Representative Albert Sommers
Upon discovering his girlfriend was pregnant, Brad House dropped out of Pinedale High School at 16 years old in the middle of his sophomore year.
This exact situation was addressed last week at the state legislature, in a bill that would have increased the dropout age from 16 to 17 years. Although it failed on the third reading in the House of Representatives, it appears to still be a contentious issue.
“I understand that there are certain kids that probably don’t belong in school, but by raising that age one year we might be able to keep two or three more students and get them to graduate and see the value of education,” Representative Albert Sommers (R-Sublette) said.
House said students who have their mind set on leaving school are often adamant; however, he noted that the basis of the bill was not negative.
“I knew what I was doing at 16, but if you’re just 16 and want to leave, I think that’s not good,” he said. “It’s amazing what you can learn in one year.”
Upon dropping out, House earned his GED within four months and landed a job at a local ski resort to support his new family. Had he not prepared himself for leaving high school, House said he would not be where he is now, working at an oil company in northern Colorado.
If it had not been for a newborn on the way, House said he probably would not have left school.
“I don’t regret it, but if the situation had been different I wouldn’t have dropped out,” he said. “I decided to take work instead of school.”
There can be a plethora of reasons as to why students choose to dropout, Troy Tallabas, high school equivalency certification and family literacy program manager, said. Reasons can range from bullying, not understanding material or catastrophic family events.
Tallabas said he is hesitant to say whether an increased dropout age would benefit all students, but he noted that generally it could be beneficial.
“If students can persist to that junior year, they generally acquire enough credits where they can graduate at least with minimum criteria,” he said.
Sommers, a member of the education committee, said the dropout age has not budged since 1920, although legislators have been trying to increase the age for years. He noted occupations have significantly changed since 1920, creating a need to keep kids in school.
“Many quit school and went back to the ranch and farms, but we’ve kind of evolved away from that a bit and are looking to the future and the jobs of the future,” Sommers said.
House said he does not feel he missed out on education by leaving high school, but rather the time spent being a teenager without the pressures of adulthood.
“The only thing I missed about high school was experiences,” he said. “I don’t feel I missed out on education, but time spent there would have been important.”
If students choose to dropout, there are a variety of high school equivalency options, Tallabas said. Although not recognized on the same standard as a high school diploma, students with an equivalency certificate can still apply for college and the Wyoming Hathaway scholarship.
Rather than addressing the dropout age, House said he thinks emphasis should be placed on preparing students to get an equivalency certificate.
“If anything should be in place, you shouldn’t be able to dropout until you’re 17 without taking GED courses,” he said.
Improving public knowledge of the high school equivalency test options is a continuous goal, Tallabas said. Although having all students graduate high school is optimum, Tallabas said it is not realistic and one has to seek the next best option.
“Regardless of age that someone ends up leaving high school, to me it is important the student has some system available to them that’s reasonable, convenient and accessible so they can earn some credential,” Tallabas said.
