HB 1283 — An Act establishing the Integrated Student Supports Program and the Integrated Student Supports Fund; and conferring powers and imposing duties on the Department of Education.

PRINTER'S NO.    1454

                   THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                       HOUSE BILL
                       No. 1283
                                              Session of
                                                2025

     INTRODUCED BY HILL-EVANS, HOWARD, SANCHEZ, FREEMAN AND CEPEDA-
        FREYTIZ, APRIL 22, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, APRIL 22, 2025


                                   AN ACT
 1   Establishing the Integrated Student Supports Program and the
 2      Integrated Student Supports Fund; and conferring powers and
 3      imposing duties on the Department of Education.
 4      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 5   hereby enacts as follows:
 6   Section 1.   Short title.
 7      This act shall be known and may be cited as the Integrated
 8   Student Supports Act.
 9   Section 2.   Legislative intent.
10      The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
11          (1)   High school dropout rates can have a significant
12      negative impact on this Commonwealth's economy as determined
13      by the loss of generated income tax revenue and dependence on
14      government aid, as well as elevated risks for incarceration.
15          (2)   Graduation rates in many Pennsylvania school
16      districts have fallen well below the Statewide average.
17      Removing academic and nonacademic barriers to learning
18      through evidence-based integrated student supports helps to
 1      reduce dropout rates and increase graduation rates.
 2          (3)   The General Assembly intends to create a fund
 3      allowing Pennsylvania public school entities to utilize
 4      programming provided by a third-party nonprofit organization
 5      in order to decrease dropout rates and increase graduation
 6      rates.
 7   Section 3.   Definitions.
 8      The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
 9   have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
10   context clearly indicates otherwise:
11      "Department."   The Department of Education of the
12   Commonwealth.
13      "Fund."   The Integrated Student Supports Fund established in
14   section 4(c).
15      "Organization."   The third-party nonprofit organization
16   designated by the department under section 4(b).
17      "Program."   The Integrated Student Supports Program
18   established in section 4(a).
19      "Public school entity."     Any of the following:
20          (1)   A school district as defined in section 102 of the
21      act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public
22      School Code of 1949.
23          (2)   A charter school, cyber charter school or regional
24      charter school as defined in section 1703-A of the Public
25      School Code of 1949.
26          (3)   An intermediate unit as established under Article
27      IX-A of the Public School Code of 1949.
28          (4)   An area career and technical school as established
29      under Article XVIII of the Public School Code of 1949.
30   Section 4.   Integrated Student Supports Program.

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 1      (a)   Establishment.--The Integrated Student Supports Program
 2   is established to remove academic and nonacademic barriers to
 3   learning as a means to enhance student academic success,
 4   decrease dropout rates and increase graduation rates in public
 5   elementary and secondary schools throughout this Commonwealth.
 6   Under the program, the department may provide grants to public
 7   school entities as provided under section 5 for students in
 8   kindergarten through grade 12.
 9      (b)   Designation.--
10            (1)   Within 60 days of the effective date of this
11      section, the Secretary of Education shall:
12                  (i)    Designate, through a request for proposal
13            process, an organization to serve as the provider of
14            evidence-based community school services to public school
15            entities. The organization must satisfy all of the
16            following:
17                         (A)   Currently operate in more than 60 public
18                  school entities.
19                         (B)   Provide independent data collection.
20                         (C)   Provide in-school and out-of-school programs
21                  in the following areas:
22                               (I)    Social, emotional, physical and moral
23                         development to include mental health case
24                         management.
25                               (II)    College and career preparation.
26                               (III)    Behavior intervention.
27                               (IV)    Parental engagement and support.
28                               (V)    Student reengagement.
29                  (ii)    Post notice of the designation on the
30            department's publicly accessible Internet website.

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 1            (2)   This subsection shall be subject to the provisions
 2      of 62 Pa.C.S. (relating to procurement).
 3      (c)   Fund.--The Integrated Student Supports Fund is
 4   established in the State Treasury. Money in the fund shall be
 5   used to fund the grants provided under section 5. The following
 6   shall apply to money in the fund:
 7            (1)   The department may transfer undistributed money not
 8      expended, encumbered or committed from the department's
 9      appropriation to the fund for the purpose of providing grants
10      under this section.
11            (2)   The fund may include:
12                  (i)    Grants, donations, contributions or gifts from
13            public or private sources specifically earmarked for
14            deposit into the fund.
15                  (ii)   Interest, dividends and pecuniary gains from
16            investment of money in the fund.
17   Section 5.     Grants.
18      (a)   Establishment of advisory councils.--Each public school
19   entity shall establish and manage an advisory council that shall
20   develop the strategic school plan for students in kindergarten
21   through grade 12. An advisory council shall be comprised of a
22   diverse set of public and private stakeholders, including
23   representatives from the public school entity, local and
24   regional industries, private philanthropic foundations,
25   community-based organizations and social service agencies.
26      (b)   Provision of grants.--
27            (1)   The department may provide grants to a public school
28      entity for the purpose of funding the implementation of the
29      approved strategic plan to provide integrated student
30      supports to remove academic and nonacademic barriers to

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 1      education.
 2            (2)   A public school entity seeking grants under this
 3      subsection must submit a strategic plan for programming for
 4      students in kindergarten through grade 12 to the department.
 5      Grants shall be awarded on a competitive basis, based on the
 6      department's review of a public school entity's strategic
 7      plan, and shall match the public school entity's proposed
 8      investment amount in programming on a dollar-for-dollar
 9      basis. Strategic plans submitted to the department must
10      demonstrate that a dedicated space exists or will exist
11      within the public school entity for the use of the integrated
12      student supports provider.
13            (3)   A grant awarded to a public school entity under this
14      subsection shall be used in its entirety for the programming
15      provided by the organization selected by the department.
16   Section 6.     Reports.
17      (a)   Annual report.--The organization shall provide a report
18   on the progress of the organization's evidence-based programming
19   within each public school entity receiving a grant under section
20   5 to the department within one year of the effective date of
21   this section and annually no later than October 1 of each
22   subsequent year thereafter. The report shall include outcomes
23   for case-managed students, including the following:
24            (1)   Grade promotion and graduation rates.
25            (2)   Student attendance.
26            (3)   Student behavior.
27            (4)   Student academics and grade point averages.
28      (b)   Publication.--The report shall be published annually on
29   the department's publicly accessible Internet website.
30   Section 7.     Effective date.

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1     This act shall take effect immediately.




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