Tag Archives: Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee

Hawkins school incentives bill approved by Senate

Senate Bill 5487 now heads to the House Education Committee for consideration.

Senate Bill 5487, a bipartisan bill introduced by 12th District Sen. Brad Hawkins, has successfully cleared another hurdle in Olympia as it was approved today by the state Senate by a vote of 40 to 9.

“I’m excited my bill has advanced this far in a short session,” said Hawkins, the ranking Republican on the Senate’s Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee, and a former board member at the North Central Educational Service District and Eastmont School District. “It has provided my colleagues an opportunity to have a productive dialog on this idea, which is what I was hoping for. I’m grateful that they feel the idea has merit.”

Hawkins’ bill takes a creative approach to elevating the issue of small school district consolidation by offering a temporary boost in facility funding if school districts voluntarily choose to consolidate together, achieving savings for taxpayers and expanding opportunities for students.

Hawkins stated that the average cost during the 2019-2020 school year in state and local dollars was $13,879 per student. Small school districts in Hawkins’ legislative district, for example, spent as much as $22,125 (Orondo), $26,342 (Mansfield), and $28,745 (Palisades) that year per student.

Hawkins said that smaller districts tend to spend much more per student due largely to front-office administrative functions that he believes could be shared among multiple districts. He believes it would be more efficient for taxpayers – and expand opportunities for students – if some districts partnered with their nearby neighbors.

“I’ve been encouraging my legislative colleagues to think differently about how we deliver educational services,” said Hawkins. “If we were to reimagine school districts today based on what we spend on education, we wouldn’t draw up 295 different school districts in our state, especially when many of the small school districts are spending much more than the state average per student. It doesn’t make sense for the taxpayers.

“Legislators are in the ‘carrots-and-sticks’ business, and I’ve always preferred the carrots,” added Hawkins. “We can’t expect things to change unless we come up with creative options. I think a ‘voluntary, incentives-based’ consolidation bill has largely avoided the controversies of past proposals and has prompted some conversations.”

Senate Bill 5487 previously was approved by the Senate’s Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee, Ways and Means Committee, and Rules Committee this session.

The bill now advances to the House Education Committee, a committee Hawkins served on when he was a 12th District state representative.

Hawkins proposes bipartisan school district consolidation bill

Citing the high costs per student among small school districts and the opportunity for more efficient use of state and local tax dollars, 12th District Sen. Brad Hawkins (R-East Wenatchee) announced today that he has prefiled Senate Bill 5487, a bipartisan proposal to incentivize school district consolidation.

The ranking Republican on the Senate’s Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee and former school board president is the proposal’s prime sponsor. Hawkins’ committee colleague, Sen. Jamie Pedersen (D-Seattle), is the bill’s lead bipartisan co-sponsor.

Hawkins stated that the average cost during the 2019-2020 school year in state and local dollars was $13,879 per student. Small school districts in Hawkins’ legislative district, for example, spent as much as $22,125 (Orondo), $26,342 (Mansfield), and $28,745 (Palisades) that year per student.

Hawkins said that smaller districts tend to spend much more per student due largely to their higher central administration, building administration, and facility maintenance costs. He believes it would be more efficient for taxpayers if some of those districts partnered with nearby neighboring districts, spreading central administration and maintenance costs across more students.

“I’ve been encouraging my legislative colleagues to think differently about how we deliver educational services,” Hawkins said. “If we were to reimagine school districts today based on what we spend on education, we wouldn’t draw up 295 different school districts in our state, especially when many of the small school districts are spending much more than the state average per student. It doesn’t make sense for the taxpayers.”

Hawkins bill would provide the new districts with a 10-year boost in their School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) formula, a state capital budget program that awards matching funds to school districts whose communities approve construction bonds for school renovations. In structuring the bill this way, he said taxpayers could receive long-term benefits in school district operational efficiencies while also assisting districts with their school facility modernizations. This is something small school districts need and something provided for already in the capital budget.

“Legislators are in the ‘carrots-and-sticks’ business, and I’ve always preferred the carrots. We can’t expect things to change unless we come up with creative options. I think a ‘voluntary, incentives-based’ consolidation bill might avoid the controversy of past proposals and prompt some healthy and candid conversations,” Hawkins said.

The prefiled the bill is eligible for consideration in the 2022 legislative session, which begins on Jan. 10.

(Image caption: This bar chart shows a sample of “per student” costs in the 12th District.

Sen. Hawkins

Education committee approves Hawkins’ school calendar bill

Following a challenging school year for students, parents, and schools, and anticipating significant learning loss across Washington state, the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee has taken a step forward to address “learning loss” throughout the state.

The committee today approved 12th District state Sen. Brad Hawkins’ bipartisan legislation, Senate Bill 5147, aimed at addressing learning loss by exploring alternatives to current school calendars that leave students with nearly three months each year with no school instruction.

