AN ACT Relating to dropouts; adding new sections to chapter 28A.03 RCW; and repealing RCW 28A.03.380.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) To encourage youth who are considering dropping out or have dropped out of school to remain in or return to school, it is the intent of the legislature to aid in the planning and implementation of educational programs for such youth. Furthermore, in recognition that effective assistance at the elementary school level will reduce the need for dropout intervention at the secondary level, the legislature encourages early identification of and assistance to students not succeeding in school.

(2) The superintendent of public instruction may distribute funds, consistent with legislative appropriations, to applicant school districts for initial planning, program development, and implementation to support educational programs for youth who have dropped out or are at risk of dropping out of school. The purpose of the state assistance for the program is to provide start-up money which will encourage the development of integrated programs for such youth funded by school districts or cooperatives of school districts.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. Each school district with a dropout rate in the top twenty-five percent of all districts' dropout rates, according to data from the superintendent of public instruction, shall develop and maintain a comprehensive, district-wide student motivation, retention, and retrieval plan. The superintendent of public instruction may grant exceptions to the planning requirement for a qualifying district where such a plan and program already exist and can be shown to be effective.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) The superintendent of public instruction shall distribute program planning or implementation funds to qualifying school districts in amounts not to exceed for any district the appropriation for a particular year. However, priority should be given to those districts submitting initial planning, program development, or implementation proposals where no program currently exists.

(2) For initial planning, program development, and implementation funding, a qualifying district shall be a district whose dropout rate over time is in the top twenty-five percent of all districts' dropout rates as determined by the superintendent of public instruction. However, a cooperative of districts applying for planning funds may include one or more district whose dropout rate is not in the top twenty-five percent.

(3) A district which received planning funds before the effective date of this section may receive program development or implementation funds if such district qualifies within the criteria established by section 5 of this act.

(4) A district or cooperative of districts shall be eligible to receive program implementation funds once every two years. Funds from each subsequent application by a district or cooperative of districts, however, shall be used to expand the dropout program to additional grades or another school or to initiate a new dropout program. Grants shall not be used to supplant funds of an existing program. The superintendent shall give priority to the effectiveness of district plans and implementation programs before granting additional awards to a school district.

(5) The money allocated shall be consistent with legislative appropriations, and may be expended for initial planning, program development, and program implementation. No district or cooperative of districts applying for funding shall received more than three hundred thousand dollars per biennium.

(6) The sum of all grants shall not exceed the amount appropriated by the legislature for such purposes.

(7) Applicant districts shall provide local matching funds of not less than twenty percent of the planning and implementation funds received from the state.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The superintendent of public instruction shall appoint an advisory committee on school dropouts. The committee shall be composed of certificated and noncertificated staff, administrators, parents, and counselors and others as the superintendent finds appropriate. The committee shall propose criteria to the superintendent for evaluating, planning, and implementation proposals.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules, pursuant to chapter 34.04 RCW, to carry out the purposes of sections 1 through 4 of this act. The rules adopted by the superintendent of public instruction shall include but not be limited to:

(1) Requiring that the school district receiving funds shall provide local matching funds of an amount at least equal to twenty percent of the funds for which the district is eligible. In-kind contributions may be counted as matching funds but in-kind contributions shall not be counted for more than one-half of the minimum match required.

(2) Providing for an annual evaluation of the effectiveness of the program;

(3) Requiring no less than twenty percent of the moneys from the program implementation grants to be used for identification and intervention programs in elementary and middle schools;

(4) Establishing procedures allowing school districts to claim basic education allocation funds for students attending a program conducted under sections 1 through 6 of this act outside the regular school-year calendar to the extent such attendance is in lieu of attendance within the regular school-year calendar; and

(5) Evaluating the number of children within an applicant district who fail to complete their elementary and secondary education with priority going to districts with dropout rates in the top twenty-five percent of all districts' dropout rates.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. The superintendent of public instruction shall identify and disseminate information about effective programs to all school districts and other interested parties.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. Section 21, chapter 278, Laws of 1984 and RCW 28A.03.380 are each repealed.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. 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. 9. Sections 1 through 6 of this act are each added to chapter 28A.03 RCW.