(1) The legislature recognizes that providing students with the opportunity to access a world-class educational system depends on our continuing ability to provide students with access to world-class educators. The legislature also understands that continuing to attract and retain the highest quality educators will require increased investments. The legislature intends to enhance the current salary allocation model and recognizes that changes to the current model cannot be imposed without great deliberation and input from teachers, administrators, and classified employees. Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature to begin the process of developing an enhanced salary allocation model that is collaboratively designed to ensure the rationality of any conclusions regarding what constitutes adequate compensation.

     (2) Beginning July 1, 2011, the office of financial management shall convene a technical working group to recommend the details of an enhanced salary allocation model that aligns state expectations for educator development and certification with the compensation system and establishes recommendations for a concurrent implementation schedule. In addition to any other details the technical working group deems necessary, the technical working group shall make recommendations on the following:

     (a) How to reduce the number of tiers within the existing salary allocation model;

     (b) How to account for labor market adjustments;

     (c) How to account for different geographic regions of the state where districts may encounter difficulty recruiting and retaining teachers;

     (d) The role of and types of bonuses available;

     (e) Ways to accomplish salary equalization over a set number of years; and

     (f) Initial fiscal estimates for implementing the recommendations including a recognition that staff on the existing salary allocation model would have the option to grandfather in permanently to the existing schedule.

     (3) As part of its work, the technical working group shall conduct or contract for a preliminary comparative labor market analysis of salaries and other compensation for school district employees to be conducted and shall include the results in any reports to the legislature. For the purposes of this subsection, "salaries and other compensation" includes average base salaries, average total salaries, average employee basic benefits, and retirement benefits.

     (4) The analysis required under subsection (1) of this section must:

     (a) Examine salaries and other compensation for teachers, other certificated instructional staff, principals, and other building-level certificated administrators, and the types of classified employees for whom salaries are allocated;

     (b) Be calculated at a statewide level that identifies labor markets in Washington through the use of data from the United States bureau of the census and the bureau of labor statistics; and

     (c) Include a comparison of salaries and other compensation to the appropriate labor market for at least the following subgroups of educators: Beginning teachers and types of educational staff associates.

     (5) The working group shall include representatives of the department of personnel, the professional educator standards board, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the Washington education association, the Washington association of school administrators, the association of Washington school principals, the Washington state school directors' association, the public school employees of Washington, and other interested stakeholders with appropriate expertise in compensation related matters. The working group may convene advisory subgroups on specific topics as necessary to assure participation and input from a broad array of diverse stakeholders.

     (6) The working group shall be monitored and overseen by the legislature and the quality education council created in RCW 28A.290.010. The working group shall make an initial report to the legislature by December 1, 2012, and shall include in its report recommendations for whether additional further work of the group is necessary.

[2009 c 548 § 601.]

NOTES:

     Intent -- 2009 c 548: See note following RCW 28A.150.198.

     Finding -- 2009 c 548: See note following RCW 28A.410.270.

     Intent -- Finding -- 2009 c 548: See note following RCW 28A.305.130.