H-3158.1
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1960
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2024 Regular Session
By House Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives
Stonier, Santos, Pollet, Doglio, Hackney, Callan, Riccelli, Berg,
Street, Farivar, Rule, Shavers, Reeves, Ortiz-Self, Harris, Reed,
Ryu, Leavitt, Berry, Duerr, Senn, Ramel, Slatter, Morgan, Fey,
Timmons, Fosse, Goodman, Thai, Alvarado, Lekanoff, and Davis)
READ FIRST TIME 02/05/24.
1 AN ACT Relating to increasing prototypical school staffing to
2 better meet student needs; amending RCW 28A.150.260 and 28A.400.007;
3 creating new sections; and providing an effective date.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
5 NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. Youth mental and behavioral health has
6 been a rising crisis for a decade. As youth grapple with new
7 pressures from social media and impacts of a pandemic, their needs
8 can manifest as disruptive behaviors in the school environment.
9 Teachers, counselors, administrators, and education support
10 professionals have identified the need to have more caring and
11 committed education staff in schools to meet the needs of students.
12 Education support professionals are vital team members in a
13 school and often directly support students. Educational staff
14 professionals drive students safely to school, provide one-on-one
15 individualized instruction for special education students, run small
16 group instruction for English language learners and for students
17 struggling with certain academic concepts, supervise and monitor
18 students before and after school, at lunch, and during recess,
19 provide physical and behavioral health services in schools, serve
20 lunches, keep buildings clean and maintained, and many other support
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1 services that are essential to school operations and student
2 learning.
3 Therefore, to improve the individualized support for student
4 learning and behavioral needs, the legislature intends to increase
5 staffing allocations for paraprofessionals in instructional roles.
6 Sec. 2. RCW 28A.150.260 and 2023 c 379 s 6 are each amended to
7 read as follows:
8 The purpose of this section is to provide for the allocation of
9 state funding that the legislature deems necessary to support school
10 districts in offering the minimum instructional program of basic
11 education under RCW 28A.150.220. The allocation shall be determined
12 as follows:
13 (1) The governor shall and the superintendent of public
14 instruction may recommend to the legislature a formula for the
15 distribution of a basic education instructional allocation for each
16 common school district.
17 (2)(a) The distribution formula under this section shall be for
18 allocation purposes only. Except as may be required under subsections
19 (4)(b) and (c), (5)(b), and (9) of this section, chapter 28A.155,
20 28A.165, 28A.180, or 28A.185 RCW, or federal laws and regulations,
21 nothing in this section requires school districts to use basic
22 education instructional funds to implement a particular instructional
23 approach or service. Nothing in this section requires school
24 districts to maintain a particular classroom teacher-to-student ratio
25 or other staff-to-student ratio or to use allocated funds to pay for
26 particular types or classifications of staff. Nothing in this section
27 entitles an individual teacher to a particular teacher planning
28 period.
29 (b) To promote transparency in state funding allocations, the
30 superintendent of public instruction must report state per-pupil
31 allocations for each school district for the general apportionment,
32 special education, learning assistance, transitional bilingual,
33 highly capable, and career and technical education programs. The
34 superintendent must report this information in a user-friendly format
35 on the main page of the office's website. School districts must
36 include a link to the superintendent's per-pupil allocations report
37 on the main page of the school district's website. In addition, the
38 budget documents published by the legislature for the enacted omnibus
39 operating appropriations act must report statewide average per-pupil
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 1 allocations for general apportionment and the categorical programs
2 listed in this subsection.
3 (3)(a) To the extent the technical details of the formula have
4 been adopted by the legislature and except when specifically provided
5 as a school district allocation, the distribution formula for the
6 basic education instructional allocation shall be based on minimum
7 staffing and nonstaff costs the legislature deems necessary to
8 support instruction and operations in prototypical schools serving
9 high, middle, and elementary school students as provided in this
10 section. The use of prototypical schools for the distribution formula
11 does not constitute legislative intent that schools should be
12 operated or structured in a similar fashion as the prototypes.
13 Prototypical schools illustrate the level of resources needed to
14 operate a school of a particular size with particular types and grade
15 levels of students using commonly understood terms and inputs, such
16 as class size, hours of instruction, and various categories of school
17 staff. It is the intent that the funding allocations to school
18 districts be adjusted from the school prototypes based on the actual
19 number of annual average full-time equivalent students in each grade
20 level at each school in the district and not based on the grade-level
21 configuration of the school to the extent that data is available. The
22 allocations shall be further adjusted from the school prototypes with
23 minimum allocations for small schools and to reflect other factors
24 identified in the omnibus appropriations act.
25 (b) For the purposes of this section, prototypical schools are
26 defined as follows:
27 (i) A prototypical high school has 600 average annual full-time
28 equivalent students in grades nine through 12;
29 (ii) A prototypical middle school has 432 average annual full-
30 time equivalent students in grades seven and eight; and
31 (iii) A prototypical elementary school has 400 average annual
32 full-time equivalent students in grades kindergarten through six.
33 (4)(a)(i) The minimum allocation for each level of prototypical
34 school shall be based on the number of full-time equivalent classroom
35 teachers needed to provide instruction over the minimum required
36 annual instructional hours under RCW 28A.150.220 and provide at least
37 one teacher planning period per school day, and based on the
38 following general education average class size of full-time
39 equivalent students per teacher:
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 1 General education
2 average class size
3 Grades K-3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.00
4 Grade 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.00
5 Grades 5-6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.00
6 Grades 7-8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.53
7 Grades 9-12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.74
8 (ii) The minimum class size allocation for each prototypical high
9 school shall also provide for enhanced funding for class size
10 reduction for two laboratory science classes within grades nine
11 through 12 per full-time equivalent high school student multiplied by
12 a laboratory science course factor of 0.0833, based on the number of
13 full-time equivalent classroom teachers needed to provide instruction
14 over the minimum required annual instructional hours in RCW
15 28A.150.220, and providing at least one teacher planning period per
16 school day:
17 Laboratory science
18 average class size
19 Grades 9-12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.98
20 (b)(i) Beginning September 1, 2019, funding for average K-3 class
21 sizes in this subsection (4) may be provided only to the extent of,
22 and proportionate to, the school district's demonstrated actual class
23 size in grades K-3, up to the funded class sizes.
