Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

S-1219.1
                           SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5248
     State of Washington         68th Legislature        2023 Regular Session
     By Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education (originally sponsored by
     Senators Braun, Mullet, Dozier, Keiser, Shewmake, Torres, Wagoner,
     Wellman, and L. Wilson)
     READ FIRST TIME 02/08/23.
      AN ACT Relating to using COVID-19 relief funding on high quality
  tutoring and rigorous extended learning programs; creating new
  sections; and providing expiration dates.
  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
     NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature acknowledges that the
 state received billions in COVID-19 relief funding throughout the
 COVID-19 pandemic to support the educational system. Much of this
 funding, approximately 90 percent, was made available directly to
 school districts and other local educational agencies and a large
 amount was initially spent on preventing COVID-19 transmission.
     (2) The legislature recognizes that the American rescue plan act
 of 2021, P.L. 117-2, requires school districts to allocate at least
 20 percent of elementary and secondary school emergency relief funds
 toward learning recovery efforts. The American rescue plan act also
 requires state educational agencies to use at least 5 percent of this
 funding on learning recovery. The legislature believes that even more
 of this funding should be used to address learning loss due to
 COVID-19.
     (3) The legislature further recognizes that it directed the
 office of the superintendent of public instruction to use a portion
 of this COVID-19 relief funding to administer grants for the purposes
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 of learning recovery and acceleration in the 2021-2023 omnibus
 operating appropriations act. This funding can only be used in
 certain ways including one-on-one and small group instruction and
 other intensive learning supports. The legislature believes that
 targeted high quality tutoring and rigorous extended learning
 programs are the two most effective ways to spend this funding. The
 legislature intends to reappropriate the remaining funds from this
 grant program to these two effective methods for addressing learning
 recovery and acceleration. The legislature also intends for these
 funds to support high quality tutoring and rigorous extended learning
 programs that are targeted at students with the greatest learning
 recovery needs.
     (4) The legislature also acknowledges that the office of the
 superintendent of public instruction and state legislature may not
 limit or direct the use of the COVID-19 relief funding that went
 directly to school districts. However, the legislature intends to
 incentivize school districts to use any remaining funds they have
 available on high quality tutoring and rigorous extended learning
 programs by creating a state matching grant program. The legislature
 believes that incentivizing the use of these funds on these two
 effective methods will best support students and address learning
 loss experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
     NEW SECTION.    Sec. 2.    The definitions in this section apply
 throughout sections 3 and 4 of this act unless the context clearly
 requires otherwise.
     (1) "High quality tutoring" means programs that: (a) Use
 certificated staff, paraeducators, and trained volunteers; (b) have
 small student to teacher ratios; (c) are ongoing throughout the
 school year and occur at least several times a week; (d) use data to
 identify students most in need of support and monitor students'
 progress; and (e) assess program effectiveness.
     (2)   "Rigorous   extended   learning  programs" means   programs
 incorporating features that research has shown as most effective for
 student learning recovery, which include: (a) High quality curriculum
 aligned with content from the regular school day and lesson plans
 that include options for individualized instruction; (b) preservice
 and ongoing training, and one-to-one coaching for extended learning
 instructors; (c) extra instruction time during the regular school
 year, school breaks, or the summer, and strategies such as double
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 blocking, acceleration camps, or mandatory summer school programs;
 (d) opportunities for students to attend at least 44 to 100 hours;
 and (e) the use of certificated staff, paraeducators, and trained
 volunteers.
     (3) This section expires December 31, 2024.
     NEW SECTION.   Sec. 3.   (1) The office of the superintendent of
 public instruction must administer grants for the purposes of
 learning recovery and acceleration.
     (2) Allowable uses of the funds are limited to targeted high
 quality tutoring and rigorous extended learning programs that are
 focused on students with the greatest learning recovery needs.
     (3) The office shall allocate any unspent funds from the
 elementary and secondary school emergency relief III account to
 implement this section.
    (4) This section expires December 31, 2024.
     NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. (1) Subject to the availability of amounts
 appropriated   for  this   specific  purpose,   the   office   of the
 superintendent of public instruction must establish the state
 matching grant program for learning recovery and acceleration.
     (2) The purpose of the grant program is to provide state matching
 funds to schools and school districts that choose to use the
 elementary and secondary school emergency relief III account subgrant
 allocations attributable to section 2001(e)(2) of the American rescue
 plan act of 2021, P.L. 117-2 on targeted high quality tutoring and
 rigorous extended learning programs.
     (3) The amount of state matching funds shall be 50 percent of the
 amount schools and school districts use from the elementary and
 secondary school emergency relief III account on targeted high
 quality tutoring and rigorous extended learning programs.
     (4)(a) School districts, charter schools, and state-tribal
 education compact schools may apply for the state matching funds.
     (b) Applicants are eligible for these state matching funds if
 they only use the funding they receive from the elementary and
 secondary school emergency relief III account on either targeted high
 quality tutoring or rigorous extended learning programs, or both, in
 the 2023-24 school year.
     (c) Funding priority shall be given to school districts, charter
 schools, and state-tribal education compact schools that have the
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 lowest percentage of students meeting grade level standards as
 measured by the English language arts and mathematics results of the
 smarter   balanced  assessments   or  any   other  statewide   student
 assessment.
     (5) The office of the superintendent of public instruction may
 adopt rules for the grant program established under this section.
     (6) This section expires December 31, 2024.
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