BILL REQ. #:  H-0951.1 

Read first time 02/05/2003.   Referred to Committee on Higher Education.

     AN ACT Relating to changing the focus of the promise scholarship; amending RCW 28B.119.005, 28B.119.010, and 28B.119.020; creating a new section; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 28B.119.005 and 2002 c 204 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     The legislature intends to strengthen the link between postsecondary education and K-12 education by creating the Washington promise scholarship program for ((academically successful)) high school graduates ((from low and middle-income families)) who have overcome personal or financial barriers and show promise to succeed if given the opportunity to pursue a postsecondary education. The legislature finds that, increasingly, an individual's economic viability is contingent on postsecondary educational opportunities, yet ((the state's full financial obligation is eliminated after the twelfth grade. Students who work hard in kindergarten through twelfth grade and successfully complete high school with high academic marks may not have the financial ability to attend college because they cannot obtain financial aid or the financial aid is insufficient)) some students have a potential for success in postsecondary education that is not reflected in their grades or test scores from high school. The legislature further finds that these students may be more likely to consider pursuing postsecondary education if there were additional financial assistance to encourage them.

Sec. 2   RCW 28B.119.010 and 2002 c 204 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     The higher education coordinating board shall design the Washington promise scholarship program based on the following parameters:
     (1) Beginning with the graduating class of 2003, scholarships shall be awarded to students graduating from public and approved private high schools under chapter 28A.195 RCW and students participating in home-based instruction as provided in chapter 28A.200 RCW who meet ((both an academic and a financial)) the eligibility criteria and have been selected to receive a promise scholarship under the procedures described in this section and RCW 28B.119.020.
     (a) ((Academic)) To meet the eligibility criteria ((shall be defined as follows:
     (i) Beginning with the graduating class of 2002, students graduating from public and approved private high schools under chapter 28A.195 RCW must be in the top fifteen percent of their graduating class, as identified by each respective high school at the completion of the first term of the student's senior year; or
     (ii) Students graduating from public high schools, approved private high schools under chapter 28A.195 RCW, and students participating in home-based instruction as provided in chapter 28A.200 RCW must equal or exceed a cumulative scholastic assessment test I score of twelve hundred on their first attempt or must equal or exceed a composite American college test score of twenty-seven on their first attempt)), a student shall have demonstrated strength of character in overcoming physical, personal, cultural, or financial barriers to his or her educational success and give evidence of a desire and commitment to complete a postsecondary educational program or degree.
     (b) ((To meet the financial eligibility criteria, a student's family income shall not exceed one hundred thirty-five percent of the state median family income adjusted for family size, as determined by the higher education coordinating board for each graduating class. Students not meeting the eligibility requirements for the first year of scholarship benefits may reapply for the second year of benefits, but must still meet the income standard set by the board for the student's graduating class)) Based on the eligibility criteria, each school district may nominate students graduating from public high schools in the district to receive a promise scholarship. Students graduating from approved private high schools under chapter 28A.195 RCW and students participating in home-based instruction as provided in chapter 28A.200 RCW who meet the eligibility criteria may be nominated by their high schools or may nominate themselves to receive a promise scholarship.
     (2) Promise scholarships are not intended to supplant any grant, scholarship, or tax program related to postsecondary education. If the board finds that promise scholarships supplant or reduce any grant, scholarship, or tax program for categories of students, then the board shall adjust the financial eligibility criteria or the amount of scholarship to the level necessary to avoid supplanting.
     (3) Within available funds, each qualifying student shall receive ((two)) consecutive annual awards((,)) for the lesser of: (a) The length of time it takes the student to complete a certificate or associate degree; (b) the length of time it takes the student to reach junior status at a four-year institution of higher education; or (c) three years. The value of each ((not to exceed)) award shall equal the full-time annual resident tuition rates charged by Washington's community colleges plus the allowance for books and supplies as calculated by the higher education coordinating board for purposes of the state need grant. The higher education coordinating board shall award scholarships to as many students as possible from among those qualifying under this section without reducing the amount of the award.
     (4) By October 15th of each year, the board shall determine the award amount of the scholarships((, after taking into consideration the availability of funds)).
     (5) The scholarships may only be used for undergraduate coursework at accredited institutions of higher education in the state of Washington.
     (6) The scholarships may be used for undergraduate coursework at Oregon institutions of higher education that are part of the border county higher education opportunity project in RCW 28B.80.806 when those institutions offer programs not available at accredited institutions of higher education in Washington state.
     (7) The scholarships may be used for college-related expenses, including but not limited to, tuition, room and board, books, and materials.
     (8) The scholarships may not be awarded to any student who is pursuing a degree in theology.
     (9) The higher education coordinating board may establish satisfactory progress standards for the continued receipt of the promise scholarship.
     (10) The higher education coordinating board shall establish the time frame within which the student must use the scholarship.

Sec. 3   RCW 28B.119.020 and 2002 c 204 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
     The higher education coordinating board, with the assistance of the office of the superintendent of public instruction, shall implement and administer the Washington promise scholarship program described in RCW 28B.119.010 as follows:
     (1) ((The first scholarships shall be awarded to eligible students enrolling in postsecondary education in the 2002-03 academic year)) As soon as practicable before the start of each academic year, the board shall estimate the total number of promise scholarships available for nomination, taking into account available funds and consecutive awards to previous recipients.
     (a) The board shall reserve for graduates of approved private high schools and graduates of home-based instruction a number of scholarship nominations that is proportional to the number of these graduates in the state.
     (b) The board shall apportion the remaining scholarship nominations among the school districts proportionally based on the number of public high school graduates in each district, except that each district shall receive at least one scholarship nomination. In cooperation with the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the board shall notify each school district of its number of available scholarship nominations.
     (c) The board shall convene a screening committee to review nominations from private high schools and graduates of home-based instruction and award scholarships to graduates who meet the eligibility criteria.
     (d) If fewer graduates of private high schools or home-based instruction are nominated or meet the eligibility criteria than the number of nominations available for these graduates, the board shall reapportion the remaining nominations among the school districts. If fewer graduates within a school district meet the eligibility criteria or elect to receive a promise scholarship than the number of the district's available nominations, the board shall reapportion the remaining nominations among other school districts.
     (2) The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide information to the higher education coordinating board that is necessary for implementation of the program. ((The higher education coordinating board and the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall jointly establish a timeline and procedures necessary for accurate and timely data reporting.
     (a) For students meeting the academic eligibility criteria as provided in RCW 28B.119.010(1)(a), the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide the higher education coordinating board with student names, addresses, birth dates, and unique numeric identifiers.
     (b) Public and approved private high schools under chapter 28A.195 RCW shall provide requested information necessary for implementation of the program to the office of the superintendent of public instruction within the established timeline.
     (c) All student data is confidential and may be used solely for the purposes of providing scholarships to eligible students.))
     (3) The higher education coordinating board may adopt rules to implement this chapter.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   Chapter . . ., Laws of 2003 (this act) does not affect the awards to or eligibility of students receiving awards under chapter 28B.119 RCW in the 2002-03 academic year. Awards for students receiving their second-year consecutive award for the 2003-04 academic year shall be under the same terms, including the amount, as were in existence in the 2002-03 academic year.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately.