CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The bill that would provide the ‘last dollar in’ to complete payment for tuition and fees for community and technical college students will now include more students in a change made by the state Senate Education Committee Tuesday.
The committee approved the bill (SB 284) on a voice vote and sent it to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration.
Senator Mike Romano (D-Harrison) successfully amended the bill to take out the requirement that to be eligible for the West Virginia Invests Grant Program a CTC student had to be 20-years-old or enrolled in a high school-based Advanced Career Education (ACE) program. The changed bill now says students straight out of high school would be eligible to get a grant.
“Who is our target here? If you don’t go to college before 18 and 19 you’re done,” Romano said.
Senator Bob Beach said the 20-year-old requirement would give community and technical college recruiters heartburn.
“The kids are coming through (at a recruiting fair) and I want these kids to come to Pierpont (CTC) and they ask, ‘Do I get the free tuition?’ And I ask you how old you are and if you’re under 20 I got to tell you no,” Beach said.
Romano’s amendment passed on a voice vote.
Gov. Jim Justice’s proposed budget has the cost of the grant program at $7 million and is designed to provide funding for tuition and fees after all other forms of financial aid are exhausted, ‘the last dollar in.’
Justice administration Policy Counsel James Bailey told the committee opening the program up high school graduates might make it more difficult to project the cost. He said the governor also wants to make sure the program is used by those who really need it and can meet the state’s trained workforce needs.
“To make sure the grant is going to go toward the individuals that we intend it to go to and not just someone who is going to go and get a reduced cost or free credit hours at a two-year and then transfer to a four-year (college),” Bailey said.
Pierpont Community and Technical College President Dr. Johnny Moore urged committee members to take advantage of the opportunity to get more state residents into college.
“Our community colleges should be feeders to the four-year institutions. We’re putting in bills now that would restrict that. That’s not the mission of community colleges,” Moore said.
The bill that was considered Tuesday included a few changes from the original bill. It now opens both the grant and ACE programs to home school and private school students. Private institutions that offer associate degrees and are regionally accredited would also be able to offer the grants like community and technical colleges.
After the vote to forward the bill to the Senate Finance Committee, Education Committee Chair Kenny Mann (R-Monroe) urged committee members to remember this day.
“You have started the process to make a day of history in education, I really believe that,” Mann said. “Nothing’s perfect but I really believe this is a great start and this is what this vetting process is for.”