Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed a bill sponsored by a local lawmaker to continue the state’s Dropout Recovery Program.

The program is utilized by public school districts throughout Michigan to assist students with completing their high school degree after dropping out of school. The Dropout Recovery Program was created in 2012 to allow school districts to identify students who dropped out of high school and enroll them in a specialized program with students from other participating districts to complete the courses needed to graduate. Districts may partner together to meet the needs of students who have faced challenges in the classroom, while sharing the cost to run the program.

Senate Bills 650 and 651 were sponsored by Republican Senator Lana Theis of Brighton Township and extend the sunset of the program. They also add reporting requirements for the state to evaluate the program’s achievements and challenges. Theis, who chairs the Senate Education and Career Readiness Committee, says the Dropout Recovery Program helps achieve their goal of preparing all students for future success. Theis added she’s thankful the governor signed this important legislation to keep the program going and help more students earn a high school diploma along with obtaining employment, while also saving school districts money. (JM)