Reform aimed at cutting high-school dropout rate
OLYMPIA — Everybody talks about fixing the high school dropout rate. Now Washington State has a new law that will use proven tactics to make sure more students graduate from high school.
“After years of high school dropout rates remaining fairly unchanged, I truly believe this bill will mark the beginning of a new era for high school graduation rates all across Washington state,” said Rep. Tim Probst (D-Vancouver) after Gov. Chris Gregoire signed the PASS Act into law. “That’s good for our kids, good for our economy and good for the state’s finances.”
Studies show that taxpayers save $10,500 per year, every year, for each student who stays in school and graduates rather than dropping out.
House Bill 1599 uses proven strategies that have reduced the dropout rate in pilot projects at high schools around the state. For the first time, the new law also creates a pay for performance system to encourage high schools to do better on graduation rates, which have hovered between 75 and 79 percent in the last five years.
“When our kids succeed, our economy succeeds,” said Probst. “We are making Washington the place where the world’s best companies find the world’s best people, and this is one more good step in that direction.”
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