Green community schoolyards

AN ACT Relating to implementing recommendations of the recreation 1
and conservation office's physical activities task force report by 2
designating school district recreational properties as green 3
community schoolyards and developing a model shared-use agreement to 4
increase the use of existing playgrounds and playfields; amending RCW 5
28A.525.162; adding a new section to chapter 28A.620 RCW; and 6
creating a new section. 7
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:8
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature acknowledges that in 2021, 9
the legislature established the physical activities task force within 10
the recreation and conservation office. The task force produced 11
recommendations to improve youth health through increased outdoor 12
recreation and physical activities. One of the primary 13
recommendations of the task report was to improve school, youth, and 14
community use of school properties by designating them as community 15
hubs and increasing their use through shared-use agreements.16
The legislature finds that access to green spaces has dramatic 17
positive consequences for children and communities, including 18
improvements in academic achievement, increased social connections, 19
more opportunities for physical activity, and better overall health. 20
The legislature also finds that: Public health research shows that 21
H-0519.1
HOUSE BILL 1853
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Abbarno, Street, Klicker, Stearns, Ramel, Wylie,
Stuebe, Mena, Doglio, Schmidt, Nance, Scott, Hill, and Timmons
Read first time 02/05/25. Referred to Committee on Education.
p. 1 HB 1853
the average school-age child spends less than 10 minutes in 1
unstructured play outside each day; statewide only 25 percent of 2
children get the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity; 3
and physical inactivity is even more prevalent for girls, youth of 4
color, youth from low-income families, youth with disabilities, and 5
those who have immigrated to the United States. 6
The legislature also acknowledges that in many areas of 7
Washington, no undeveloped land is available for new parks. The fact 8
that school districts already own property means that outdoor 9
recreational opportunities can be greatly enhanced without costly 10
land acquisition. School properties, if renovated based on school, 11
neighborhood, and community input, have enormous potential to become 12
daily and year-round community assets that support outdoor learning 13
and community gathering and benefit the mental, emotional, and 14
physical health of the youth and adults who live near them, 15
especially those with the least access to play and physical activity 16
opportunities. 17
The legislature also finds that improving schoolyards by adding 18
green and natural features is a climate resiliency strategy with 19
significant environmental and economic benefits. Schoolyards with 20
more trees and vegetation and fewer concrete surfaces lower average 21
ambient temperatures on warm days and improve air pollution year-22
round and schoolyards with rainwater capture reduce runoff. Green 23
schoolyards can also increase residential property values and improve 24
health outcomes, reducing health care costs. 25
The legislature recognizes that community access to school 26
properties is an essential component of a community's cohesion and 27
active public spaces can make communities safer. Therefore, the 28
legislature intends to strengthen community-shared or joint-use 29
agreements between school districts, local governments, and nonprofit 30
organizations in order for youth and communities to reap the benefits 31
of green community schoolyards. 32
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 28A.620 33
RCW to read as follows: 34
(1) It is the goal of the state of Washington to increase the use 35
of outdoor recreational property owned by school districts for 36
school, neighborhood, and community recreational purposes. Community 37
schoolyards are valuable assets that have the potential to benefit 38
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students, families, and their surrounding communities including local 1
residents and businesses. 2
(2) All public school outdoor recreational spaces shall be 3
designated as green community schoolyards and shall be available for 4
general recreational purposes outside of school hours for public and 5
community use, as authorized by school districts. 6
(3) School districts are encouraged to open their schoolyard, 7
playground, and other recreational areas to community use outside of 8
school hours for both structured and official use by community 9
nonprofits or other entities, such as recreational sports leagues or 10
after-school programs, and for unstructured free community play. 11
Local school boards are urged to adopt policies allowing for robust 12
community shared-use agreements with local government entities, 13
community groups, and nonprofit organizations that promote 14
recreational activity. 15
(4) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall, 16
in consultation with the recreation and conservation office, school 17
districts, educational associations, and youth and outdoor 18
recreational organizations, adopt a model community shared-use policy 19
to enable improved community use of playgrounds and playfields. The 20
model policy must address: 21
(a) Maximizing the use of school district recreational spaces for 22
community use; 23
(b) Costs associated with shared use; 24
(c) Logistics of scheduling; 25
(d) Liability protection; 26
(e) Fee collection; and 27
(f) Sliding scale options and other strategies to address equity 28
and other aspects of shared-use agreements. 29
(5) A school district that receives funding for green community 30
schoolyards capital improvements must allow use of the improved 31
school property through a community shared-use agreement consistent 32
