The Akron Legal News

Senate bill aims to curb high school dropout rates

TIFFANY L. PARKS
Special to the Legal News
Published: June 25, 2012

An education bill that hadn’t had movement in the legislature in more than a year picked up steam last week.

Senate Bill 15, sponsored by Sen. Nina Turner, D-Cleveland, would require the State Board of Education to recommend performance standards for dropout prevention and recovery programs operated by school districts.

Within a year of the bill’s effective date, the board would have to make recommendations to the General Assembly in order to establish performance standards for their assessment.

“Plain and simple, this bill represents the right thing to do for our state and its citizens,” said Turner, who sponsored a similar proposal, Senate Bill 102, in the previous General Assembly.

“In today’s world, having a high school diploma is the bare minimum level of education required to achieve financial security and career advancement throughout the course of one’s life.”

Turner said a 2009 report from America’s Promise Alliance indicated that individuals who fail to graduate high school face dim prospects, especially in Ohio.

“In particular, non-graduates in Columbus and Cleveland earn an annual income of less than half of what their diploma-holding peers do and are less than half as likely to find steady, year-round employment,” she said.

“Additionally, high school dropouts are more likely to go to prison and more likely to require public assistance, while individuals with higher levels of educational attainment tend to live longer, healthier lives, are more likely to volunteer and vote, and will pay more taxes.”

Turner said efforts to reduce dropout rates are ideal for citizens, private industry and government.

“Education is criminal justice reform. Education is entitlement reform. Education can achieve cost-savings and stimulate the economy at the same time,” she said.

“It is important to do all that we can do to prevent young people from falling through the cracks. More education means more opportunities and when one considers that over 20,000 students drop out of Ohio high schools every year, that adds up to a lot of human and economic potential for our state.”

Enacting the proposal, which has gained bipartisan support from lawmakers, would have no direct fiscal impact at the local level. At the state level, the Ohio Department of Education could see an increase in administrative duties.

“Gov. Kasich has said time and again that “Ohio is open for business,” but if Ohio does not have a well-educated and dynamic workforce, our state cannot be competitive on the global stage,” Turner said.

“Our prosperity and place in the world in the years to come depends on the next generation’s ability to rise to the challenges that await.”

SB 15 has been endorsed by the Ohio Federation of Teachers.

Darold Johnson, director of legislation and political action for the OFT, said the bill is rooted in common sense.

“As the state begins to expand charter schools, especially dropout prevention schools, we need to know now, more than ever, what can help make dropout prevention schools more effective,” he said. “Knowing what works and replicating it makes sense especially when we have scarce resources.”

The proposed legislation also has been backed by the Ohio Education Association.

“The OEA believes that Ohio must make it a priority to focus on reducing the high school dropout rate,” said Matthew Dotson, a representative of the OEA’s governmental services division.

Dotson said there is little research on why some at-risk students choose to stay in school.

“However, based on the studies that are available, we know that key factors include interaction with committed, concerned educators and other adults; positive, respectful relationships between staff and students; fair discipline policies; and a supportive, nurturing family and home environment,” he said.

In addition to those factors, Dotson said, high-quality dropout prevention programs can make a difference.

“SB 15 would help make meaningful strides towards improving dropout prevention and recovery programs by requiring the State Board of Education to review such programs across the state and make recommendations to the General Assembly in order to establish performance standards.”

Dotson said the bill’s provisions could help reduce the individual and societal costs of high dropout rates.

“The costs of students not completing high school are real and the implications can last a lifetime,” he said. “Reducing the dropout rate by bolstering dropout prevention and recovery programs will benefit many lives and help strengthen Ohio’s economy.”

Turner also expressed optimism about the bill’s merits.

“This legislation sends a message through policy and practice that although a student may give up on his or her education, we will not give up on them,” she said.

SB 15 was passed by the Senate last week. The measure awaits a House committee assignment.

[Back]