BP BHEAD INT H

AN ACT Relating to vocational training for at-risk youth; amending 1995 2nd sp.s. c 18 s 501 (uncodified); 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 many teens who have dropped out of high school possess little motivation to return to a traditional high school setting.

The legislature further finds that providing dropouts with school-to-work transition options to increase job readiness, to work toward high school graduation, and to provide access to support services is an effective strategy to address the needs of these seriously at-risk students.

The legislature further finds that vocational skills centers can provide these needed educational services to students by extending the time in which skill centers are open during the day. In addition, community and technical colleges in areas not served by skill centers also are able to provide the services. Programs in skill centers and community and technical colleges were funded in the 1993-1995 biennium. However, funding was not provided in the 1995-1997 biennium, which resulted in four skill centers discontinuing their programs and a significant cut in services in programs that have continued.

It is the intent of the legislature to restore funding to extended-day programs in order to meet the educational needs of these students who are seriously at-risk of academic failure.

Sec. 2. 1995 2nd sp.s. c 18 s 501 (uncodified) is amended to read as follows:

FOR THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION‑-FOR STATE

ADMINISTRATION

General Fund‑-State Appropriation (FY 1996)................ $ 18,341,000

General Fund‑-State Appropriation (FY 1997)................ $ ((~~17,819,000~~))

18,819,000

General Fund‑-Federal Appropriation........................ $ 39,791,000

Health Services Account Appropriation...................... $ 400,000

Public Safety and Education Account

Appropriation.......................................... $ 338,000

Violence Reduction and Drug Enforcement Account

Appropriation.......................................... $ 3,122,000

TOTAL APPROPRIATION........................... $ ((~~79,811,000~~))

80,811,000

The appropriations in this section are subject to the following conditions and limitations:

(1) AGENCY OPERATIONS

(a) $770,000 of the general fund‑-state appropriation is provided solely for the operation and expenses of the state board of education, including basic education assistance activities.

(b) $659,000 of the general fund‑-state appropriation is provided solely for investigation activities of the office of professional practices.

(c) $1,700,000 of the general fund‑-state appropriation is provided solely to reprogram computer applications for collecting and processing school fiscal, personnel, and student data and for calculating apportionment payments and to upgrade agency computer hardware. A maximum of $600,000 of this amount shall be used for computer hardware.

By December 15, 1995, and before implementation of a new state-wide data system, the superintendent shall present a plan to the house of representatives and senate education and fiscal committees which identifies state data base uses that could involve potentially sensitive data on students and parents. The plan shall detail methods that the superintendent shall employ internally and recommend to school organizations to insure integrity and proper use of data in any student data base, with particular attention to eliminating unnecessary and intrusive data about nonschool related information.

(d) The entire public safety and education account appropriation is provided solely for administration of the traffic safety education program, including in-service training related to instruction in the risks of driving while under the influence of alcohol and other drugs.

(2) STATE-WIDE PROGRAMS

(a) $2,174,000 of the general fund‑-state appropriation is provided for in-service training and educational programs conducted by the Pacific Science Center.

(b) $63,000 of the general fund‑-state appropriation is provided for operation of the Cispus environmental learning center.

(c) $2,654,000 of the general fund‑-state appropriation is provided for educational centers, including state support activities.

(d) $3,093,000 of the general fund‑-state appropriation is provided for grants for magnet schools to be distributed as recommended by the superintendent of public instruction pursuant to chapter 232, section 516(13), Laws of 1992.

(e) $4,370,000 of the general fund‑-state appropriation is provided for complex need grants. Grants shall be provided according to funding ratios established in LEAP Document 30C as developed on May 21, 1995, at 23:46 hours.

(f) $3,050,000 of the drug enforcement and education account appropriation is provided solely for matching grants to enhance security in secondary schools. Not more than seventy-five percent of a district's total expenditures for school security in any school year may be paid from a grant under this subsection. The grants shall be expended solely for the costs of employing or contracting for building security monitors in secondary schools during school hours and school events. Of the amount provided in this subsection, at least $2,850,000 shall be spent for grants to districts that, during the 1988-89 school year, employed or contracted for security monitors in schools during school hours. However, these grants may be used only for increases in school district expenditures for school security over expenditure levels for the 1988-89 school year.

(g) Districts receiving allocations from subsections (2) (d) and (e) of this section shall submit an annual report to the superintendent of public instruction on the use of all district resources to address the educational needs of at-risk students in each school building. The superintendent of public instruction shall make copies of the reports available to the office of financial management and the legislature.

(h) $500,000 of the general fund‑-federal appropriation is provided for plan development and coordination as required by the federal goals 2000: Educate America Act. The superintendent shall collaborate with the commission on student learning for the plan development and coordination and submit quarterly reports on the plan development to the education committees of the legislature.

(i) $400,000 of the health services account appropriation is provided solely for media productions by students at up to 40 sites to focus on issues and consequences of teenage pregnancy and child rearing. The projects shall be consistent with the provisions of Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill No. 2798 as passed by the 1994 legislature, including a local/private or public sector match equal to fifty percent of the state grant; and shall be awarded to schools or consortia not granted funds in 1993-94.

(j) $7,000 of the general fund‑-state appropriation is provided to the state board of education to establish teacher competencies in the instruction of braille to legally blind and visually impaired students.

(k) $50,000 of the general fund‑-state appropriation is provided solely for matching grants to school districts for analysis of budgets for classroom-related activities as specified in chapter 230, Laws of 1995.

(l) $3,050,000 of the general fund‑-state appropriation is provided solely to implement Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill No. 5439 (nonoffender at-risk youth). Of that amount, $50,000 is provided for a contract in fiscal year 1996 to the Washington state institute for public policy to conduct an evaluation and review as outlined in section 81 of Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill No. 5439. Allocation of the remaining amount shall be based on the number of petitions filed in each district.

(m) $1,000,000 of the general fund--state appropriation is provided solely for grants to provide extended day school-to-work transition options for secondary students who are at risk of academic failure, as follows:

(i) $572,000 is provided to vocational skill centers;

(ii) $286,000 is provided for award to organizations in urban areas not served by skill centers that are capable of providing programs in the manner of current extended day school-to-work programs at vocational skill centers; and

(iii) $142,000 is provided to the state board for community and technical colleges to provide programs in urban areas not served by skill centers in the manner of existing extended day school-to-work programs at vocational skill centers.