HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 2318

BYRepresentatives Valle, Betrozoff, Peery, Walker, G. Fisher, Brumsickle, Rector, Ferguson, Brekke, Cole, Rayburn, Basich, Jacobsen, Winsley, Schoon, K. Wilson and H. Myers 

Creating the dropout tracking program.

House Committe on Education

Majority Report:  Do pass.  (16)

      Signed by Representatives Peery, Chair; Betrozoff, Ranking Republican Member; Brumsickle, Dorn, Fuhrman, Holland, Horn, Jones, P. King, Phillips, Pruitt, Rasmussen, Schoon, Valle, Walker and K. Wilson.  

House Staff:Susan Patrick (786-7111)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION JANUARY 22, 1990

BACKGROUND:

In 1988, money was allocated for the 1988-89 school year for dropout retention and retrieval programs in the 25 school districts within the state with the highest dropout rate.  Funding for the program was reduced in 1989. Repeated examinations of the dropout problem have asked what happens to dropouts?  Do they seek further training or education at a later date?  Do they earn high school equivalency by taking the General Education Development Test (GED)?  Are the factors that cause students to drop out the same in all districts?

SUMMARY:

The dropout tracking program is created.  One full-time equivalent counselor will be assigned to the four high schools and four middle schools with the highest dropout rates in the state and to the high school and middle school in the state with the lowest dropout rate.  The counselor will: (1)  Identify students who dropped out. (2)  Contact the former student to determine if he or she is enrolled in another school or has completed a GED or another training program. (3)  Determine the reasons for his or her decision to drop out. (4)  Determine if the former student is employed or lacks the skills necessary for employment. (5)  Refer the former student to resources in the community which may assist him or her in acquiring the necessary skills for employment or further training.

The former students shall be tracked for a four year period. Results of the tracking project shall be reported to the Education Committees of the Legislature by December 15 of each year.  The reports shall begin in 1991 and continue through 1994.

Fiscal Note:      Requested January 10, 1990.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Representative Georgette Valle; Perry Keithley, Superintendent of Public Instruction; John Kvamme, Tacoma School District; and Bob Maier, Washington Education Association.

House Committee - Testified Against:      No one.

House Committee - Testimony For:    The act of dropping out will effect the student for a lifetime.  This is an affirmative step to try and assist these students after they have dropped out of school and to give us a better picture of the number of these students that may actually seek some additional training or education later in their lives.  This information will better enable us to determine how we might assist them.  Currently there are no statistics on drop outs at the junior high or middle school level.  Perhaps we should target our resources at the high school level initially.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None.