This bill creates a new public education review steering committee by adding a section to chapter 28A.655 RCW. The committee has 15 members drawn from specified categories: the state auditor (or designee) and the chair of the joint legislative audit and review committee (JLARC) (or their designees) as nonvoting members; four caucus-appointed legislators (one each by the chairs of the two largest senate caucuses and the two largest house caucuses); the superintendent of public instruction (or designee); the chair of the state board of education (or designee); the executive director of the Washington State Charter School Commission (or designee); one school principal; one school director; two educators (one primary, one secondary); one representative of public school business professionals; and one representative of public school administrators. The committee must elect a chair for a two-year term, may meet at least annually (with meetings before July 1, 2027 required to be remote), and members receive compensation and travel reimbursement as provided in the referenced RCWs. The steering committee must, on or before October 1, 2026 and annually thereafter, provide prioritized recommendations to JLARC for examination of specific statutory policy requirements and funding provisions affecting public schools. JLARC is required, subject to its approved work plan and available resources, to determine the timing and scope of any evaluations recommended by the steering committee, to notify the steering committee if it lacks capacity to undertake new reviews, and to provide staff support for the steering committee. OSPI and the State Board of Education must provide necessary support and information to JLARC. When JLARC conducts reviews under this authority it must evaluate whether a policy or funding provision: (a) achieves the goal or outcome expressed or reasonably inferred by the statute; (b) improves student outcomes or performance; (c) has a positive cost-benefit result; (d) has ongoing relevance and educational value; and (e) should be maintained, modified, or repealed. JLARC must issue an annual report beginning November 1, 2027 to the governor and the legislature’s appropriate fiscal and policy committees on examinations completed under this section. The extracted text leaves several details unclear: the new section’s specific numeric citation in chapter 28A.655 is not provided; the exact organizations that will select the principal, director, educator, business professional, and administrator representatives are not named; it is not stated whether the 15-member count includes the two nonvoting members for quorum or voting calculations; compensation amounts and reimbursement procedures are only referenced by other RCWs and not specified here; and procedures for prioritizing or enforcing access to records or responses are not described.

If enacted, the bill creates a 15-member public education review steering committee that will annually pick and prioritize school laws and funding items for JLARC to examine, starting with recommendations due by October 1, 2026. JLARC will decide which reviews it can do given its work plan and resources, use specified criteria (goal attainment, student outcomes, cost‑benefit, ongoing relevance, and whether to keep/modify/repeal), and must report annually to the governor and fiscal and policy committees beginning November 1, 2027. JLARC will provide staff support and the state board of education and OSPI must give necessary support and information, while members will receive standard state compensation and travel reimbursement. The most affected parties are JLARC (more ongoing workload and potential need for extra staff or to decline projects when capacity is limited), OSPI and the state board (new obligations to supply information and support), the named officials and organizations who must appoint or serve on the committee (time and travel costs), and school systems whose statutes and funding are likely to be reviewed and could be targeted for change. Key implementation details are unclear from the text provided: which organizations will choose some members, whether the two nonvoting members count toward the 15, specific compensation amounts, and what access or enforcement powers JLARC or the committee will have.