SB2288 SD1

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that when students drop out of high school, the consequences can negatively impact the quality of their lives and the economic prosperity of the communities in which they live. Many cities throughout the nation are also at a disadvantage if a skilled and educated workforce is not readily available.

The purpose of this Act is to establish a comprehensive dropout prevention strategy that better prepares at-risk students to meet Hawaii content and performance standards and complete high school graduation requirements.

SECTION 2. (a) The department of education shall review best practices of schools in Hawaii and other states regarding dropout prevention programs and adopt a strategic plan that specifies strategies to improve high school completion rates and college and workforce readiness.

(b) The department shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations on best practices to the legislature not later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2009. The report shall:

(1) Identify any high performing and highly efficient dropout prevention programs;

(2) Identify the dropout prevention programs that have the most potential for success in Hawaii; and

(3) Recommend legislation or other actions necessary to implement a statewide dropout prevention program identified under paragraph (2).

(1) Specify strategies to identify, support, and expand programs to improve high school completion rates and college and workforce readiness;

(2) Establish specific goals with which to measure the success of the strategies identified in paragraph (1) in improving high school completion rates and college and workforce readiness; and

(3) Identify strategies for alignment and coordination of federal and other funding sources that may be pursued for high school reform, dropout prevention, and preparation of students for postsecondary coursework or employment.

(d) The department shall submit a copy of the strategic plan to the legislature not later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2009.

SECTION 3. (a) There is established a collaborative dropout reduction pilot program within the department of education. The superintendent of education may award grants to a school, complex, or district to coordinate services and programs among public, private, and nonprofit entities to:

(1) Reduce the number of students who drop out of school in that community; and

(2) Increase the job skills, employment opportunities, and continuing education opportunities of students who might otherwise have dropped out of school.

(b) The department shall determine the application criteria for receiving a grant under subsection (a). The criteria shall require a school, complex, or district that applies for a grant to collaborate with local businesses, other government or law enforcement agencies, nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations, and institutions of higher education to deliver proven, research-based intervention services. The superintendent shall set standards for a collaborative agreement, including a requirement that a signed agreement between an authorized school, complex, or district and an authorized representative of each of the other participating entities that are partners in the collaboration.

(1) Limit participation in the program to students authorized to participate by a parent or other person of standing in a parental relationship;

(2) Have as a primary goal a student's graduation from high school;

(3) Provide for local businesses or other employers to offer paid employment or internship opportunities and advanced career and vocational training;

(4) Include an outreach component and a lead educational staff member to identify and involve eligible students and public and private entities to participate in the program;

(5) Serve a population of students of which at least fifty per cent are identified as students at risk of dropping out who:

(A) Receive poor or failing grades in core academic subjects;

(B) Have low attendance rates or excessive absenteeism;

(D) Are disengaged in the classroom setting and exhibit motivational problems, disruptive behaviors, or behaviors that warrant disciplinary action;

(6) Allocate not more than fifteen per cent of grant funds and matching funds, as determined by the superintendent, for administrative expenses; and

(7) Include matching funds from any of the participating entities.

(d) The department shall develop procedures to administer the pilot program under this section.

(e) The department shall submit a report on the status of the collaborative dropout reduction pilot program to the legislature not later than ten days prior to the start of the regular session of 2009.

SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 for the dropout prevention pilot program pursuant to section 3 of this Act.

SECTION 5. (a) There is established an intensive technology-based academic intervention pilot program within the department of education. The superintendent of education may award grants to participating schools to provide intensive technology-based supplementary education in English, mathematics, science, or social studies to students in grades nine through twelve. Priority shall be given to students who may have been identified by the department as at risk of dropping out of school, as defined in section 3 of this Act. The goals of the program shall be to help students meet the Hawaii content and performance standards and complete high school graduation requirements.

(b) The department shall develop an application and selection process for selecting schools to participate in the program. All schools are eligible to participate in the program and receive grant funds. However, priority shall be given to a school that is located in a rural area and considered by the department of education to benefit significantly from technology-based supplementary instruction. The superintendent shall give priority to a school that offers a relatively limited course selection to students, in comparison to the course selections generally offered to students in urban schools.

(c) A school selected to participate in the program is entitled to receive state grant funds in an amount not to exceed $ each school year for each student in an eligible grade level served through the program. The state grant funds shall be used to provide technology-based supplemental instruction for students at the eligible grade levels. A participating school shall provide students with individual access to technology-based supplemental instruction for at least ten hours each week.

Permissible expenditures under the program include costs incurred to provide:

(1) Research-based instructional support;

(2) Teacher training;

(3) Academic tutoring or counseling;

(4) Distance learning opportunities that use the Internet and are aligned with the essential knowledge and skills requirements for the subject areas of English language arts, social studies, mathematics, science, and language other than English, as applicable; and

(5) Distance learning opportunities that enable students to earn college credit in the subject areas of English language arts, social studies, mathematics, science, or languages other than English.

