BP BHEAD INT S

AN ACT Relating to vocational skills centers; creating new sections; making an appropriation; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (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. Teens with children often receive public assistance and do not have the skills or education to secure employment to support their basic needs. Inadequate job skills, the lack of a high school diploma, and limited access to child care prevent high school-age mothers from leaving public assistance to enter the work force.

(2) 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 secondary students who have dropped out of school.

(3) The legislature further finds that vocational skills centers are equipped to offer educational services to secondary students that emphasize successful school-to-work transition, life skills, parenting education, and high school graduation. Vocational skills centers can best offer these services by making them available, for students not currently in school and for students enrolled in a full schedule at a high school, during hours other than normal school hours.

(4) The purpose of this act is to provide students with the job training, education, and support services necessary to achieve high school graduation and job readiness through the creation of extended day school-to-work transition projects at vocational skills centers.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) There is established in the office of the superintendent of public instruction an extended day school-to-work transition program. The program shall fund and coordinate five projects at vocational skills centers to provide extended day school-to-work transition options for secondary students who have dropped out, who are at risk of academic failure, and for students enrolled full time at a home high school.

(2) Goals of the program include:

(a) Identifying, recruiting, assessing, and enrolling teens who have dropped out of school or who are at risk of academic failure;

(b) Developing job-readiness skills, job retention skills, and high school completion competencies in secondary students using work-based learning;

(c) Equipping students with vocational skills and abilities consistent with entry level employment in their chosen career field;

(d) Preparing students to seek further education and training if advisable for their particular career field;

(e) Assisting students who have dropped out to reenter school to achieve their high school diploma; and

(f) Increasing vocational skills center programs' availability to students during other than normal school hours.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The superintendent of public instruction shall award grants to vocational skills centers for extended day school-to-work transition projects. Grants shall be awarded based on applications describing how the project will achieve the goals of the program pursuant to section 2 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The sum of three hundred fifty thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1995, from the general fund to the superintendent of public instruction for the purposes of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. This act shall expire June 30, 1997.