Bill > SB5065

This bill aims to improve educational outcomes for homeless students by establishing new state-funded grant programs and enhancing existing support systems. Specifically, it directs the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to create a competitive grant process for school districts to improve the identification of homeless students and their capacity to provide support, such as education liaisons, complementing federal programs like the McKinney-Vento Act, which provides resources for homeless children and youth. Additionally, the bill mandates a separate grant program administered by the department, in consultation with OSPI, to connect homeless students and their families with stable housing, offering financial assistance for rent, utilities, transportation, and emergency shelter, with a focus on very low-income households. The bill also updates reporting requirements for OSPI to include more detailed data on homeless students' academic performance and educational outcomes, and it includes appropriations for these new initiatives, with a provision that the housing stability grant program will be void if specific funding is not allocated by a certain date.