with the purposes of this section. School districts that adopt the 33
model community shared-use policy shall be eligible for adjustments 34
in the calculated rate of state funding assistance through the school 35
construction assistance program. Additional points in the calculated 36
rate shall be given to school districts that adopt the model policy.37
Sec. 3. RCW 28A.525.162 and 2013 2nd sp.s. c 18 s 513 are each 38
amended to read as follows: 39
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(1) Funds appropriated to the superintendent of public 1
instruction from the common school construction fund shall be 2
allotted by the superintendent of public instruction in accordance 3
with this chapter. 4
(2) No allotment shall be made to a school district until such 5
district has provided local funds equal to or greater than the 6
difference between the total approved project cost and the amount of 7
state funding assistance to the district for financing the project 8
computed pursuant to RCW 28A.525.166, with the following exceptions:9
(a) The superintendent of public instruction may waive the local 10
requirement for state funding assistance for districts which have 11
provided funds for school building construction purposes through the 12
authorization of bonds or through the authorization of excess tax 13
levies or both in an amount equivalent to two and one-half percent of 14
the value of its taxable property, as defined in RCW 39.36.015.15
(b) No such local funds shall be required as a condition to the 16
allotment of funds from the state for the purpose of making major or 17
minor structural changes to existing school facilities in order to 18
bring such facilities into compliance with the barrier free access 19
requirements of section 504 of the federal rehabilitation act of 1973 20
(29 U.S.C. Sec. 706) and rules implementing the act.21
(3) For the purpose of computing the state funding assistance 22
percentage under RCW 28A.525.166 when a school district is granted 23
authority to enter into contracts, adjusted valuation per pupil shall 24
be calculated using head count student enrollments from the most 25
recent October enrollment reports submitted by districts to the 26
superintendent of public instruction, adjusted as follows:27
(a) In the case of projects for which local bonds were approved 28
after May 11, 1989: 29
(i) For districts which have been designated as serving high 30
school districts under RCW 28A.540.110, students residing in the 31
nonhigh district so designating shall be excluded from the enrollment 32
count if the student is enrolled in any grade level not offered by 33
the nonhigh district; 34
(ii) The enrollment of nonhigh school districts shall be 35
increased by the number of students residing within the district who 36
are enrolled in a serving high school district so designated by the 37
nonhigh school district under RCW 28A.540.110, including only 38
students who are enrolled in grade levels not offered by the nonhigh 39
school district; and 40
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(iii) The number of preschool students with disabilities included 1
in the enrollment count shall be multiplied by one-half;2
(b) In the case of construction or modernization of high school 3
facilities in districts serving students from nonhigh school 4
districts, the adjusted valuation per pupil shall be computed using 5
the combined adjusted valuations and enrollments of each district, 6
each weighted by the percentage of the district's resident high 7
school students served by the high school district;8
(c) The number of kindergarten students included in the 9
enrollment count shall be counted as one head count student; and10
(d) The number of students residing outside the school district 11
who are enrolled in alternative learning experience courses under RCW 12
28A.232.010 shall be excluded from the total. 13
(4) In lieu of the exclusion in subsection (3)(d) of this 14
section, a district may submit an alternative calculation for 15
excluding students enrolled in alternative learning experience 16
courses. The alternative calculation must show the student head count 17
use of district classroom facilities on a regular basis for a regular 18
duration by out-of-district alternative learning experience students 19
subtracted by the head count of in-district alternative learning 20
experience students not using district classroom facilities on a 21
regular basis for a reasonable duration. The alternative calculation 22
must be submitted in a form approved by the office of the 23
superintendent of public instruction. The office of the 24
superintendent of public instruction must develop rules to define 25
"regular basis" and "reasonable duration." 26
(5) School districts that adopt the model community shared-use 27
policy for school playgrounds and playfields under section 2 of this 28
act shall be eligible for adjustments in the calculated rate of state 29
funding assistance through the school construction assistance 30
program. Additional points in the calculated rate will be given to 31
districts that adopt the model community shared-use policy outlined 32
in section 2 of this act.33
(6) The superintendent of public instruction, considering policy 34
recommendations from the school facilities citizen advisory panel, 35
shall prescribe such rules as are necessary to equate insofar as 36
possible the efforts made by school districts to provide capital 37
funds by the means aforesaid. 38
(((6))) (7) For the purposes of this section, "preschool students 39
with disabilities" means children of preschool age who have 40
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developmental disabilities who are entitled to services under RCW 1
28A.155.010 through 28A.155.100 and are not included in the 2
kindergarten enrollment count of the district. 3
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