Modify Fourth-Year Innovation Pilot Program

Plain English Breakdown

The official summary does not provide details on how leftover funds are handled if there are none.

Changes to Fourth-Year Innovation Pilot Program

This law modifies the fourth-year innovation pilot program by discontinuing funding for certain early graduates in the 2025-26 school year, requiring prorated distribution of remaining funds, and setting a deadline for postsecondary education enrollment.

What This Bill Does

• Discontinues the requirement to distribute money from the Department of Education to local schools that help students graduate early during the 2025-26 school year.
• Requires the Department of Education to prorate any remaining funds and distribute them to eligible graduates based on time left in the program.
• Sets a deadline for early graduates who must start their postsecondary education by December 31, 2026.

Who It Names or Affects

• Students who finish high school early
• Local schools that help students graduate early
• The Department of Education

Terms To Know

eligible graduates

students who meet the requirements to receive funding for postsecondary education after finishing high school early.

prorate

to divide or distribute something in proportion to a certain factor, like time left in a program.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if there is no leftover money for distribution.
• It's unclear how the reduction of $30,958 from the Department of Higher Education’s budget will affect their operations.

Official Summary Text

Under the fourth-year innovation pilot program (program), each year the general assembly appropriates an amount to the department of education (department) for the department to distribute to local education providers from which an eligible graduate graduated early. The act:
Discontinues the requirement to appropriate money for distribution to eligible local education providers for eligible graduates who graduate during the 2025-26 school year; and
Requires the department to prorate the amount distributed from the appropriation, if any.
Under the program, an eligible graduate may receive funding for tuition, fees, books, transportation, and other costs of attendance associated with their postsecondary program if, among other requirements, the eligible graduate commences their postsecondary program within 18 months after graduating early. The act requires an eligible graduate who graduates early in the 2025-26 school year to commence their postsecondary program by December 31, 2026.
Under current law, the department of higher education is required to submit a final program evaluation report, including the impacts and outcomes of the program on the student cohorts that participated in the program and recommended next steps for the program. The act repeals this requirement.
The act reduces an appropriation to the department of higher education for the 2025-26 budget year by $30,958.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)