Running start allocations

AN ACT Relating to the running start allocations granted to 1
school districts; and amending RCW 28A.600.310. 2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:3
Sec. 1. RCW 28A.600.310 and 2024 c 159 s 2 are each amended to 4
read as follows: 5
(1) Every school district must allow eligible students as 6
described in subsection (2) of this section to participate in the 7
running start program. 8
(2) In addition to the eligibility provided for in subsection (6) 9
of this section, student eligibility for the running start program is 10
as follows: Eleventh and 12th grade students or students who have not 11
yet received the credits required for the award of a high school 12
diploma and are eligible to be in the 11th or 12th grade, including 13
students receiving home-based instruction under chapter 28A.200 RCW 14
and students attending private schools approved under chapter 28A.195 15
RCW, may apply to a participating institution of higher education to 16
enroll in courses or programs offered by the institution of higher 17
education. 18
(3) Students receiving home-based instruction under chapter 19
28A.200 RCW enrolling in a public high school for the sole purpose of 20
participating in courses or programs offered by institutions of 21
H-2866.1
HOUSE BILL 2375
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2026 Regular Session
By Representative Marshall
Read first time 01/14/26. Referred to Committee on Appropriations.
p. 1 HB 2375
higher education shall not be counted by the school district in any 1
required state or federal accountability reporting if the student's 2
parents or guardians filed a declaration of intent to provide home-3
based instruction and the student received home-based instruction 4
during the school year before the school year in which the student 5
intends to participate in courses or programs offered by the 6
institution of higher education. 7
(4) Participating institutions of higher education, in 8
consultation with school districts, may establish admission standards 9
for eligible students. If the institution of higher education accepts 10
a secondary school student for enrollment under this section, the 11
institution of higher education shall send written notice to the 12
student and the student's school district within 10 days of 13
acceptance. The notice shall indicate the course and hours of 14
enrollment for that student. 15
(5) The course sections and programs offered as running start 16
courses must be open for registration to matriculated students at the 17
participating institution of higher education and may not be a course 18
consisting solely of high school students offered at a high school 19
campus. 20
(6) Rising 11th grade students, defined as students who have 21
completed their 10th grade year and not yet begun their 11th grade 22
year, may enroll for up to 10 quarter credits, or the semester 23
equivalent, during the summer academic term. 24
(7)(a) In lieu of tuition and fees, as defined in RCW 28B.15.020 25
and 28B.15.041: 26
(i) Running start students shall pay to the community or 27
technical college all other mandatory fees as established by each 28
community or technical college and, in addition, the state board for 29
community and technical colleges may authorize a fee of up to 10 30
percent of tuition and fees as defined in RCW 28B.15.020 and 31
28B.15.041; and 32
(ii) All other institutions of higher education operating a 33
running start program may charge running start students a fee of up 34
to 10 percent of tuition and fees as defined in RCW 28B.15.020 and 35
28B.15.041 in addition to technology fees. 36
(b) The fees charged under this subsection (7) shall be prorated 37
based on credit load. 38
(c) Students may pay fees under this subsection (7) with advanced 39
college tuition payment program tuition units at a rate set by the 40
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advanced college tuition payment program governing body under chapter 1
28B.95 RCW. 2
(8)(a) The institutions of higher education must make available 3
fee waivers for low-income running start students. A student shall be 4
considered low income and eligible for a fee waiver upon proof that 5
the student meets federal eligibility requirements for free or 6
reduced-price school meals. Acceptable documentation of low-income 7
status may also include, but is not limited to, documentation that a 8
student has been deemed eligible for free or reduced-price lunches in 9
the last five years, or other criteria established in the 10
institution's policy. 11
(b)(i) By the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, school 12
districts, upon knowledge of a low-income student's enrollment in 13
running start, must provide documentation of the student's low-income 14
status, under (a) of this subsection, directly to institutions of 15
higher education. 16
(ii) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this 17
specific purpose, the office of the superintendent of public 18
instruction, in consultation with the Washington student achievement 19
council, shall develop a centralized process for school districts to 20
provide students' low-income status to institutions of higher 21
education to meet the requirements of (b)(i) of this subsection.22
(c) Institutions of higher education, in collaboration with 23
relevant student associations, shall aim to have students who can 24
benefit from fee waivers take advantage of these waivers. 25
Institutions shall make every effort to communicate to students and 26
their families the benefits of the waivers and provide assistance to 27
students and their families on how to apply. Information about 28
waivers shall, to the greatest extent possible, be incorporated into 29
financial aid counseling, admission information, and individual 30
billing statements. Institutions also shall, to the greatest extent 31
possible, use all means of communication, including but not limited 32
to websites, online catalogues, admission and registration forms, 33
mass email messaging, social media, and outside marketing to ensure 34
that information about waivers is visible, compelling, and reaches 35
the maximum number of students and families that can benefit.36
(9)(a) The student's school district shall transmit to the 37
institution of higher education an amount per each full-time 38
equivalent college student at statewide uniform rates for vocational 39
and nonvocational students adjusted for the withholding percentage of 40
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the program in which the student is enrolled . The superintendent of 1
public instruction shall separately calculate and allocate moneys 2
appropriated for basic education under RCW 28A.150.260 to school 3
districts for purposes of making such payments and for granting 4
school districts ((seven percent )) a portion thereof based on the 5
withholding percentages of the program in which the student is 6
enrolled to offset program related costs. The calculations and 7
allocations shall be based upon the estimated statewide annual 8
average per full-time equivalent high school student allocations 9
under RCW 28A.150.260, excluding small high school enhancements, and 10
applicable rules adopted under chapter 34.05 RCW. The superintendent 11
of public instruction, participating institutions of higher 12
education, and the state board for community and technical colleges 13
shall consult on the calculation and distribution of the funds. The 14
funds received by the institution of higher education from the school 15
district shall not be deemed tuition or operating fees and may be 16
retained by the institution of higher education. A student enrolled 17
under this subsection shall be counted for the purpose of meeting 18
enrollment targets in accordance with terms and conditions specified 19
in the omnibus appropriations act. 20
(b) For purposes of this subsection, the "withholding percentage" 21
for a program in which a student is enrolled means the greater of:22
(i) Seven percent; or23
(ii) The statewide uniform rate minus tuition and fees charged by 24
the institution per full-time equivalent nonrunning start student, as 25
defined in RCW 28B.15.020 and 28B.15.041, as a percentage of the 26
statewide uniform rate.27
(10) This section governs school operation and management under 28
RCW 28A.710.040 and 28A.715.020 and applies to charter schools 29
established under chapter 28A.710 RCW and state-tribal education 30
compact schools established under chapter 28A.715 RCW to the same 31
extent as it applies to school districts. 32
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