Murray offers school board fix

OLYMPIA – School closures, million dollar budget shortfalls and leadership challenges at the superintendent’s position are just a few of the struggles facing school districts today. Parents are eager for solutions, yet patience is running thin.

“There’s a lot of frustration out there,” said Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, who is proposing legislation to allow voters to revamp the governance structure of their school district board of directors. “There are plenty of parents who’d like to try something new at the school board level. A new structure for school boards is one way to bring about some constructive change.”

Murray’s proposal, Senate Bill 5535, would create a petition process for citizens to change their elected school board to an appointed board, and vice versa. If changing to an appointed board, the petition would determine the appointing body.

SB 5535 also provides several other needed improvements to school boards, including a study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) of the roles, responsibilities, costs and compensation of school board members, according to Murray.

“Are school boards most suited for monitoring and reviewing, or should they have a stronger hand in school operations?” Murray said. “Or do we need another kind of decision-making body altogether? These are the kind of questions the study would address.”

Murray said his bill would also create a new office within the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) for annual initial training and on-going professional development for school board members.

“Eight hours a year: That would be the course requirement for each school board member in the state,” said Murray. “OSPI would work collaboratively with the Washington State School Directors Association to develop a curriculum for new board members and for those who’ve been at it a while. Whether they’re appointed or elected, we’ve got to ensure that those serving on school boards have some core competencies to carry out the job.”

SB 5535 would also change the compensation of school directors, from $50 a day to the regular federal per diem rate (currently $200 for Seattle), with 50 percent of the cost covered by the state.

Murray introduced the bill today. It was referred to the Senate Early Learning & K-12 Education Committee.

Return to Sen. Murray's home page