running start program may charge running start students a fee of up
3 to 10 percent of tuition and fees as defined in RCW 28B.15.020 and
4 28B.15.041 in addition to technology fees.
5 (b) The fees charged under this subsection (((6))) (7) shall be
6 prorated based on credit load.
7 (c) Students may pay fees under this subsection (((6))) (7) with
8 advanced college tuition payment program tuition units at a rate set
9 by the advanced college tuition payment program governing body under
10 chapter 28B.95 RCW.
11 (((7))) (8)(a) The institutions of higher education must make
12 available fee waivers for low-income running start students. A
13 student shall be considered low income and eligible for a fee waiver
14 upon proof that the student meets federal eligibility requirements
15 for free or reduced-price school meals. Acceptable documentation of
16 low-income status may also include, but is not limited to,
17 documentation that a student has been deemed eligible for free or
18 reduced-price lunches in the last five years, or other criteria
19 established in the institution's policy.
20 (b)(i) By the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, school
21 districts, upon knowledge of a low-income student's enrollment in
22 running start, must provide documentation of the student's low-income
23 status, under (a) of this subsection, directly to institutions of
24 higher education.
25 (ii) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this
26 specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public
27 instruction, in consultation with the Washington student achievement
28 council, shall develop a centralized process for school districts to
29 provide students' low-income status to institutions of higher
30 education to meet the requirements of (b)(i) of this subsection.
31 (c) Institutions of higher education, in collaboration with
32 relevant student associations, shall aim to have students who can
33 benefit from fee waivers take advantage of these waivers.
34 Institutions shall make every effort to communicate to students and
35 their families the benefits of the waivers and provide assistance to
36 students and their families on how to apply. Information about
37 waivers shall, to the greatest extent possible, be incorporated into
38 financial aid counseling, admission information, and individual
39 billing statements. Institutions also shall, to the greatest extent
40 possible, use all means of communication, including but not limited
p. 3 E2SSB 5670.SL
 1 to websites, online catalogues, admission and registration forms,
2 mass email messaging, social media, and outside marketing to ensure
3 that information about waivers is visible, compelling, and reaches
4 the maximum number of students and families that can benefit.
5 (((8))) (9) The student's school district shall transmit to the
6 institution of higher education an amount per each full-time
7 equivalent college student at statewide uniform rates for vocational
8 and nonvocational students. The superintendent of public instruction
9 shall separately calculate and allocate moneys appropriated for basic
10 education under RCW 28A.150.260 to school districts for purposes of
11 making such payments and for granting school districts seven percent
12 thereof to offset program related costs. The calculations and
13 allocations shall be based upon the estimated statewide annual
14 average per full-time equivalent high school student allocations
15 under RCW 28A.150.260, excluding small high school enhancements, and
16 applicable rules adopted under chapter 34.05 RCW. The superintendent
17 of public instruction, participating institutions of higher
18 education, and the state board for community and technical colleges
19 shall consult on the calculation and distribution of the funds. The
20 funds received by the institution of higher education from the school
21 district shall not be deemed tuition or operating fees and may be
22 retained by the institution of higher education. A student enrolled
23 under this subsection shall be counted for the purpose of meeting
24 enrollment targets in accordance with terms and conditions specified
25 in the omnibus appropriations act.
26 (((9))) (10) This section governs school operation and management
27 under RCW 28A.710.040 and 28A.715.020 and applies to charter schools
28 established under chapter 28A.710 RCW and state-tribal education
29 compact schools established under chapter 28A.715 RCW to the same
30 extent as it applies to school districts.
31 Sec. 3. RCW 28A.600.320 and 2009 c 524 s 4 are each amended to
32 read as follows:
33 A school district shall provide general information about the
34 program to all pupils in grades ((ten)) 10, ((eleven)) 11, and
35 ((twelve)) 12 and the parents and guardians of those pupils,
36 including information about the opportunity to enroll in the program
37 through online courses available at community and technical colleges
38 and other state institutions of higher education, enrollment
39 opportunities during the summer academic term, and including the
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1 college high school diploma options under RCW 28B.50.535. To assist
2 the district in planning, a pupil shall inform the district of the
3 pupil's intent to enroll in courses at an institution of higher
4 education for credit. Students are responsible for applying for
5 admission to the institution of higher education.
Passed by the Senate February 2, 2024.
Passed by the House February 29, 2024.
Approved by the Governor March 18, 2024.
Filed in Office of Secretary of State March 19, 2024.
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Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 28A.600.320, 28A.600.330, 28A.600.385
Substitute Bill: 28A.600.320, 28A.600.330
Second Substitute: 28A.600.320, 28A.600.330
Engrossed Second Substitute: 28A.600.310, 28A.600.320
Bill as Passed Legislature: 28A.600.310, 28A.600.320
Session Law: 28A.600.310, 28A.600.320