Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

AGLO 1975 NO. 12 >

A ballot title for a school district excess levy election may exceed the twenty word limit set forth in RCW 29.27.060 only to the extent necessary to cause such title to be in compliance with RCW 84.52.054.

AGO 1983 NO. 13 >

The provisions of chapter 39.12 RCW, the state prevailing wage law, do not apply to bus drivers or like personnel employed by private companies providing transportation services to a school district by contract.

AGO 1985 NO. 13 >

Schools are not authorized to charge fees for the administration of pre‑admission tests for early entrance of children into kindergarten or first grade classes.

AGO 1990 NO. 13 >

1.   School districts have broad powers over curricula and instructional materials.  Pursuant to this authority, a school district may select and use educational television programming even though that programming contains advertising so long as the primary and predominant purpose of the program is educational and the advertising content is incidental.  2.   School districts have broad authority over the selection of instructional materials and the acquisition of school equipment and supplies.  Pursuant to this authority, a school district may select school materials, supplies and equipment that contain advertising.

AGO 1959 NO. 13 >

The board of directors of a school district may legally utilize its employees in repairing and maintaining the district's buildings.

AGO 1975 NO. 13 >

A board of county commissioners receiving federal forest funds under RCW 36.33.110 is not authorized or directed by that or any other statute to distribute any portion of those funds to a joint school district belonging to another county but lying partially within the county receiving the funds.

AGLO 1974 NO. 13 >

(1) There is no minimum age below which students enrolled in a public school may not be made members of the school patrol and assigned to guard street pedestrian crossings enroute to and from school. (2) A school district may employ paid adult crossing guards. (3) A school district may utilize the services of volunteer crossing guards who are adults. (4) The distance of a street pedestrian crossing from the school grounds involved does not have any legal bearing upon the answers to any of the foregoing questions.

AGO 1977 NO. 13 >

(1) A person newly employed by a school district in a teaching or other supervisory certificated position remains a "provisional employee," within the meaning of RCW 28A.67.072, for a twelve‑month (or 365 day) period commencing on the date of his employment and ending one year later.  (2) The procedures for contract renewal which are provided for under RCW 28A.67.072 in the case of provisional school district employees may only be utilized if notice of nonrenewal is given by not later than the May 15th date which falls within the term of an individual's first year of employment as above defined.

AGO 1969 NO. 14 >

(1) Under § 1, chapter 142, Laws of 1969, which establishes the bonding capacity of a school district as being a certain percentage of the "value of the taxable property in such district," the measuring property value is the actual "true and fair" value in money of the property in the district as contrasted with the assessed valuation of such property. (2) In the case of a school district located in a county for which the assessment ratio used by the county assessor for property tax purposes has been and is presently 25% of the true value of the taxable property, the combined effect of (a) § 1, chapter 142, Laws of 1969, and (b) the decision of the state supreme court in Carkonen, et al. v. Williams, et al. , ____ Wn.2d ____ [[76 Wn.2d 617]](September 4, 1969), and accompanying order of the state department of revenue requiring use of a 50% assessment ration as of January 1, 1970, will be to increase such district's bonding capacity by a multiple of four.

AGLO 1982 NO. 15 >

After July 1, 1982, the hearing contemplated by WAC 392-137-060, relating to the approval of inter-district student transfers by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, will have to be conducted by an administrative law judge in accordance with the provisions of chapter 34.12 RCW unless the hearing is conducted, instead, by the Superintendent of Public Instruction himself.