$260 million School Improvement Fund tweaked; moved forward
May 18, 2007 Issue (71k ) of Legislative Highlights

Following several weeks of intense debate about several facets of the School Improvement Fund, the House Education Committee sent Senate Bill 318 to the full House of Representatives with modifications that primarily ensure that education service districts are included in the distribution of funds.

"This bill is the policy cornerstone of the education coalition's original proposal," said David Williams, OSBA Legislative & Public Affairs specialist. "It makes a statement about where the state believes education dollars should be targeted."

Under the most recent budget proposals, $260 million would be allocated to the School Improvement Fund, the appropriation of which is contained in House Bill 5021, now in the Joint Ways and Means Committee.

Funds distributed through the School Improvement Fund are to be spent on programs to boost student achievement:

• Early childhood support, including pre-kindergarten and full-day kindergarten
• Class-size reduction, focusing on K-3
• Summer programs, before- and after-school programs
• Mentoring, teacher retention, professional development
• Remediation, alternative learning, student retention
• Services to at-risk youth
• Programs targeting the achievement gap
• Vocational education
• Literacy programs
• Other research-based student-improvement strategies approved by the State Board of Education

SB 318 would require each district and ESD to submit an application to the State Board of Education outlining its plan for using the school-improvement money. After receiving all applications for the school year, the State Board would distribute the money on an ADMw basis, with a 95.25/4.75 percent split of revenues between school districts and ESDs.

The added language changed the 90/10 ESD expenditure ratio and would require the ESD to spend 100 percent of the school improvement funds on student achievement activities approved by the constituent school districts through the resolution process.

In the year following fund disbursement to a district, the district would need to show that the funds were spent on the programs cited in their original application.

"This bill gives both districts and ESDs a way to direct resources into specific programs aimed at improving student achievement," said Williams. "Reporting through ODE will allow us to make a strong case for the many ways districts are using increased financial investments on achievement-related programs."

SB 318 is now headed to the full House of Representatives, after which it will go to the Senate for re-passage and then to the governor for final approval.