AN ACT Relating to a program for academic excellence for at-risk youth; adding a new chapter to Title 28A RCW; making an appropriation; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that more and more young people, especially in the urban areas of the state, are becoming involved with gangs, substance abuse, including drug trafficking, and teen pregnancy. As they become involved in such activities, they more frequently drop out of school than other students and are at greater risk of experiencing unemployment, becoming involved with criminal activities, and turning to public assistance programs for support. The end result is harm to both themselves and society. Substance abuse, gang activity, unemployment, and teen pregnancy are taking a disproportionate toll on minority youth.

(2) The legislature further finds that existing programs take a piecemeal approach to the needs of at-risk youth, offering only limited services. As a consequence, the current programs are not adequately effective in stopping the proliferation of gangs, substance abuse, unemployment, teen pregnancy, or other problems among youth, particularly in the urban areas of the state. Studies show clearly that poor academic performance plays a significant part in these problems.

(3) The purpose of this act is to create a cost-effective program that will challenge, motivate, and give incentive to underachieving, at-risk students in an effort to: Boost their academic achievement in school; reduce their involvement with gangs and substance abuse; reduce the numbers of at-risk youth, particularly minorities, who are unemployed; and reduce the number of teen pregnancies.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. This act shall be known and may be cited as project DREAM (dare to reach for educational aspirations and marks).

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout sections 4 through 12 of this act.

(1) "Advisor" means an adult assigned specific responsibilities to work individually with at-risk students who receive services under project DREAM established under section 4 of this act.

(2) "At-risk student" or "student" or "eligible student" means a student age fourteen through age twenty-one who meets the following criteria:

(a) The student is one or more grade levels behind in basic skills as determined by placement testing;

(b) The student has violated school district or school building rules of conduct on at least three occasions in the same school year;

(d) The student may have limited English proficiency; and

(e) The student may not have graduated from high school or has not successfully completed the general educational development test.

(3) "Department" means the department of social and health services.

(4) "Superintendent" means the state superintendent of public instruction.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. (1) The superintendent, working with the employment security department, the department of social and health services, the state board for vocational education in the office of the governor, and other state agencies as are appropriate, shall be the lead agency in developing and administering project DREAM, a pilot program for academic excellence for underachieving, at-risk students. The program shall emphasize a focus on minority students but shall not be exclusively limited to serving minority students.

(2) Initially, the program shall be limited to the school districts of Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Yakima, and Pasco, focusing on the areas within these school districts with the highest percentages of underachieving, at-risk students.

(3) Project DREAM shall commence with the beginning of the 1989-90 school year and end at the completion of the 1992-93 school year.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. Individual programs under project DREAM shall consist of the following:

(1) Academic counseling and outreach, including study skills;

(2) Parent/family outreach and involvement;

(3) Employment/vocational counseling and training;

(4) Substance abuse awareness and counseling, and treatment as necessary;

(5) Teen pregnancy/teen parenting counseling; and

(6) Positive self-image building.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Each adult advisor shall be responsible for the following:

(1) Maintain a caseload of at-risk students not to exceed fifteen;

(2) Sign a written agreement with each student to comply with specific state or local regulations, or both, while participating in project DREAM;

(3) Meet weekly with each student to monitor the student's progress under project DREAM;

(4) Meet bi-weekly with each student's teachers, school counselor, and parents, or guardian, and family members;

(5) Maintain a portfolio for each student; and

(6) Serve as the facilitator in getting the student to or together with school or community-based health care providers, vocational counselors, job service center personnel, employment interviews, and other persons or groups which can help the student gain maximum benefits from participating in project DREAM.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. Each student shall be responsible for the following:

(1) Sign a written agreement with their adult advisor to comply with all state or local regulations, or both, while a participant in project DREAM;

(2) Meet weekly with their adult advisor to discuss the student's progress; and

(3) Maintain a personal written or audio portfolio.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. (1) Each school district participating in project DREAM shall be responsible for designing the local program under project DREAM. The districts shall determine, in accordance with section 4(2) of this act, which schools shall participate in the local program: PROVIDED, That every eligible student in the building shall be encouraged to commit to participation in the program.

(2) To meet the specific components established under section 5 of this act, the district shall consider:

(a) Dropout prevention strategies developed by school districts under RCW 28A.120.060 through 28A.120.072, the state grant program for local school district student motivation, retention, and retrieval programs;

(b) Substance abuse prevention, intervention, and aftercare strategies developed by school districts under RCW 28A.120.030 through 28A.120.050, the state grant program for local school district substance abuse awareness programs;

(c) Contacting the local job service center to establish how the center can assist the district in providing participating students employment/vocational counseling and training;

(d) Contacting branch offices of the department and local community-based providers of health care to establish how these entities can assist the district in providing participating students counseling and information relating to substance abuse and teen pregnancy/teen parenting;

(e) Screening and employing adult advisors to work with at-risk students selected to participate in the program;

(f) Providing any training necessary for the adult advisors to effectively carry out their responsibilities; and

(g) Submitting to the superintendent an annual report on the local project DREAM program, including such information as determined by the superintendent according to section 9(1) of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. The superintendent shall be responsible for the following:

(1) Adopting rules under chapter 34.05 RCW to implement and administer project DREAM. In adopting the rules governing the information districts must include in their annual report, the superintendent shall consult with the districts.

(2) Submitting an annual report on project DREAM to the legislature. The first report shall be submitted not later than January 15, 1991, and each succeeding report shall be submitted not later than January 15th.

The reports shall include information on how many students are participating, the success of the program in meeting the needs of the students, and other information as determined by the superintendent.

The final report shall be submitted to the legislature not later than January 15, 1994, and shall include final findings and recommendations.

(3) Undertaking the following activities:

(a) Organize a speakers' bureau of prominent role models, with an emphasis on minority role models;

(b) Meet with community and business leaders to market project DREAM; and

(c) Coordinate with other state and local agencies a centralized data base of preexisting services which can meet the purposes of project DREAM.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. (1) The superintendent may accept, receive, and administer for the purposes of sections 4 through 10 of this act such gifts, grants, and contributions as may be provided from public and private sources.

(2) The project DREAM account is hereby established in the custody of the state treasurer. The superintendent shall deposit in the account all moneys received under subsection (1) of this section. Moneys in the account may be spent only for the purposes of sections 4 through 10 of this act. Disbursements from this account shall be on the authorization of the superintendent or the superintendent's designee. The account is subject to the allotment procedure provided under chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for disbursements.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 11. The employment security department, the department of social and health services, the state board for vocational education in the office of the governor, and other state agencies as may be involved with the development of project DREAM shall assist the superintendent in providing appropriate and necessary technical support and assistance to the school districts participating in project DREAM.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 12. The superintendent, through the state clearinghouse for educational information, shall collect and disseminate information about project DREAM to school districts and other interested parties.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 13. The sum of ten million dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the general fund for the biennium ending June 30, 1991, to the superintendent of public instruction to carry out the purposes of sections 4 through 10 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 14. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 15. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect May 30, 1989, or immediately upon the day the governor signs it into law, whichever is sooner.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 16. Sections 1 through 12 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 28A RCW.