H-0417.1 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 1098
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State of Washington 52nd Legislature 1991 Regular Session
By Representatives Valle, Brumsickle, Cole, Winsley, G. Fisher, Ferguson, R. Johnson, Wineberry, Franklin, Broback and Leonard.
Read first time January 18, 1991. Referred to Committee on Education\Appropriations.
AN ACT Relating to student learning centers; adding new sections to chapter 28A.300 RCW; creating a new section; and making an appropriation.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that recent advances in computer hardware and software have made it possible for students to make significant progress in academic areas while learning at the student's own pace. The legislature further finds that currently available resources for providing after-school instruction and tutoring are limited, and that if the state is going to ensure that all children learn, it is vital that measures be taken to reach students when they are available, not just when it is convenient for school personnel.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The drop-in to catch-up grant program is hereby established. The purpose of the grant program is to provide financial assistance to school districts to fund computer hardware and software costs associated with the operation of learning centers designed for students who want to increase their academic skills during and after school hours. The focus of the centers shall be on remediation and on students who are at-risk of dropping out of school.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The superintendent of public instruction shall request proposals from school districts and educational service districts interested in developing a computer-based learning center pursuant to section 2 of this act. In awarding grants, the superintendent shall require, at a minimum, that: (1) At least fifty percent of the program's start-up costs be provided by the school district, participants, or other public and private sources; and (2) the center be accessible to students during school hours, and, at a minimum, for an additional forty hours per week during the school year. To assist the superintendent in making decisions regarding grant proposals, the superintendent shall form an advisory committee consisting of individuals representing school principals, teachers, existing drop-out prevention programs, and other groups as the superintendent finds appropriate.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The sum of two hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1993, from the general fund to the superintendent of public instruction for the purposes of section 3 of this act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. Sections 2 and 3 of this act are each added to chapter 28A.300 RCW.