Drafter
Clerk 12/12/2017
Title
A MOTION stating the King County council's intent to develop an implementation plan to invest proceeds from the Puget Sound taxpayers' accountability account to improve educational outcomes in King County through investments in early learning programs; college and career training programs; and in programs that serve children and youth from low-income families or communities of color, or who are homeless, in the foster care system, in the child welfare system, involved in the juvenile justice system or otherwise vulnerable.
Body
"WHEREAS, the Washington state Legislature amended chapter 81.112 RCW via Second Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5987 in 2015 to create the Puget Sound taxpayer accountability account, and
WHEREAS, the Puget Sound taxpayer accountability account is to be funded by a sales and use tax offset fee of three and twenty-five one-hundredths percent of the total payments made by a regional transit authority to construction contractors on construction projects that are:
1. For new projects identified in the system plan funded by any proposition approved by voters after January 1, 2015; and
2. Excluded from the definition of retail sales under RCW 82.04.050(10), and
WHEREAS, on July 26, 2017, the King County council's committee of the whole held a special meeting in the city of Kent to discuss the account to hear from the public on this topic, and
WHEREAS, the King County council adopted Motion 14923 directed legislative department staff to prepare a report, in consultation with all councilmembers and the executive branch that provides strategies for how King County can engage stakeholders in a public process to determine how to use proceeds from Sound Transit 3 in the Puget Sound taxpayer accountability account, and
WHEREAS, between 2018 and 2035, King County is projected to receive approximately three hundred fifteen million dollars, and
WHEREAS, the proceeds are required by RCW 43.79.520 "for educational services to improve educational outcomes in early learning, K-12, and higher education including, but not limited to, for youths that are low-income, homeless, or in foster care, or other vulnerable populations," and
WHEREAS, to the greatest extent practicable, the expenditures of the county must follow the requirements of the Sound Transit subarea equity policy, and
WHEREAS, the proceeds may only be spent after the Washington state Legislature appropriates them, and
WHEREAS, meaningful funding from the account will be available starting in 2019, and
WHEREAS, the Youth Action Plan defines youth as people from ages sixteen to twenty-five, and
WHEREAS, economic status and race are predictors educational outcomes and economic mobility, and
WHEREAS, King County has traditionally not been involved in providing direct educational services to children or youth, and
WHEREAS, King County is fortunate to be home to dozens of organizations that work to improve educational outcomes for students and youth in all parts of the county;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
A. King County will utilize moneys from the Puget Sound taxpayers' accountability account to meet the following goals:
1. Ensure every child in King County is ready for kindergarten;
2. Improve educational outcomes for children and youth who are homeless, in the foster care system, in the child welfare system, involved in the juvenile justice system or otherwise vulnerable;
3. Close the opportunity gap for children and youth of color and low-income children and youth;
4. End the school to prison pipeline and reduce youth involvement in the criminal justice system;
5. Embody the King County equity and social justice goal;
6. Ensure all youth in King County are prepared to fill the jobs of the future; and
7. Build a legacy for King County that lasts beyond the duration of the funding.
B. In order to meet the goals stated in section A. of this motion, King County will use the following principles:
1. Maximize the impact of the funding by focusing on no more than three areas for investment;
2. Invest in programs and projects consistent with the limited duration of the funding as much as possible, such as facility or pilot projects;
3. Prioritize programs that are evidence based or promising practices and have measurable outcomes, while also investing in innovative approaches;
4. Include funding for direct services provided in and by the community being served; and
5. Leverage existing initiatives, organizations, programs and funding sources,
such as the Youth Action Plan, , the Children and Youth Advisory Board, the Best Starts for Kids Levy, and the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy, as well as related investments by cities, the state of Washington, schools employers and private foundations.
C. Puget Sound taxpayers' accountability account funding will be directed to the following priority areas:
1. Early learning;
2. K-12 education for vulnerable and underserved children and youth; and
3. College, career, and technical education.
D. The council initiative's director will lead the development of the implementation plan and will coordinate with the appropriate legislative branch and executive branch staff. The council initiatives director should provide an oral update on the progress of developing the implementation plan to the council's committee of the whole each quarter.
E. The King County council will engage a consultant to help facilitate community outreach and prepare an implementation plan, for the life of the account, guided by the goals and principles stated in section A and B of this motion, targeting the priority areas in section C of this motion, and in accordance with section F of this motion. The consultant shall meet with stakeholders and subject-matter experts when drafting the implementation plan.
F. When conducting the community outreach to develop the implementation plan, the consultant will explore a variety of strategies including, but not limited to:
1. Increasing access and success in postsecondary or career connected education, including advisory support or other necessary services at community or technical colleges via a "promise scholarship" program, or programs targeting low-income youth, youth of color or homeless youth.;
2. Constructing, maintaining and renovating facilities to support early learning programs;
3. Colocating early learning centers with affordable housing, including flexible, mixed-use space to meet the multiple needs of children and youth with limited access to services;
4. Programing or facilities to support children and youth who are homeless, in the foster care system, in the child welfare system, involved in the juvenile justice system or otherwise vulnerable or underserved;
5. Supporting asset building strategies for youth including children's educational savings accounts;
6. Identifying innovative strategies to empower students to be change agents in their schools and communities who can identify and address social and racial injustice through advocacy and organizing; and
7. Training educators in the effects that economic status and institutional racism have on educational outcomes and economic mobility.
G. The King County council intends to engage the public directly through at least two town hall meetings of the committee of the whole. The King County council also intends to establish an advisory committee to review and provide comments on the consultant's draft report and will establish this advisory committee in a future motion.
H. The implementation plan is due to the council by September 1, 2018, and will be used to inform the development of the 2019-2020 biennial budget.