Dropouts darkening Kentucky's future, Madison County educator says

February 17, 2010

Ronnie Ellis The Richmond Register Wed Feb 17, 2010, 12:20 PM EST

FRANKFORT — Madison County Superintendent Tommy Floyd and his teachers have the data. They can point to students in fifth and seventh grades and tell which are likely to drop out before graduating.

For the past three school years, 81, 81 and 83 students have dropped out in Madison County. Yet, Floyd thinks there are ways to reduce that number – all he lacks is the resources.

“We could develop an alternative model to the later grades which is very different from the way we do it now,” Floyd said. “We have a plan. If Kentucky establishes some funding we can put it in place. But if Kentucky continues to offer the same model in use today and assumes the kids in the fifth and seventh grades who are not performing at grade level will graduate, then our economic forecast is not very bright.”

Last year, about 6,500 Kentucky students dropped out, said Kentucky Education Commissioner Dr. Terry Holliday Tuesday as he testified before the House Education Committee in support of House Bill 301, which will phase in higher drop out ages over the next five years.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Greer, D-Brandenburg, raises compulsory school attendance from age 16 to 17 beginning July 1, 2013; to age 18 beginning July 1, 2014; and sets a 90-percent graduation goal for July 1, 2015. Critics have said it is counter-productive to keep unruly, uninterested older children in school unless there are programs to assist them academically and prepare for life after high school.

In tight budget times, it is difficult to provide the funding for alternative schools, career track (non-college preparatory) courses and early intervention programs. Greer’s bill provides funding in future budgets “if available, to fund programs for older students.”

Floyd’s district already provides programs for teen mothers, mentoring programs for African American males identified as potential dropouts, GED courses in high school and “credit recovery,” a way students who have fallen behind can demonstrate mastery of a subject, earning lost credits without having to re-take the entire class. The programs work – for instance, Project Succeed for teen mothers reduced the number of pregnant teen dropouts from 27 to zero.

But Floyd said schools and policy makers must “think outside the box” and develop “technology-rich” programs for technologically savvy students “who have fallen out of love with learning.” Use technology, he said, to get them “to fall back in love with learning.” He envisions non-traditional courses for students whose career interests have been identified and show them how algebra II, geometry and English “are linked to what they are interested in.”

Holliday told committee members about his days training to be a North Carolina principal, when his mentor principal explained his job was to visit “drop-back-inners” – dropouts who had returned to school – and “get ‘em outta here” because they were disruptive. Later, when Holliday got a job as an assistant principal in charge of discipline, he found himself relieved when a problem student dropped out.

“Three weeks later, he broke into a store and ended up in prison for most of his life,” Holliday said. "It's an emotional issue for me."

He said the long-term costs far exceed those to address the problem now, a sentiment shared by First Lady Jane Beshear and House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, who also testified in support of Greer’s legislation.

Stumbo said dropouts on average earn $7,000 a year less than high school graduates, that one out of four ends up on public assistance and that 75 percent of prison inmates have no high school degree. The First Lady said the goal is not just to decrease dropouts but to increase graduates.

By phasing in the higher dropout ages, Holliday said, it gives the Kentucky Department of Education and educators “time to figure out how to help these children. It’s time to make these decisions based on the best interests of the children and not on what adults prefer.”

“This is a great start,” said First Lady Beshear. “But we’re going to have to have additional funding at some point.”

Administration officials estimate the additional costs statewide to school districts of retaining such students at around $17 million in fiscal year 2016, rising to $20.7 million after fiscal year 2017. They estimate the new age limits will mean about 4,250 such students in 2016 and as many as 5,100 after 2017.

Ronnie Ellis writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com. Follow CNHI News Service stories on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cnhifrankfort. The Richmond Register is a CNHI newspaper.

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