‘ B. Enrolled in an adult education program pursuant to section 8605, subsection 1; or
C. Enrolled in a private school approved for the receipt of public funds pursuant to section 2951.’
Amend the bill in section 1 in §4771 in subsection 2 by striking out all of paragraphs B to D (page 1, lines 13 to 18 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 4 and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §4772-C is enacted to read:
§ 4772-C. Postsecondary courses; student eligibility
1. Student eligibility. A secondary school student may be eligible to receive state subsidy for postsecondary courses as specified in section 4775 if all the requirements of subsection 2 are satisfied and the student:
A. Is enrolled in grade 11 or higher in the student's school; or
B. Maintains a minimum secondary school grade point average of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4.0, or the equivalent of a "B" average, as determined by the school, unless the student has been granted a waiver by the eligible institution.
2. Postsecondary courses. A student who meets the criteria pursuant to subsection 1 may be eligible to receive state subsidy for postsecondary courses as specified in section 4775 as long as:
A. The eligible institution is reasonably able to accommodate the secondary school student;
B. The eligible institution has determined that the student has satisfactorily completed all course prerequisites;
C. The school administration approves;
D. The student's parent approves; and
E. The student has received a recommendation to take a postsecondary course or courses at an eligible institution from the student's school administration or one of the student's secondary school teachers following an assessment of the student by the school administration.’
Amend the bill in section 5 in §4775 by striking out all of the first paragraph (page 2, lines 29 to 38 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
‘
The department shall pay 50% of the in-state tuition for the first 3 6 credit hours taken each semester by a student at an eligible institution and up to 6 12 credit hours per academic year. The eligible institution may not make any additional tuition charges for the course those courses but may impose fees and charges, other than tuition, that are ordinarily imposed on students not covered by this chapter. The department may pay these fees and charges for a high school student eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Funds appropriated to the department to carry out the purposes of this chapter must be in addition to the customary and ongoing amounts appropriated for general purpose aid for local schools.’
Amend the bill by adding after section 11 the following:
‘Sec. 12. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF
General Purpose Aid for Local Schools 0308
Initiative: Provides additional funds for eligible secondary school students to take postsecondary courses.
| GENERAL FUND | 2013-14 | 2014-15 |
|
All Other
|
$0 | $600,000 |
 |
|
|
| GENERAL FUND TOTAL | $0 | $600,000 |
summary
This amendment makes the following changes to the bill regarding early postsecondary education programs:
1. It clarifies that a secondary school student who is enrolled in an adult education program is eligible for a state subsidy for postsecondary courses;
2. It strikes the provision related to a secondary school student who is participating in an approved home instruction program from the bill since the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 4772-B already specifies the eligibility requirements for a student who is participating in an approved home instruction program;
3. It corrects the allocation of the proposed section regarding student eligibility to avoid a numbering conflict;
4. It removes the provision in the bill that proposed to limit the number of secondary school students taking a postsecondary education course to no more than 1/3 of the number of students taking the course; and
5. It corrects a cross-reference.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)