RCW 28A.300.608 Statewide initiative to increase the number of qualified applicants for teaching positions—Report. (Expires July 1, 2020.)

(1) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, in consultation with school districts, educational service districts, and other state agencies, shall develop and implement a comprehensive, statewide initiative to increase the number of qualified individuals who apply for teaching positions in Washington. In developing and implementing the initiative, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, in partnership with the employment security department, shall:

(a) Develop and implement a teacher recruitment campaign that targets groups of individuals who may be interested in teaching in Washington public schools, such as: College students who have not chosen a major; out-of-state teachers; military personnel and their spouses; and individuals with teaching certificates who are not currently employed as teachers;

(b) Incorporate certificated positions into the employment security department's existing web-based depository for job applications that allows for access by school districts in the state for purposes of hiring teachers and other certificated positions. The services and tools developed under this subsection must be made available initially to small school districts, and to larger districts as resources are available. When defining small districts for the purpose of this subsection, the office of the superintendent of public instruction must consider whether a district has fewer than three hundred certificated staff;

(c) Create or enhance an existing web site that provides useful information to individuals who are interested in teaching in Washington; and

(d) Take other actions to increase the number of qualified individuals who apply for teaching positions in Washington.

(2) By December 1, 2019, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the centralized web-based depository for job applications required under subsection (1)(b) of this section, and shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of the legislature, in accordance with RCW 43.01.036, that recommends whether the requirement for the application depository be continued, modified, or terminated. In performing the assessment required in this subsection (2), the office must solicit and consider feedback from small school districts.

(3) This section expires July 1, 2020.

[ 2016 c 233 § 1.]