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SCS/SB 558 – This act creates the Missouri Promise Program within the Department of Higher Education, which will provide scholarships to students completing their third and fourth years of college. A+ SCHOOLS PROGRAM: Current law provides the same requirements and qualifications to participate in the A+ Schools Program for private career-technical schools and public career-technical schools. This act removes public career-technical schools from those requirements. This act also adds state technical colleges to the schools that may participate in the A+ Schools Program. SCHOLARSHIP FOR FOUR-YEAR SCHOOLS: The Commissioner of Higher Education will establish scholarships beginning in academic year 2009-2010 for certain public four-year institutions, as described in the act, for students who previously received a scholarship under the A+ reimbursement program and completed a designated Associate's Degree and enrolls in an approved institution within nine months of completion. Additional eligibility requirements include: a good faith effort to first secure other sources of funding; maintaining full-time enrollment; and maintaining a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale while receiving the scholarship. A student cannot receive a scholarship for more than six semesters. If a student has a grade point average that falls below a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, the student will be granted a one semester grace period. The student will lose eligibility if the student cannot subsequently raise his or her GPA to a 3.0. Scholarships under this section will be subject to appropriation. If appropriations are insufficient to provide scholarships for all eligible students, scholarships to students attending two-year schools under the A+ reimbursement program must be fully funded before scholarships can be distributed to students attending four year schools. In addition, scholarship amounts can be prorated if necessary. The Commissioner of Higher Education must develop a procedure for evaluating the effectiveness of this program, which will be conducted every two years. The results of the evaluation must be sent to the Governor, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. This act contains provisions similar to HB 903 (2009) and contains provisions also contained in SB 493 (2009). MICHAEL RUFF
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