REFERENCE TITLE: high school support; grants; appropriation

 

 

 

 

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-sixth Legislature

Second Regular Session

2024

 

 

 

HB 2689

 

Introduced by

Representatives Hernandez A: Biasiucci, Crews, Hernandez C, Martinez, Pawlik, Seaman, Terech, Tsosie;  Senators Diaz, Gowan, Shope

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AN ACT

 

amending title 15, chapter 7, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding article 8; appropriating monies; relating to school instruction.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 


Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 15, chapter 7, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding article 8, to read:

ARTICLE 8. HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION SUPPORT AND

COLLEGE AND CAREER GUIDANCE PROGRAM

START_STATUTE15-799. Graduation support and college and career guidance program fund

A. The graduation support and college and career guidance program fund is established consisting of legislative appropriations. The state treasurer shall administer the fund. Monies in the fund are continuously appropriated AND ARE EXEMPT FROM THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 35-190 relating to lapsing.  The state treasurer may accept and spend federal monies and private grants, gifts, contributions and devises to assist in carrying out the purposes of this article.

B. Monies in the fund must first be spent and the state treasurer shall transfer monies from the fund to pay:

1. The actual reasonable costs incurred by the state treasurer to administer the fund.

2. The actual reasonable costs incurred by the department of education to implement and administer section 15-799.01.

3. Any other mandatory expenditure of state revenues required to implement this article.

C. The state treasurer shall transfer monies in the fund in excess of the amounts paid pursuant to subsection B of this section in accordance with section 15-799.01.

D. The state treasurer may prescribe forms necessary to transfer monies from the fund. END_STATUTE

START_STATUTE15-799.01. Graduation support and college and career guidance program; grants; rules; exemption

A. The department of education shall establish and administer the graduation support and college and career guidance program and shall provide grants to school districts and charter schools from the graduation support and college and career guidance program fund established by section 15-799 and support school districts and charter schools that receive the grants.

B. Not later than three months after the effective date of this section, the department shall adopt rules to implement this section, including rules for:

1. Procedures and requirements for school districts and charter schools to apply for, receive and renew grants from the graduation support and college and career guidance fund established by section 15-799.01, including requirements:

(a) for Providing real-time data regarding student grades, attendance and behavior to grade nine teachers and support staff in an accessible format.

(b) for Providing time for grade nine teachers and support staff to meet to review data and develop strategies to intervene with at-risk students in grade nine, keeping records of meetings required by this subdivision and providing those records to the department on request.

(c) For spending grant monies awarded for counseling services only on counseling services that are based on a nationally recognized counseling model.

(d) for Ensuring effective college and career guidance by using data to guide students to colleges where they are most likely to graduate with minimal or no debt.

(e) for ensuring that guidance staff complete antibias training and, to the greatest extent possible, reflect the diversity of the students the guidance staff serves, including partnering with a qualified nonprofit organization to provide guidance services.

(f) for Using grant monies to establish and expand programs, opportunities and strategies allowed under this section not already in place before the effective date of this section, unless the use is necessary to replace the loss or expiration of time-limited grants and federal monies.

2. Evaluation procedures for grant applications.

3. approved uses of grant monies received from the graduation support and college and career guidance program fund established by section 15-799, including:

(a) Developing or expanding career and technical education programs that are tied to high-wage, high-demand careers that result in one or more of the following:

(i) Direct work experience.

(ii) Industry certification.

(iii) Postsecondary credits.

(b) developing and implementing academic acceleration programs under which objective measures are used to enroll students who had reached proficiency into the next more rigorous course in that content area.

(c) Expanding college-level educational opportunities, including:

(i) Advanced placement, international baccalaureate or comparable college-level courses.

(ii) Dual credit, coenrollment programs.

(iii) Extended coenrollment programs offered in conjunction with a community college in this state, a university under the jurisdiction of the arizona board of regents or another accredited institution of higher learning or post-high school career school in this state.

(iv) The recruitment, licensing, employment and training of personnel to provide college-level educational opportunities to high school students.

(d) Assisting students in completing grade nine with sufficient credits to be on track for on-time graduation, including:

(i) Implementing evidence-based strategies and programs to combat chronic absenteeism.

(ii) Expanding tutoring, mentoring, counseling, mental health and wraparound services that meet high school students' immediate needs.

4. Procedures that will allow the department to provide ongoing support to school districts and charter schools that receive grant monies pursuant to this section.

C. The department of education shall:

1. Begin accepting grant applications not later than four months after the effective date of this section.

2. Notify the state treasurer when grants are awarded under this section and direct the state treasurer to transfer monies from the graduation support and college and career guidance fund established by section 15-799 to the school district or charter school awarded the grant. 

D. Grants made pursuant to this section are exempt from title 41, chapter 23.  END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Exemption from rulemaking

Notwithstanding any other law, for the purposes of this act, the department of education is exempt from the rulemaking requirements of title 41, chapter 6, Arizona Revised Statutes, for one year after the effective date of this act.

Sec. 3. Appropriation; graduation support and college and career guidance program fund; exemption

A. The sum of $1,000,000 is appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2024-2025 to the graduation support and college and career guidance program fund established by section 15-799, Arizona Revised Statutes, as added by this act, for providing grants to school districts and charter schools pursuant to section 15-799.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, as added by this act.

B. The appropriation made in subsection A of this section is exempt from the provisions of section 35-190, Arizona Revised Statutes, relating to lapsing of appropriations.