The legislature finds that the population of Washington state has become increasingly diverse over the last several decades. The legislature also finds that, as the demographics of our state change, historically and currently marginalized communities still do not have the same opportunities to meet parity as their nonmarginalized counterparts across nearly every measure, including education, poverty, employment, health, and more. Inequities based on race, ethnicity, gender, and other characteristics continue to be deep, pervasive, and persistent, and they come at a great economic and social cost. The legislature finds that the state education system must identify and coordinate effective strategies that focus on eliminating systemic barriers for historically and currently marginalized groups.
The legislature finds that charter schools, many of which serve higher percentages of students from marginalized groups than schools statewide, face barriers in access to extracurricular activities and enrichments beyond the program of basic education because they are unable to access local enrichment levies. With this act, the legislature intends to provide state local effort assistance funding to charter schools to improve access to extracurricular activities and enrichments beyond the program of basic education for their students.
This section modifies existing section 28A.500.015. Here is the modified chapter for context.
Beginning in calendar year 2020 and each calendar year thereafter, the state must provide state local effort assistance funding to supplement school district enrichment levies as provided in this section.
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For an eligible school district with an actual enrichment levy rate that is less than one dollar and fifty cents per thousand dollars of assessed value in the school district, the annual local effort assistance funding is equal to the school district's maximum local effort assistance multiplied by a fraction equal to the school district's actual enrichment levy rate divided by one dollar and fifty cents per thousand dollars of assessed value in the school district.
For an eligible school district with an actual enrichment levy rate that is equal to or greater than one dollar and fifty cents per thousand dollars of assessed value in the school district, the annual local effort assistance funding is equal to the school district's maximum local effort assistance.
Beginning in calendar year 2022, for state-tribal education compact schools established under chapter 28A.715 RCW and charter public schools established under chapter 28A.710 RCW, the annual local effort assistance funding is equal to the actual enrichment levy per student as calculated by the superintendent of public instruction for the previous year for the school district in which the state-tribal education compact school or charter public school is located, up to a maximum per student amount of $1,550 as increased for inflation beginning in calendar year 2020, multiplied by the student enrollment of the state-tribal education compact school in the prior school year**. The state must provide annual local effort assistance funding for charter public schools from the Washington opportunity pathways account in accordance with RCW 28A.710.270**.
The state local effort assistance funding provided under this section is not part of the state's program of basic education deemed by the legislature to comply with the requirements of Article IX, section 1 of the state Constitution.
The definitions in this subsection apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
"Eligible school district" means a school district where the amount generated by a levy of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value in the school district, divided by the school district's total student enrollment in the prior school year, is less than the state local effort assistance threshold.
For the purpose of this section, "inflation" means, for any school year, the rate of the yearly increase of the previous calendar year's annual average consumer price index for all urban consumers, Seattle area, using the official current base compiled by the bureau of labor statistics, United States department of labor.
"Maximum local effort assistance" means the difference between the following:
The school district's actual prior school year enrollment multiplied by the state local effort assistance threshold; and
The amount generated by a levy of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value in the school district.
"Prior school year" means the most recent school year completed prior to the year in which the state local effort assistance funding is to be distributed.
"State local effort assistance threshold" means $1,550 per student, increased for inflation beginning in calendar year 2020.
"Student enrollment" means the average annual full-time equivalent student enrollment.
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.
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.
The state must provide full calendar year local effort assistance funding to eligible charter public schools in the 2022 calendar year. If local effort assistance distributions for the 2022 calendar year under RCW 28A.500.040 begin prior to the effective date of this section, then the first month's distribution to a charter public school must include the sum of the monthly percentages from April to the first month's distribution under RCW 28A.500.040.
This section expires June 30, 2024.