24 (ii) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall
25 develop rules to implement this subsection (4)(b).
26 (c)(i) The minimum allocation for each prototypical middle and
27 high school shall also provide for full-time equivalent classroom
28 teachers based on the following number of full-time equivalent
29 students per teacher in career and technical education:
30 Career and technical
31 education average
32 class size
33 Approved career and technical education offered at
34 the middle school and high school level. . . . . . . . . . . . 23.00
35 Skill center programs meeting the standards established
36 by the office of the superintendent of public
37 instruction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.00
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 1 (ii) Funding allocated under this subsection (4)(c) is subject to
2 RCW 28A.150.265.
3 (d) In addition, the omnibus appropriations act shall at a
4 minimum specify:
5 (i) A high-poverty average class size in schools where more than
6 50 percent of the students are eligible for free and reduced-price
7 meals; and
8 (ii) A specialty average class size for advanced placement and
9 international baccalaureate courses.
10 (5)(a) The minimum allocation for each level of prototypical
11 school shall include allocations for the following types of staff in
12 addition to classroom teachers:
13 Elementary Middle High
14 School School School
15 Principals, assistant principals, and other certificated building-level
16 administrators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.253 1.353 1.880
17 Teacher-librarians, a function that includes information literacy, technology,
18 and media to support school library media programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.663 0.519 0.523
19 Teaching assistance, including any aspect of educational instructional services
20 provided by classified employees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ((0.936)) ((0.700)) ((0.652))
21 1.036 0.800 0.752
22 Office support and other noninstructional aides. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.012 2.325 3.269
23 Custodians. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.657 1.942 2.965
24 Nurses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.585 0.888 0.824
25 Social workers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.311 0.088 0.127
26 Psychologists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.104 0.024 0.049
27 Counselors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.993 1.716 3.039
28 Classified staff providing student and staff safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.079 0.092 0.141
29 Parent involvement coordinators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.0825 0.00 0.00
30 (b)(i) The superintendent may only allocate funding, up to the
31 combined minimum allocations, for nurses, social workers,
32 psychologists, counselors, classified staff providing student and
33 staff safety, and parent involvement coordinators under (a) of this
34 subsection to the extent of and proportionate to a school district's
35 demonstrated actual ratios of: Full-time equivalent physical, social,
36 and emotional support staff to full-time equivalent students.
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 1 (ii) The superintendent must adopt rules to implement this
2 subsection (5)(b) and the rules must require school districts to
3 prioritize funding allocated as required by (b)(i) of this subsection
4 for physical, social, and emotional support staff who hold a valid
5 educational staff associate certificate appropriate for the staff's
6 role.
7 (iii) For the purposes of this subsection (5)(b), "physical,
8 social, and emotional support staff" include nurses, social workers,
9 psychologists, counselors, classified staff providing student and
10 staff safety, parent involvement coordinators, and other school
11 district employees and contractors who provide physical, social, and
12 emotional support to students as defined by the superintendent.
13 (6)(a) The minimum staffing allocation for each school district
14 to provide district-wide support services shall be allocated per one
15 thousand annual average full-time equivalent students in grades K-12
16 as follows:
17 Staff per 1,000
18 K-12 students
19 Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.628
20 Facilities, maintenance, and grounds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.813
21 Warehouse, laborers, and mechanics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.332
22 (b) The minimum allocation of staff units for each school
23 district to support certificated and classified staffing of central
24 administration shall be 5.30 percent of the staff units generated
25 under subsections (4)(a) and (5) of this section and (a) of this
26 subsection.
27 (7) The distribution formula shall include staffing allocations
28 to school districts for career and technical education and skill
29 center administrative and other school-level certificated staff, as
30 specified in the omnibus appropriations act.
31 (8)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, the minimum
32 allocation for each school district shall include allocations per
33 annual average full-time equivalent student for the following
34 materials, supplies, and operating costs as provided in the 2017-18
35 school year, after which the allocations shall be adjusted annually
36 for inflation as specified in the omnibus appropriations act:
37 Per annual average
38 full-time equivalent student
39 in grades K-12
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1 Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $130.76
2 Utilities and insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $355.30
3 Curriculum and textbooks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $140.39
4 Other supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $278.05
5 Library materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20.00
6 Instructional professional development for certificated and
7 classified staff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $21.71
8 Facilities maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $176.01
9 Security and central office administration. . . . . . . . . $121.94
10 (b) In addition to the amounts provided in (a) of this
11 subsection, beginning in the 2014-15 school year, the omnibus
12 appropriations act shall provide the following minimum allocation for
13 each annual average full-time equivalent student in grades nine
14 through 12 for the following materials, supplies, and operating
15 costs, to be adjusted annually for inflation:
16 Per annual average
17 full-time equivalent student
18 in grades 9-12
19 Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $36.35
20 Curriculum and textbooks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $39.02
21 Other supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $77.28
22 Library materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5.56
23 Instructional professional development for certificated and
24 classified staff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.04
25 (9) In addition to the amounts provided in subsection (8) of this
26 section and subject to RCW 28A.150.265, the omnibus appropriations
27 act shall provide an amount based on full-time equivalent student
28 enrollment in each of the following: