MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

1997 Regular Session

To: Education; Appropriations

By: Senator(s) Harden

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE MISSISSIPPI SUMMER YOUTH SCHOOL-TO-WORK TRANSITION PROGRAM; TO PROVIDE FOR ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAM BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION; TO ESTABLISH A COUNCIL TO DEVELOP GUIDELINES FOR THE PROGRAM; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. The following act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Mississippi Summer Youth School-to-Work Transition Program.

SECTION 2. A Summer Youth School-to-Work Transition Program is hereby established within the State Department of Education to improve and facilitate students' transition from school to work by fostering partnerships among high schools, community/junior colleges, employers, labor organizations and communities. The program is specifically intended to:

(a) Provide students with paid work-based learning in skilled occupations that lead to high skill employment and offer opportunities for career advancement through the development of citizenship competencies.

(b) Provide structured instruction in the development of citizenship skills.

(c) Expand the range of skilled occupations available to students to explore as career options.

(d) Improve a student's ability to use academic and occupational skills in the workplace.

(e) Improve a student's qualifications for work-based learning, apprenticeship or other highly-skilled training programs and the opportunity to obtain secondary and postsecondary credit for such experiences.

(f) Actively recruit and encourage all Mississippi students to participate in Summer Youth School-to-Work Transition Programs.

(g) Involve representatives of business, industry and labor in planning, developing and evaluating the program, including designing the work-experience curriculum.

(h) Expand employers' interest in, and willingness to invest in, training students for work.

(i) Seek to improve students' academic proficiency in areas of mathematics, science, history, geography and English.

(j) Where appropriate, use information gained through summer school-to-work transition projects to modify existing secondary and postsecondary curricula to accommodate the changing needs of the workplace.

(k) Ensure that student experiences at the worksite include high-quality, supervised learning opportunities which foster team-based learning, resource management, time management, systems approach to technology, attendance, social interaction and organizational structure.

SECTION 3. A Youth School-to-Work Advisory Council is hereby established. The council shall be composed of the following members:

(a) Governor's Education Liaison;

(b) Director of the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges;

(c) Commissioner of Higher Education;

(d) Executive Director of the Department of Economic and Community Development;

(e) Executive Director of the Mississippi Employment Security Commission;

(f) President of the Mississippi Association of Educators;

(g) President of the Mississippi Parent/Teacher Association;

(h) Two (2) representatives of small business, two (2) representatives of labor and two (2) representatives of industry, all appointed by the Associate State Superintendent for Vocational and Technical Education; and

(i) Three (3) other persons appointed by the Associate State Superintendent for Vocational and Technical Education.

Those persons listed in (a) through (g) may designate someone to attend meetings in their place on the council.

The council shall develop guidelines, procedures and policies to implement school-to-work transition programs throughout the state. The council shall identify waivers necessary to accomplish its objectives and shall make recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature with respect to the budget and personnel necessary for the State Department of Education to implement school-to-work transition programs. The council shall, not later than January 31 of each year, submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature describing its activities during the previous calendar year to implement, expand and evaluate school-to-work transition programs.

SECTION 4. (1) Participation in school-to-work programs is limited to persons not less than sixteen (16) and not more than twenty-one (21) years of age who are enrolled, or during the previous twelve (12) months have been enrolled, in a secondary school, postsecondary school or institution of higher learning. At least fifty-one percent (51%) of the participants must be members of households whose annual family income is Forty-five Thousand Dollars ($45,000.00) or less.

(2) With respect to nonprofit businesses and industries that provide jobs to student participants in the programs:

(a) The student shall not replace any full-time employee nor shall the number of hours worked by any full-time employee be reduced because of the job placement of such student.

(b) The business or industry shall provide a mentor to supervise the work experience of the student.

(3) With respect to for-profit businesses and industries that provide jobs to student participants in the program:

(a) The student shall not replace any full-time employee nor shall the number of hours worked by any full-time employee be reduced because of the job placement of such student.

(b) The business or industry shall provide a mentor to supervise the work experience of the student.

(c) The wage paid to the student shall not exceed the wage of a full-time worker performing like work.

(d) The business or industry will be reimbursed up to forty percent (40%) of the salary paid to a student worker in an approved job and pay scale.

SECTION 5. All new programs authorized in this act are subject to the availability of funds specifically appropriated therefor by the Legislature.

SECTION 6. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.