Mary Potter
Friday, March 5, 2010 8:07 am
House Bill 301, an act related to compulsory school attendance, passed the House yesterday by a vote of 94-6 with overwhelming support from Democrats and Republicans. The bill gradually raises the age a student can drop out to 18 by 2015 for students entering 9th grade by 2014. Sponsor Jeff Greer told the House that students who drop out of high school cost the state money in the long run. They are more likely to have low wage jobs, get into trouble and need state services. Minority Leader Jeff Hoover agreed. Hoover, an attorney who serves as counsel for two school districts in his area, rose to tell the House that the superintendents he knows are in favor of the bill. He also said that drop outs wind up in his office “seeking help in the criminal justice system.”
The bill now goes to the Senate.