(1) To the extent funds are appropriated, the Washington state superintendent and program administrator internship support program is created beginning in the 1994-95 school year. The purpose of the program is to provide funds to school districts to provide partial release time for district employees who are in a superintendent or program administrator preparation program to complete an internship with a mentor administrator. Funds may be used in a variety of ways to accommodate flexible implementation in releasing the intern to meet program requirements.
(2) Participants in the superintendent and program administrator internship support program shall be selected as follows:
(a) The candidate shall be enrolled in a state board-approved school district superintendent or program administrator preparation program;
(b) The candidate shall apply in writing to his or her local school district;
(c) Each school district shall determine which applicants meet its criteria for participation in the internship support program and shall notify its educational service district of the school district's selected applicants. When submitting the names of applicants, the school district shall identify a mentor administrator for each intern applicant and shall agree to provide the internship applicant release time not to exceed the equivalent of forty-five student days by means of this funding source; and
(d) Educational service districts, with the assistance of an advisory board, shall select internship participants.
(3)(a) The maximum amount of state funding for each internship shall not exceed the actual daily rate cost of providing a substitute teacher for the equivalent of forty-five school days.
(b) Funds appropriated for the internship support program shall be allocated by the superintendent of public instruction to the educational service districts based on the percentage of full-time equivalent public school students enrolled in school districts in each educational service district.
(c) Once internship participants have been selected, the educational service districts shall allocate the funds to the appropriate school districts. The funds shall be used to pay for partial release time while the school district employee is completing the internship.
(d) If an educational service district has unfilled superintendent or program administrator internship positions, the positions and unspent funds shall revert to the superintendent of public instruction for supplementary direct disbursement among the educational service districts.
The superintendent of public instruction shall allocate any remaining unfilled positions and unspent funds among the educational service districts that have qualified candidates but not enough positions for them.
This subsection does not preclude the superintendent of public instruction from permitting the affected educational service districts to make the supplementary selections.
(e) Educational service districts may be reimbursed for costs associated with implementing the program. Reimbursement rates shall be determined by the superintendent of public instruction.
