SB 116 – This act creates the Persistence to Graduation Fund. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will establish a procedure for school districts to apply for grants to implement drop-out prevention strategies. Grants may be available to school districts that have at least sixty percent of students eligible for a free and reduced lunch. Grants will be awarded for one to five consecutive years. Upon expiration, a school district may apply for an extension. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education must give preferences to school districts that propose a holistic approach to drop-out prevention as described in the act. The Department may stop payments to a district if it determines that the district is misusing funds or if the district's program is deemed ineffectual. The Department must provide written notice thirty days prior to cessation of funds. The Department must report annually to the General Assembly the recipients and amount of grants and data for the preceding five years for each recipient district. The General Assembly must annually appropriate an amount equivalent to one percent of state funding for elementary and secondary education for this program. This act is substantially similar to a provision contained in HCS#2/SS/SB 291 (2009) and is similar to SB 1128 (2008). MICHAEL RUFF