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Texas Senate approves drop out recovery bill

“I wasn’t paying attention,” Oscar Bacarro said. “I was messing around with my friends.”

Bacarro said he was a troubled kid in high school and dropped out at 20 years old.

"My dad and my mom were never with me so I think that's what happened,” Bacarro said. “I didn't have anybody to tell me what was wrong and what was right."

Instead of graduating from high school and going to college Bacarro got married and start to work as a plumber.

"It's hard not having your high school diploma," Bacarro said.

But Oscar has turned his life around.

This month, at 26, he will graduate from PSJA’s Career and Technology Academy.

Bacarro said he has two children he wants to make proud.

"I’m doing this so I can be somebody important in life for me and my family," Bacarro said. 

PSJA’s College Career and Technology Academy has helped 713 students get their high school diploma while they earn college credit.

"Rather than send them back to high school the idea was let’s move them forward and let’s connect them to the potential for a successful future by moving them onto community college," Superintendent for PSJA Daniel King said.

t was something legislators want echoed throughout the state.

On Wednesday the state approved a dropout recovery bill that would fund community colleges to partner with districts and from a program much like PSJA’s.

King said the program has prevented around 2,000 people from dropping out since its inception.

Other schools like La Joya, Mission, and Donna have similar programs and King said the more districts that are involved the more students could be saved from dropping out.

For dropout statistics in your area, head to this website.

To see the dropout recovery bill SB 975 click here.