Hawkins, the ranking Republican member on the Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee, is sponsoring the bill to explore alternative school calendars. His lead co-sponsor is 41st District Sen. Lisa Wellman, who chairs the committee and works closely with Hawkins on education policy. Other prominent Senate co-sponsors include Majority Leader Andy Billig, Ways and Means Committee Vice Chair David Frockt, Democratic Caucus Chair Bob Hasegawa, and Republican Caucus Chair Ann Rivers.

As passed by the committee, the bill would create opportunities for up to 30 school districts (15 from western Washington and 15 from eastern Washington) to voluntarily participate in year-round school. The bill includes a financial incentive in the school funding formula for districts seeking to spread their existing state-funded 180 days over a full calendar year. The bill would require instructional days in at least 11 months of the school year and breaks of no longer than four weeks.

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction would select applicant districts based on the bill’s criteria to implement the program beginning in the 2022-23 school year and concluding after the 2025-26 school year and then report back to the Legislature regarding its findings. If this program works well, the Legislature could consider expansion to all schools in future years.

Hawkins, who served for 10 years on the Eastmont School Board and North Central Educational Service District Board before being elected to the Legislature, says now is the time for the state to encourage willing school districts to reform their school calendars.

“Now is the time – as we’ll pull out of this pandemic – to think big about reforming the system and to get serious about addressing student learning loss,” said Hawkins. “Long summer breaks, requiring significant reteaching in the fall, are the last thing our kids need in the years ahead. I hope for a program that encourages lawmakers and districts to consider transformational reforms to meet students’ academic needs. They deserve that,” says Hawkins.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal has listed reforms to the school calendar as one of his agency’s 10 “strategic changes.” In a Jan. 8, 2021, letter to Gov. Jay Inslee and members of the Legislature, Reykdal cited “Substantially shrink summer learning loss in the long term, and learning loss due to the pandemic in the short term, by balancing the school calendar” as a policy step for increasing learning for students in an effort “to become the highest performing public education system in the nation.”

Reykdal appreciates the bipartisan effort and positive dialogue around SB 5147, saying, “I am grateful for Senator Hawkins’ deep dive into this critical work. We have known for a very long time that our agrarian school calendars contribute to summer learning loss and a lack of supports for students who need us the most. By rebalancing calendars, we can improve student achievement and student supports, and we can sustain the teaching profession for our educators who are cramming 1,700+ work hours into a compressed calendar.”

The Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee has referred the bill to the Senate Ways and Means Committee for further consideration.

Education committee leaders urge vaccine access for all school employees

Washington state’s education committee leaders, including 12th District state Sen. Brad Hawkins, urged Gov. Jay Inslee and the state Department of Health to revise recent guidance so that all school employees who wish to get a vaccination can receive one in February as part of Phase 1B2.

According to the Department of Health’s recent guidance and timeline, which health care providers are following, school employees “50 years or older” are eligible to receive their vaccines as early as February. However, school employees “under 50 years” of age will not be eligible until at least April. The Jan. 11 letter comes at a time when school districts throughout Washington are expecting many, if not all, grade levels to soon return to classrooms to potentially interact with hundreds of students per day.

While this is welcome news for many in the school community, Hawkins – who serves as the ranking Republican member on the Senate’s Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee – believes it definitely justifies school employees (administrators, teachers, and support staff) gaining access to the vaccines now that front-line healthcare workers, first responders, and assisted living facility residents have already begun to receive vaccinations.

“School employees throughout Washington are delivering an essential service to help fulfill our state’s paramount duty,” said Hawkins. “They deserve to be prioritized with older Washingtonians, especially considering that they cannot self-isolate like many in our state. In fact, they will be doing the opposite, working indoors and in close proximity with students and staff. They absolutely should gain access to the vaccine.”

The letter, signed by the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate education committees, states: “As members of the Washington State Legislature and supporters of our educational system, we are writing to express our disappointment with the Department of Health’s recent guidance related to Washington’s COVID-19 Vaccine Phases. Based on your graphical representation of the phases and its timeline, it appears that many school district employees will not be eligible to receive their first dose of the COVID vaccine until at least April. If timelines slip and school employees are unable to receive their first dose until later in April, by the time they are fully vaccinated and gain full protection from the virus, school districts across Washington will be nearing the end of the school year. This is unacceptable.”

 The letter further states: “As you know, school employees, students and families have made tremendous sacrifices during this pandemic and, like us all, they deeply hope for circumstances to return to normal soon. However, nothing will even resemble normal until our schools are fully functioning, given that they are foundational in so many ways to all Washington communities.”

(Included are links to the letter from the legislative education committee leaders to the governor and DOH, and the vaccine distribution timeline.)

