Bill > SB5358

This bill allows school districts to permit sixth-grade students in middle schools to enroll in exploratory career and technical education (CTE) courses, with a specific restriction that these students cannot be included in CTE enrollment counts for funding allocation purposes. The bill clarifies how CTE funding can be used by school districts, specifying that any additional funding beyond general education allocations must be used for specific CTE-related purposes such as staff salaries, materials and supplies, smaller class sizes, work-based learning programs, developing new high-quality CTE programs in high-demand fields, supporting work-based learning coordinators and career guidance advisors, creating community partnerships, covering student certification fees, and developing course equivalencies. Additionally, the bill introduces a new accounting provision that requires middle school and high school CTE programs to be treated as a single program for accounting purposes, while explicitly stating this should not compromise the quality of programs across different grade levels. The bill also maintains a cap on indirect cost charges for approved CTE programs at five percent or the federal funding cap, whichever is lower.

Budget and Finance, Education

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5358&Year=2025&Initiative=false