(d) As a condition of receiving state grant funds, a school shall contribute additional funding in an amount equal to at least $ each school year for each student in an eligible grade level served through the program. The additional funding required may consist of private funds or other state funds other than grant funds provided under this section.

(e) The department shall develop procedures to administer the pilot program under this section.

(f) The department shall submit a report on the status of the technology-based academic intervention pilot program to the legislature not later than ten days prior to the start of the regular session of 2009.

SECTION 6. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 for the technology-based academic intervention pilot program pursuant to section 5 of this Act.

SECTION 7. (a) There is established a high school innovation grant initiative within the department of education for the purpose of awarding grants to implement innovative programs that are based on the best available research regarding high school reform, dropout prevention, and activities that prepare students for postsecondary coursework or employment. The superintendent of education is authorized to award grants to a school, complex, or district, which shall be used to:

(1) Enhance education practices that have been demonstrated by significant evidence of effectiveness;

(2) Align other grants and programs to the strategic plan adopted by the department of education under section 2 of this Act; and

(3) Support technical assistance services for a school, complex, or district to implement an innovative, high school improvement program that falls within the general categories of high school reform, dropout prevention, and student preparation for postsecondary coursework or employment.

(b) Before awarding a grant to a school, complex, or district under this section, the department of education may require the school, complex, or district receiving the grant to:

(1) Obtain matching funds; or

(2) Meet other conditions, including developing a personal graduation plan for each ninth grade student enrolled at the school, complex, or district receiving the grant.

(c) The department of education may accept and coordinate gifts, grants, or donations from private organizations and other available sources to implement an innovation program under this section. The department shall set out criteria for innovative programs; however, the programs must be directly linked to high school reform, dropout prevention, post secondary coursework, or workforce development.

(d) The department of education shall develop procedures to administer the grant initiative under this section.

(e) The department of education shall submit a report on the status of the high school innovation grant initiative to the legislature not later than ten days prior to the start of the regular session of 2009.

SECTION 8. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 for the high school innovation grant initiative pursuant to section 7 of this Act.

SECTION 9. (a) There is established a pilot program within the department of education to provide grants to school complexes to fund student club activities for students at risk of dropping out of school. The grants for student clubs program shall be administered by the superintendent of education, who may award a grant in an amount not to exceed $ in a school year to a school on behalf of a student club at a high school that is eligible under the criteria established in section (b).

(b) To be eligible for a grant, the student club and the club's sponsor shall be sanctioned by the school and the department. A grant awarded under this program shall be matched by other federal, state, or local funds, including donations, in an amount equal to the amount of the grant. A school shall seek donations or sponsorships from local businesses or community organizations to raise the matching funds. The superintendent of education may award a grant on behalf of more than one student club at a school in the same school year.

(c) The superintendent of education shall establish application criteria for receiving a grant under this section. The criteria shall require confirmation that a school-level planning and decision-making committee and the appropriate district education official have approved a plan that includes a:

(1) Description of the student club and a statement of the student club's goals, intent, and activities;

(2) Statement of the source of funds to be used to match the grant;

(3) Budget for the student club and a statement showing that the student club's finances are sustainable; and

(4) Any other information the department requires.

(d) The department of education shall establish the minimum requirements for a grant agreement, including requiring:

(1) The agreement to be signed by the sponsor of a student club receiving a grant and a school district administration official; and

(2) The student club and the district to participate in an evaluation of the club's program and the program's effect on student achievement and dropout rates.

(e) A student club may use funds awarded under this section to support academic or co-curricular club activities, other than athletics, in which at least fifty per cent of the participating students have been identified as students at risk of dropping out of school as defined by section 3 of this Act. A student club may use funds for materials, sponsor stipends, and other needs that directly support the club's activities. A student club shall use the entire amount of the grant to directly fund the club's activities described in the plan approved pursuant to subsection (c); provided that a student club shall not use more than fifty per cent of a grant to pay sponsor stipends.

(f) The school district shall ensure that funds awarded under this section are expended in compliance with subsection (e). At the end of the school year, a student club that receives a grant shall submit a report to the superintendent summarizing the club's activities and the extent to which the club met the club's goals and achieved the club's intent.

(g) The department of education shall develop procedures to administer the grant initiative under this section.

(h) The department of education shall submit a report on the status of the grants for student club program to the legislature not later than ten days prior to the start of the regular session of 2009.

SECTION 10. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 to provide grants to school complexes to fund student club activities for students at risk of dropping out of school pursuant to section 9 of this Act.

SECTION 11. The superintendent of education shall contract with a qualified company to conduct a comprehensive program evaluation of each grant program in this Act. The annual evaluation shall begin initially in fiscal year 2009-2010 and every year thereafter. The evaluation shall be comprised of a process evaluation and an outcomes evaluation for each of the following programs:

(1) Collaborative dropout reduction pilot program;

(2) Technology-based academic intervention pilot program;

(3) High school innovation grant initiative; and

(4) Grants for student clubs program.

SECTION 12. The sums appropriated in sections 4, 6, 8, and 10 shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 13. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2008.

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	2288
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII