SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 5623

BYSenators Bauer, Saling, Bender, Smitherman and Johnson; by request of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Establishing a dropout prevention program.

Senate Committee on Education

Senate Hearing Date(s):February 12, 1987

Senate Staff:Larry Davis (786-7422)

AS OF FEBRUARY 11, 1987

BACKGROUND:

Nationally, about 25 percent of all students who enter ninth grade drop out of school prior to graduation from high school four years later.  In Washington, the dropout rate generally falls within the 20-25 percent range as an annual statewide average.  Research results indicate that students who drop out of school experience higher unemployment rates, lower job earnings, are more likely to need public assistance and to become involved in criminal activities.  It is suggested that a comprehensive dropout prevention, retention and retrieval program could help address this problem.

SUMMARY:

The Superintendent of Public Instruction is authorized to distribute funds on a grant basis to school districts to establish integrated programs for students who are at-risk of dropping out of school or who have dropped out of school.  Each school district with a dropout rate in the top 25 percent of the dropout rates for all districts statewide is required to develop and maintain a comprehensive, district-wide student motivation, retention, and retrieval plan. 

The SPI shall distribute funds to school districts for program planning or implementation in amounts not to exceed for any district the appropriation for a particular year.  Priority in distributing the funds should be given to districts where no program exists.  A district shall qualify to apply for initial planning, program development, and implementation funding if the district's dropout rate, over time, is in the top 25 percent for all districts statewide.  A cooperative of districts, which includes one district or more, whose dropout rate is not in the top 25 percent, may apply for planning funds.

A district or cooperative of districts shall be eligible to receive program implementation funds once every two years to expand the dropout program to additional grades or another school, or to initiate a new dropout program.  No district or cooperative of districts may receive more than $300,000 per biennium.  Applicant districts must provide local matching funds in an amount no less than 20 percent of the amount of funds the districts receive from the state for planning and implementation.

SPI rules must allow school districts to claim state basic education funds for students who attend a program conducted under the state program established by the bill, and such attendance is outside the regular school-year calendar, and to the extent such attendance is in lieu of attendance within the regular school-year calendar.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction is required to appoint an advisory committee on school dropouts to propose criteria for evaluating, planning, and implementation.  The advisory committee must be composed of certificated and noncertificated staff, administrators, parents, counselors, and others as the Superintendent finds appropriate.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction is directed to identify and disseminate information about effective dropout programs to all school districts and other interested parties.

The current state grant program for innovative dropout prevention programs is repealed.

Fiscal Note:      requested