Bill Text: NJ A3095 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes the New Jersey School Counts County College Scholarship Program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-02-18 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Higher Education Committee [A3095 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-A3095-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOE DANIELSEN
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes the New Jersey School Counts County College Scholarship Program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing the New Jersey School Counts County College Scholarship Program and supplementing chapter 71B of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "New Jersey School Counts County College Scholarship Program Act."
2. The Legislature finds and declares that: a well-trained and educated population is vital to New Jersey's efforts to attract and retain highly skilled businesses and to ensure the State's continued economic well-being; it is important for young people in the State to know that there is a correlation between working hard in high school and succeeding in postsecondary education, and finding and keeping a job; and the Business Coalition for Educational Excellence at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce has established a successful recognition program for high school students known as School Counts that recognizes students for their attendance and academic efforts in high school and provides certification of these efforts to employers and postsecondary education institutions.
The Legislature further finds therefore that it is sound public policy to establish a Statewide program that supports and rewards hard-working, conscientious, and responsible students for their efforts in pursuing and completing their secondary education through the establishment of a county college scholarship program for such students, and to encourage all county colleges to participate in the program.
3. As used in this act:
"Authority" means the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority established pursuant to N.J.S.18A:71A-3;
"County college" means a public two-year institution of higher education established pursuant to the provisions of chapter 64A of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes;
"Scholarship" means a scholarship awarded under the New Jersey School Counts County College Scholarship Program.
4. There is established within the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority the New Jersey School Counts County College Scholarship Program. Under the program, a student who graduates from a public or nonpublic high school located in this State who has satisfied the attendance, punctuality, and academic criteria established pursuant to section 7 of this act shall be eligible to receive a two-year scholarship to a county college.
5. a. Within the limit of available appropriations, a scholarship of up to $2,000 per year shall be awarded to an eligible student enrolled on a full-time basis in a degree program at a county college. The maximum scholarship amount shall not exceed $4,000 over a two-year period.
b. A scholarship shall cover the full cost of attendance which shall include tuition, books, and other necessary fees and expenses related to the course of study. In no academic year shall a program participant be eligible for a scholarship under the program greater than the total cost of attendance, less the total value of all other scholarships and grants received by the participant for that academic year.
c. A student shall be eligible for a scholarship for no more than two academic years.
6. To be eligible to receive a scholarship, an applicant shall meet the following requirements:
a. be a resident of the State pursuant to guidelines established by the authority;
b. apply to participate in the New Jersey School Counts County College Scholarship Program at the beginning of the freshman year of high school;
c. have been awarded a School Counts certificate by the high school of attendance pursuant to section 7 of this act;
d. have applied for all other available forms of State and federal financial aid, exclusive of loans;
e. be enrolled for minimum of 24 credit hours per year at a county college, not including credit hours in a remedial curriculum; and
f. commence a course of study at a county college not more than six months after graduation from high school.
7. The authority shall work, in conjunction with the Commissioner of Education and the Business Coalition for Educational Excellence of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, to encourage the participation of public and nonpublic high schools in the School Counts Scholarship Program. Each participating high school shall award a School Counts certificate to a student who graduates from the high school who meets the following requirements:
a. achieves a 95% or greater rate of school attendance and punctuality in each year of high school;
b. achieves a C grade point average or above in all academic courses in each year of high school;
c. completes more than the minimum number of credits required for graduation from high school;
d. completes high school in eight consecutive semesters or, in the case of a special education student, within the timelines established by the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP); and
e. successfully completes Algebra I.
8. A student who meets the eligibility criteria pursuant to section 6 of this act and who receives a School Counts certificate pursuant to section 7 of this act shall receive a School Counts Scholarship for the first year of enrollment in a county college. A student may receive a scholarship for the second year of enrollment in a county college upon filing a renewal application with the authority and providing evidence as required by the authority that the student has made satisfactory academic progress toward the award of an academic degree.
9. The scholarship program shall be financed through a combination of State appropriations, county college funds, and private contributions. A county college shall be eligible to receive State matching funds on a per student basis when it provides evidence to the authority that it has raised an equal amount of funds for the student's scholarship from private donations or other sources. A maximum of $500,000 in State funds shall be provided to each participating county college.
10. In the first year of the operation of the scholarship program, the authority shall select four county colleges to participate in the program, with not less than one county college from the north, central, and southern regions of the State. In each subsequent year of the operation of the scholarship program, three additional county colleges shall be selected until each county college is participating in the program. The authority shall collaborate with the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, the Secretary of Higher Education, and the New Jersey Council of County Colleges in the selection of the participating county colleges.
11. a. A scholarship recipient who is dismissed from the county college for academic or disciplinary reasons shall be ineligible for a scholarship and the student shall repay to the authority in full the amount of any scholarship received.
b. A student who fails to make repayment to the authority pursuant to subsection a. of this section who is the holder of any professional or occupational license issued by a State licensing board shall be subject to disciplinary action by that board which may include, but need not be limited to, the revocation or suspension of the license until such time as repayment is made to the authority.
c. A scholarship recipient who withdraws from a county college due to the student's illness or the illness of a member of the student's immediate family or due to a family emergency shall not be required to repay to the authority the amount of any scholarship received and shall not be ineligible for subsequent receipt of a scholarship.
12. The Higher Education Student Assistance Authority shall adopt in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L. 1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this act.
13. This act shall take effect for the 2016-2017 academic year; however, the authority may immediately take such administrative action as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the New Jersey School Counts County College Scholarship Program in the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. Under the program, a student who graduates from a participating public or nonpublic high school located in this State who has satisfied certain attendance, punctuality, and academic criteria during high school will be eligible to receive a two-year scholarship to a county college. This scholarship program is modeled on an initiative developed by the Business Coalition for Educational Excellence of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. That initiative provides students with a School Counts certificate which attests to the student's efforts and hard work during high school and which the student can present to potential employers as evidence of his diligence and accomplishments. The initiative recognizes those student who, although they may not be straight A students, have demonstrated a commitment and understanding of the importance of education. This initiative is currently operational in several counties.
Under the bill, the authority will work in conjunction with the Business Coalition for Educational Excellence to encourage the participation of public and nonpublic high schools in the School Counts Scholarship Program. Each participating high school will award a School Counts certificate to a student who graduates from that high school and 1) achieves a 95% or greater rate of school attendance in each year of high school; 2) achieves a C grade point average or above in all academic courses in each year of high school; 3) completes more than the minimum number of credits required for graduation from high school; 4) completes high school in eight consecutive semesters or, in the case of a special education student, within the timelines established by the student's IEP; and 5) successfully competes Algebra I.
A student who receives a School Counts certificate will be eligible for a two-year scholarship for full-time enrollment in a degree program at a county college in an annual amount not to exceed $2,000. The second year of the scholarship will be dependent upon the student making application to the authority and presenting evidence to the authority of satisfactory progress toward the award of an academic degree. Prior to receipt of a School Counts Scholarship, a student would have to have applied for all other available forms of State and federal grants and scholarships. The student must begin a course of study at a county college within six months of graduation from high school.
The scholarship program will be financed through a combination of State appropriations, county college funds, and private contributions. A county college will be eligible to receive State funds on a per student basis when the college demonstrates that it has raised an equal amount of funds for the student's scholarship from private donations or other sources.
In the first year of the scholarship program's operation, four county colleges will be selected for participation with not less than one college from the north, central, and southern regions of the State. In each subsequent year, three additional county colleges will be selected for participation until such time as all county colleges are eventually participating in the program.
