LANSING, Mich. — The Senate unanimously passed Senate Bills 650 and 651 on Wednesday to continue the Dropout Recovery Program, which public school districts throughout Michigan use to assist students with completing their high school degree after dropping out of school.
“As lawmakers, we have an obligation to support the education of students in our state to help prepare them to achieve future success,” said Senate Education and Career Readiness Committee Chairwoman Lana Theis, R-Brighton, sponsor of SB 650. “The Dropout Recovery Program is an important part of achieving that goal, and my legislation will ensure the program can continue in its efforts to help more students earn a high school diploma, while saving districts money.”
The Dropout Recovery Program was created in 2012 to allow school districts to identify students who dropped out of high school and enroll them in a specialized program with students from other participating districts to complete the courses needed to graduate. This gives districts the option to partner together to meet the needs of students who have faced challenges in the classroom, while sharing the cost to run the program.
“We need to provide all the tools possible for every Michigander to earn their high school diploma so that they are prepared to compete in Michigan’s economy,” said Sen. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield, sponsor of SB 651. “These bills provide Michigan public schools the option of continuing to participate in the Dropout Recovery Program, which has successfully provided a path for nearly 200 students in my district to graduate from high school.”
The bills would extend the sunset of the program and add reporting requirements to the state to evaluate the program’s achievements and challenges. They now head to the House for consideration.
###