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Committee hears bill to repeal and recodify outdated school-code provisions
Summary
Engrossed Senate Bill 5235 would repeal and reorganize outdated statutes in school code, removing or recodifying 17 provisions; staff said many directives had passed their reporting dates or were replaced by later law.
The House Education Committee on March 17 received a staff briefing and public record for Engrossed Senate Bill 5235, a measure that would repeal and reorganize outdated statutory provisions in Washington’s school code.
Megan Wargacki, counsel to the committee, described SB 5,235 as a clean-up bill that repeals 17 provisions and recodifies related items. Wargacki listed examples: directives encouraging districts to consider playground matting from shredded tires; statutory encouragements for districts to implement guidance-and-planning programs; previously directed OSPI professional-development institutes for disruptive-student handling; and various reporting or program requirements with deadlines that have already passed. She said some program funds would be repurposed to developing and updating high-school “high school and beyond” plans while removing authority to use them for comprehensive guidance programs that the bill would repeal.
Committee questions focused on interactions with other law and programmatic consequences. A representative asked whether repealing certain provisions conflicted with federal “21st Century Schools” purposes; counsel replied she had reviewed related state provisions and that other state law would continue to authorize school-district use of facilities for summer or night school or community meetings. Counsel said she would follow up on federal interaction questions raised during the hearing.
Public registration and testimony: Counsel reported there were no testifiers for SB 5,235; committee staff recorded three non-testifiers on the public record (three pro, zero con or other). The committee closed the public hearing on the bill and returned to the earlier, higher-attendance hearing on SB 5,123.
Ending: No committee vote was taken on SB 5,235 during the March 17 session. Counsel said background on each provision is available in the bill analysis for members seeking detail.
