Lowering High School Drop-Out Age

Four years after the Legislature changed the high school drop-out age to 18, the debate has returned. On Thursday, a House committee is scheduled to give its verdict on a Republican-backed proposal to lower New Hampshire’s compulsory school attendance age to 16.

House Bill 429, sponsored by Rep. James Parison (R-New Ipswich), would allow students 16 years of age or older to withdraw from high school with parental permission. The revised law defining truancy would not require students to get permission from the school superintendent or have an “alternative learning plan for obtaining either a high school diploma or its equivalent.” *

In 2007, Gov. John Lynch saw this top legislative priority passed when lawmakers approved Senate Bill 18, a bipartisan measure that broadened educational programs to lower the dropout rate and keep students in school until age 18. The debate was strong as opponents cited local control and freedom of choice for students and families, while proponents said that a high school diploma was the minimum necessary to succeed in a global marketplace. Senate Bill 18 passed in the House by a slim margin — a 183-170 roll call vote.

The House Education Committee held its only public hearing on HB 429 yesterday. Lynch wrote to the committee, urging them to oppose the measure.

By a 213-134 vote last Wednesday, the House rejected a proposal to repeal a different 2007 education reform law, a mandate for statewide public kindergarten.

The Education Committee will also make recommendations on 14 other bills, including one that would require 45 minutes of daily physical education for public school students (House Bill 377) and another to  establish a study committee on abolishing the state Department of Education (House Bill 219).

>> Thursday, March 3, executive session of the House Education Committee, Legislative Office Building, Room 207, begins at 10 a.m.

This Daily Dispatch was written by Michael McCord.

*Our original dispatch mistakenly reported that House Bill 429 would also require superintendent permission and an alternative learning plan.

Posted by Hilary Niles on Mar 2 2011. Filed under children, Commerce, Education, Family, graduation rate, Weekly Briefing, Work, work, workforce, workforce training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry