H-3222              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 2496

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Representatives H. Myers, Peery, Brumsickle, Cooper, Betrozoff, Rector, Pruitt, Belcher, Winsley, Wineberry, Ferguson, P. King and Fraser

Read first time 1/12/90 and referred to Committees on Education/Appropriations.

AN ACT Relating to mentors for students; creating new sections; providing an expiration date; and making an appropriation.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The interest and support of an adult can mean the difference between success or failure for many students.  In repeated research on reasons for dropping out of school, students reported feeling that no one cares about them.  Through the commitment of adults to support our children, there is the opportunity to provide the one-on-one support that will make our children realize their own value.  The legislature hereby creates the adult mentor grant program.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     School districts that establish an adult mentor program to work with at-risk children shall be eligible to receive adult mentor grants.  The adult mentor program must contain the following elements:

          (1) Training for the adults who have volunteered and continuing support groups for the adult volunteers to aid them in providing support for the students;

          (2) One half-time staff member assigned to pair students and mentors and to follow up with the teams;

          (3) A written commitment from each adult mentor to spend at least one-half hour per week or a total of two and one-half hours per month with the student;

          (4) Consent from the parent or guardian of the child for the child to participate in the mentor program; and

          (5) Plans for recruiting mentors through employers and state government.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     State employees are hereby authorized to spend one-half hour per week as a mentor in a school district adult mentor program.  In addition to the one-half hour with the student in the school, the employee shall be allowed an additional one-half hour for travel if the school at which the employee is volunteering is within fifteen miles of the employee's office.  If the school is more than fifteen miles from the employee's job location, the employee may take an additional ten minutes for each five additional miles of distance to the school.  Under no circumstance shall the employee be provided more than one hour for travel to and from the school.  The time the employee volunteers during his or her work day under this section shall not be deducted from the employee's annual or sick leave and shall be considered part of the employee's regular work assignment.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     The superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules to implement the adult mentor grant program.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.     This act shall expire on June 30, 1991.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6.     The sum of .......... dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1991, from the general fund to the superintendent of public instruction for the purposes of this act.