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SB 6223

Updating school district director compensation.

2023-2024 Regular Session Introduced by Noel Frame and 5 co-sponsors

State-funded, inflation-adjusted pay for school board directors, widening eligibility with a per-director cap and mandatory district policies by Sept 1, 2026.

Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education at 1:30 PM.
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Bill Summary · SB 6223

Summary: SB 6223 — Updating School District Director Compensation

SB 6223 proposes a state-funded framework to compensate school district directors, updating the current approach that has not changed in 38 years. The bill aims to broaden the pool of potential directors by reducing financial barriers and providing a predictable, inflation-adjusted compensation structure.

Purpose and policy intent

  • Modernize and fund compensation for school district directors to support broader eligibility and reduce financial barriers to serving.
  • Ensure compensation is fair, predictable, and aligned with inflation, while allowing districts flexibility in how compensation is structured (per meeting, monthly, or per student) as long as the annual total does not exceed the statutory maximum.

Key provisions

New compensation framework (Sec. 2)

  • Each board director may receive up to:
    • 500 dollars per month, plus
    • 0.50 dollars per student (based on prior year enrolled FTE), with the student count published by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).
  • Districts may adopt a compensation plan that is:
    • At or below the maximum, and
    • Structured as any combination of per-meeting payments, monthly payments, and per-student payments; total annual compensation per director must not exceed the maximum in (1).
  • By September 1, 2026, each board must adopt an open public meeting-based compensation policy.

Annual inflation updates (Sec. 2)

  • By July 1 of each year, OSPI shall publish updated amounts for monthly and per-student compensation, using the implicit price deflator (inflation index) from the prior calendar year.

State funding and payments (Sec. 3)

  • OSPI shall, every biennium, submit a maintenance-level budget request to the Office of Financial Management (OFM) and the Legislature for the amount needed to fully fund compensation for all districts adopting the model.
  • OSPI shall provide a state-funded compensation amount in apportionment payments to each adopting district.

Repeal and effective dates (Secs. 4–5)

  • Repeals RCW 28A.343.400 (Compensation—Waiver) and related statute (1987 c 307 s 2), effective July 1, 2025.
  • Sections 2 and 3 take effect July 1, 2025 (i.e., funding and administration begin for the 2025-26 school year).

Who is affected

  • School district boards of directors in districts choosing to adopt the compensation model under Section 2.
  • OSPI, which administers the annual updates and publishes enrollment-based figures and facilitates state funding.
  • OFM and the Legislature, which would review and appropriate funds through the maintenance-level budget process.
  • Prospective directors, who may be more able to serve without bearing large personal financial sacrifices.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • Introduced: January 15, 2024.
  • Public hearing: January 29, 2024 (Senate Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education) at 1:30 PM.
  • Status in committee: Referred to Early Learning & K-12 Education (as of the bill text provided).
  • Effective/implementation timeline:
    • July 1, 2025: Provisions take effect; repeals become operative.
    • July 1 each year: OSPI inflation-adjusted updates published.
    • September 1, 2026: Districts must have adopted a compensation policy.

Potential impact

  • Increases predictability and equity of director compensation, potentially expanding candidacy pools and accessibility for individuals who cannot afford to serve without compensation.
  • Creates a uniform funding mechanism to ensure districts implementing the model receive state funds through apportionment payments.
  • Requires districts to formalize compensation policies by a fixed date, promoting transparency.
  • Introduces annual inflation indexing to keep compensation aligned with economic conditions.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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