House passes bill to keep students to age 18

By Chris Dornin

The House barely approved legislation last week to hold teens in high school until age 18. Senate Bill 18 passed 183-170 on mostly party lines Wednesday and moves to the House Finance Committee for review of its $4 million appropriation for new programs to engage would-be dropouts and keep them from disrupting classrooms. Schools will have two years to gear up for the new requirement if it becomes law.The narrow vote margin took political pundits by surprise after Democratic Governor John Lynch made the legislation one of his top priorities. A Republican amendment to let school districts delay keeping kids until age 18 failed in an even closer tally, 149-143.Kennett High School is saddled with the highest dropout rate among 21 schools its size. According to statistics issued by the New Hampshire Department of Education in March, Kennett High saw its dropout rate increase from 51 to 68 students from 2004-2005 to 2005-06. For the second year in a row, the school gauged the highest dropout rate among the intermediate-sized schools. Kennett's dropout rate is twice as high as the nearest Class I schools Pembroke and John Stark, which both had 33 students drop out last school year.In a continuing effort to help lower the dropout rate at Kennett High School, administrators there are proposing the creation of an Eagle Academy for students who may not have been successful in a traditional day program. The Conway School Board unanimously supported the idea of the nighttime program when board members received the first draft. If all goes well and pending New Hampshire Department of Education approval, students could begin attending classes this fall.Meanwhile, the legislature is dealing with the issue of dropouts statewide.Rep. William Remick, R-Lancaster, serves 10 towns near Berlin and was one of three Republicans to back the main bill, along with Jim Pilliod of Belmont and Andy Peterson of Peterborough. Democrats Beth Arsenault of Laconia, Virginia Heard of Center Sandwich and Robert Theberge of Berlin broke with their party in voting no. Last month Pilliod said he had mixed feelings.But in the end, I want to help the people who cant easily help themselves, he said.Remick gave a passionate speech citing North Country school districts like White Mountain with low dropout rates for 2005-2006. They prove whats possible and worth demanding everywhere, he argued. According to the Department of Education, Northumberland had a rate of .6 percent, Gorham 1 percent, and White Mountain 1.2 percent.Why are those rates so low? he asked. Schools up there have done something about it. The rest may need a nudge to do the same.Rep. Neal Kurk, R-Weare, warned the bill would impose an unfunded mandate on districts ill prepared for large numbers of alienated kids. He said those teens would spoil the classroom for students who want to learn.I totally agree with Neal Kurk, Roberge said. And I know the governor wanted our support.Berlin had a dropout rate of 5.5 percent in 2005-2006 and a cumulative rate of 20.3.Rep. Priscilla Lockwood, R-Canterbury, said the change is premature because educators need even more time to copy what works at places like White Mountain.Rep. John Thomas, R-Belmont, said its counterproductive to force kids to stay.The most compelling opinions Ive heard on this are from students who dont want other students who dont want to be there, Thomas said.The bill passed the Senate 13-10 on party lines after a similar floor fight by Republicans. Senator Deborah Reynolds, D-Plymouth, serves several towns in the Lakes Region and said failing kids need more of a chance at success.Age 16 is a (negative) psychological milestone today, she said. The bill assumes the needed programs will be in place for them.House minority leader Mike Whalley, R-Alton, called SB 18 feel-good legislation when it left the Senate.Id certainly like to see programs that help kids find their passion, Whalley said. But most of them will just hold the other kids back. They may have to leave and return. Thats okay.Rep. Judith Reever, D-Laconia, sits on the House Education Committee and once served on the Laconia School Board. She hopes the bill kicks off a search for ways to help marginal students long before high school.Our task is to graduate taxpayers, she said. Dropouts cost a lot of money in welfare programs and penitentiaries. It behooves us to help them get an education and have as many doors open to them as possible.After the House vote, Kurk said hell work on members of the Finance Committee.You can never tell, he said. Who is a dropout?Heres how the Department of Education legally defines a high school dropout for the last school year with complete data, 2005-2006. Its any student who completed the 2004-2005 school year, but did not return to school in September 2005, or any student who dropped out during the 2005-2006 school year and did not return by October 2, 2006. The count omits transfers, truants, and students who were home-schooled, suspended or expelled, incarcerated or deceased.