State legislatures looking to increase investments in afterschool

We took at look at how governors across the country are supporting afterschool in a previous post, but what kind of progress is being made in state legislatures for afterschool? It turns out, quite a bit. Below is a sampling of the different bills that have been introduced in state legislatures this year, including a number of bills proposing large increases to afterschool and summer learning programs in their states. In addition to funding, legislators in some states have introduced bills to establish commissions or undergo studies to examine the state of afterschool and propose ways to fund new programs. Check out the roundup below and read how state legislatures are addressing the increased demand for afterschool programs.

Appropriations and funding

Hawai’i – House Bill 69 in Hawai’i is currently making its way through the Senate after passing the House in early March. The legislation would provide $2.5 million for the Resources for Enrichment, Athletics, Culture, & Health (REACH) program, Hawai’i’s state afterschool funding stream serving students in grades sixth through eighth.

Massachusetts – In Massachusetts, Senate Bill 255 was introduced to create the After School and Out-of-School Time Opportunity Fund with money received from the sale of cannabis. The legislation would provide 3 percent of the sales made by marijuana retailers to the opportunity fund established through the legislation.

Oregon – Senate Bill 531 would create the Summer and After-School Learning and Enrichment Grant Program that would provide grants to local education agencies (LEAs), community based organizations, or tribal organizations to provide summer and afterschool learning and enrichment programs to youth from rural or historically underserved communities, including youth with disabilities and foster youth. Advocates are working to provide $25 million in the bill to support summer and afterschool programs beginning July 1, 2023. 

Rhode Island – House Bill 5520 would create the Building Opportunities In Out-Of-School Time grant program, providing $4 million for out-of-school programs and establishing the first afterschool funding stream for the Ocean State. The bill would include a few priorities, including high-quality afterschool and out-of-school programs and instructors; quality assistance supports for educator professional development; workforce development and funding for a pipeline of high-quality youth development professionals; and funding for retention and professional development. Earlier this year, Governor McKee signaled support for afterschool in his State of the State address by calling for a $4 million investment in out-of-school time programs.

Tennessee – HB68/SB249 in Tennessee would require LEAs and participating charter schools to conduct summer learning camps and afterschool learning mini-camps for “priority students” in the district or school. Priority students are defined as those enrolled in a low-performing school, eligible for TANF, “at-risk,” or those below proficient in math or English language arts. The legislation would provide funding to LEAs and participating charters, though the amount is to be determined.  

Washington – Senate Bill 5601 in Washington would create a new office, the Office of Youth Development, within the state’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families to coordinate with state agencies to reduce barriers for youth in accessing programs, convening youth providers in the state, maintaining  a statewide program locator, and administering a grant program for youth development programs. The new grant program would provide funds to programs focused on learning acceleration, social-emotional learning, mentorship, connection to nonschool-based resources, supporting postsecondary access and career pathways, and arts and cultural programming. The bill itself stems from recommendations from the state’s Youth Development Workgroup.

Studies, commissions, and programmatic requirements

Virginia – An amendment to the state budget has been introduced in Virginia to “direct the Department of Education to study the out-of-school time (OST) programs currently available in the Commonwealth, identify areas of the Commonwealth where there are critical gaps in access to such programs, and develop recommendations for mitigating such gaps in order to assist working parents and ensure the safety and supervision of students in the Commonwealth outside of school hours.” The study would also be tasked with identifying the benefits provided by OST programs to participants and determining potential funding sources that could be utilized to provide these supports and services.

New Jersey – A bill to establish the “New Jersey Out-of-School Time Advisory Commission" has been introduced in both houses of the New Jersey legislature. The commission would assess the state of OST programs, adopt statewide standards for the design and implementation of programs, examine the existing funding for OST programs, and make recommendations to increase the accountability and quality of before-school, after-school, and summer programs.

Washington, D.C. - The Out of School Time Special Education Inclusion and Standards Amendment Act was introduced in the D.C. City Council to require the Office of Out of School Time Grants and Youth Outcomes, in coordination with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, to develop standards to train or recruit OST providers for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). The bill aims to address the inequities that students with disabilities face in accessing OST programs and will also look at ways to attract and retain staff to provide OST programming to students with disabilities.

We’ll continued to follow these bills throughout the legislative sessions in these and look forward to updating you on the progress made this year.