Hawkins sponsors bill to address learning loss

Following a challenging school year for students, parents, and schools and anticipating significant learning loss across Washington state, 12th District State Sen. Brad Hawkins has introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at reforming “outdated” school year calendars that leave students with nearly three months each year with no school instruction.

Hawkins, the ranking Republican member on the Senate’s Early Learning and K-12 Committee, is sponsoring Senate Bill 5147 to explore alternative school calendars. His lead co-sponsor is 41st District Sen. Lisa Wellman, who chairs the committee and works closely with Hawkins on education policy.

As proposed, the bill would create opportunities for up to 50 school districts (30 from western Washington and 20 from eastern Washington) to voluntarily participate in year-round school. In Hawkins’ bill, school districts selected to participate in implementing alternative school calendars would receive an additional 30 days of funding beyond the 180 days that the state currently provides. The bill also includes financial incentives for districts seeking to spread their existing 180 days over a 12-month school calendar. If this program works well, the Legislature could consider expansion to all schools in future years.

Hawkins says reforming the school calendar is long overdue. “The school calendar that most districts use is rooted in an agrarian economy where families needed children to take long breaks in the summer to assist with farming. That no longer makes sense, and a change is long overdue,” says Hawkins.

“Now is the time – following this pandemic – to think big about reforming the system and to get serious about addressing the learning loss of our students. Long summer breaks, requiring significant reteaching in the fall, is the last thing our kids need in the years ahead. I hope a program that encourages lawmakers and districts to consider transformational reforms will be thoughtfully discussed and debated,” says Hawkins. “Our students deserve that.”

“Through no fault of the educators, students, or parents, there has been learning loss this year and often during summer breaks for many students. This is the perfect time to explore options about how we can recover from learning loss. We need to keep all our options on the table to give our students all that they need,” says Wellman.

The bill will be referred to the Early Learning and K-12 Committee, where it is expected to receive a hearing early in the session. Hawkins and Wellman look forward to receiving testimony and public input. The 2021 legislative session began Jan. 11 and is scheduled to last 105 days.

(CAPTION: Ranking Republican member Brad Hawkins (12th District) and Chair Lisa Wellman (41st District) of the Senate’s Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee are teaming up to address student “learning loss” by exploring alternative school calendars in Senate Bill 5147.)

Hawkins to continue as lead Republican on Senate K-12 education committee

Sen. Brad Hawkins will continue serving as ranking Republican on the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee when the Legislature begins its 2021 session on Jan. 11.

Hawkins has served on the education panel since joining the Senate in 2017. Prior to joining the Legislature in 2013, Hawkins served for 10 years on two local school boards, the North Central Educational Service District Board and the Eastmont School Board. In addition, Hawkins’ wife is a local teacher and they have two sons in public schools.

“I’m looking forward to serving again this session as the Senate’s education committee’s ranking Republican member. Our school system has definitely had its share of challenges lately with the COVID pandemic and I believe the experiences I bring to the table can help shape good state policy,” says Hawkins.

“Senator Hawkins brings helpful experience and leadership to the education committee in his position as its ranking member,” said 41st District Sen. Lisa Wellman, who serves as the committee chair. “With children in school and from a different part of the state, his perspective provides added value. It will be particularly helpful that we have such a solid working relationship as we tackle the challenges of COVID recovery for our students and the economy.”

Hawkins also will return to the Senate State Government and Elections Committee. His new committee assignment will be with the Senate Transportation Committee, which addresses transportation issues impacting Washington and crafts and passes a two-year state transportation budget.

“The Transportation Committee was one that I requested because of my hydrogen vehicles legislation and the unique transportation needs of our region, so I’m glad it worked out,” says Hawkins.

He added, “I’ve always considered myself a strong supporter of clean transportation options, preservation of our roadways, and for construction projects important to the 12th District. The Legislature will likely be developing the next statewide transportation package within the next two years, so I look forward to being at the table to advocate for projects like Confluence Parkway across the Wenatchee River Bridge, a future interchange in Douglas County near the Odabashian Bridge, and repairs to aging bridges in the Methow Valley.”

“I look forward to working with Senator Hawkins on the Transportation Committee next session,” said 14th District Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima and ranking Republican on the committee. “Our districts have similar transportation needs and I’ve enjoyed working with him in the past on important transportation projects. He is a tenacious advocate for his district’s projects, which I appreciate.”

The 2021 legislative session is scheduled to last 105 days.

(The photo at top shows Sen. Curtis King and Sen. Brad Hawkins sharing a laugh together last legislative session. They will serve together next year on the Senate Transportation Committee. King is the committee’s ranking Republican member and worked closely with Hawkins in 2017 to secure funding for the West Cashmere Bridge.)