Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

S-4224.1
                           SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5956
     State of Washington         68th Legislature        2024 Regular Session
     By Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education (originally sponsored by
     Senators Wellman, Lovelett, Kuderer, Nobles, Valdez, and C. Wilson;
     by request of Superintendent of Public Instruction)
     READ FIRST TIME 01/31/24.
     AN ACT Relating to enrichment levies; amending RCW 84.52.0531;
 and creating a new section.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
     NEW SECTION.   Sec. 1.    The legislature finds that the current
 school district enrichment levy model has caused unintentional harm
 to school districts, creating financial distress with significant
 negative impacts on district budgets, staff, and students. The
 current model has negatively impacted districts as they struggle to
 hire and retain staff due to the high cost of living, rising
 inflation, and competition from other employers.
     The   legislature   acknowledges   that   Washington  adopted   a
 regionalized school salary model for state-funded school employees,
 but did not adopt a regionalized school salary model for local levy-
 funded school employees.
     The legislature finds that school districts have struggled to
 hire and retain qualified staff due to unforeseen consequences of the
 current school salary model. Furthermore, the legislature finds that
 aligning levy-funded school district salaries and the state salary
 model would allow affected school districts to remedy staffing issues
 locally at no cost to state taxpayers.
                                       p. 1                          SSB 5956
      Therefore, the legislature intends to remedy the current
  enrichment levy model by aligning state and local levy-funded school
  district staff salaries beginning in 2025.
     Sec. 2.   RCW 84.52.0531 and 2022 c 108 s 3 are each amended to
 read as follows:
     (1) Beginning with taxes levied for collection in 2020, the
 maximum dollar amount which may be levied by or for any school
 district for enrichment levies under RCW 84.52.053 is equal to the
 lesser of ((two dollars and fifty cents)) $2.50 per ((thousand
 dollars)) $1,000 of the assessed value of property in the school
 district or the maximum per-pupil limit. This maximum dollar amount
 shall be reduced accordingly as provided under RCW 43.09.2856(2).
     (2) The definitions in this subsection apply to this section
 unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
     (a) For the purpose of this section, "inflation" means the
 percentage change in the seasonally adjusted consumer price index for
 all urban consumers, Seattle area, for the most recent 12-month
 period as of September 25th of the year before the taxes are payable,
 using the official current base compiled by the United States bureau
 of labor statistics.
     (b) "Maximum per-pupil limit" means:
     (i) ((Two thousand five hundred dollars)) (A) $2,500, as
 increased by inflation beginning with property taxes levied for
 collection in 2020, multiplied by the number of average annual full-
 time equivalent students enrolled in the school district in the prior
 school year, for school districts with fewer than ((forty thousand))
 40,000 annual full-time equivalent students enrolled in the school
 district in the prior school year; and
     (B) Beginning with taxes levied for collection in calendar year
 2025, multiplied by the regionalization factor for the district
 pursuant to the omnibus appropriations act for the prior school year;
 or
     (ii) ((Three thousand dollars)) (A) $3,000, as increased by
 inflation beginning with property taxes levied for collection in
 2020, multiplied by the number of average annual full-time equivalent
 students enrolled in the school district in the prior school year,
 for school districts with ((forty thousand)) 40,000 or more annual
 full-time equivalent students enrolled in the school district in the
 prior school year; and
                                     p. 2                         SSB 5956
     (B) Beginning with taxes levied for collection in calendar year
 2025, multiplied by the regionalization factor for the district
 pursuant to the omnibus appropriations act for the prior school year.
     (c) "Open for in-person instruction to all students" means that
 all students in all grades have the option to participate in at least
 40 hours of planned in-person instruction per month and the school
 follows state department of health guidance and recommendations for
 resuming in-person instruction to the greatest extent practicable.
     (d) "Prior school year" means the most recent school year
 completed prior to the year in which the levies are to be collected,
 except as follows:
     (i) In the 2022 calendar year, if 2019-20 school year average
 annual full-time equivalent enrollment is greater than the school
 district's 2020-21 school year average annual full-time equivalent
 enrollment and the school district is open for in-person instruction
 to all students by the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, "prior
 school year" means the 2019-20 school year.
     (ii) In the 2023 calendar year, if 2019-20 school year average
 annual full-time equivalent enrollment is greater than the school
 district's 2021-22 school year average annual full-time equivalent
 enrollment and the school district was open for in-person instruction
 to all students by the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, "prior
 school year" means the 2019-20 school year.
     (3) For districts in a high/nonhigh relationship, the enrollments
 of the nonhigh students attending the high school shall only be
 counted by the nonhigh school districts for purposes of funding under
 this section.
     (4) For school districts participating in an innovation academy
 cooperative established under RCW 28A.340.080, enrollments of
 students attending the academy shall be adjusted so that each
 participant district receives its proportional share of student
 enrollments for purposes of funding under this section.
     (5) Beginning with propositions for enrichment levies for
 collection in calendar year 2020 and thereafter, a district must
 receive approval of an enrichment levy expenditure plan under RCW
 28A.505.240 before submission of the proposition to the voters.
     (6) The superintendent of public instruction shall develop rules
 and regulations and inform school districts of the pertinent data
 necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.
                                     p. 3                         SSB 5956
     (7) Beginning with taxes levied for collection in 2018,
 enrichment levy revenues must be deposited in a separate subfund of
 the school district's general fund pursuant to RCW 28A.320.330, and
 for the 2018-19 school year are subject to the restrictions of RCW
 28A.150.276 and the audit requirements of RCW 43.09.2856.
     (8) Funds collected from levies for transportation vehicles,
 construction, modernization, or remodeling of school facilities as
 established in RCW 84.52.053 are not subject to the levy limitations
 in subsections (1) through (5) of this section.
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                                    p. 4                        SSB 5956
Statutes affected: 
Original Bill: 84.52.0531
Substitute Bill: 84.52.0531