AN ACT relating to KEES scholarships for students attending noncertified schools.

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AN ACT relating to KEES scholarships for students attending noncertified schools. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
Section 1. KRS 164.7874 is amended to read as follows: 3
As used in KRS 164.7871 to 164.7885: 4
(1) "Academic term" means a semester or other time period specified in an 5
administrative regulation promulgated by the authority; 6
(2) "Academic year" means a period consisting of at least the minimum school term, as 7
defined in KRS 158.070; 8
(3) "ACT score" means the composite score achieved on the American College Test at 9
a national test site on a national test date or the college admissions examination 10
administered statewide under KRS 158.6453(5)(b)5. if the exam is the ACT, or an 11
equivalent score, as determined by the authority, on the SAT administered by the 12
College Board, Inc.; 13
(4) "Authority" means the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority; 14
(5) "Award period" means the fall and spring consecutive academic terms within one 15
(1) academic year; 16
(6) "Council" means the Council on Postsecondary Education created under KRS 17
164.011; 18
(7) "Eligible high school student" means any person who: 19
(a) Is a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States and a 20
Kentucky resident; 21
(b) Was enrolled[ after July 1, 1998]: 22
1. In a Kentucky high school for at least one hundred forty (140) days of 23
the minimum school term unless exempted by the authority's executive 24
director upon documentation of extreme hardship, while meeting the 25
KEES curriculum requirements, and was enrolled in a Kentucky high 26
school at the end of the academic year; 27
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2. In a Kentucky high school for the fall academic term of the senior year 1
and who: 2
a. Was enrolled during the entire academic term; 3
b. Completed the high school's gr aduation requirements during the 4
fall academic term; and 5
c. Was not enrolled in a secondary school during any other academic 6
term of that academic year; or 7
3. In the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, the 8
Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, or in high 9
school at a model and practice school under KRS 164.380 while meeting 10
the KEES[Kentucky educational excellence scholarship] curriculum 11
requirements; 12
(c) Has a grade point average of 2.5 or above at the end of any academ ic year[ 13
beginning after July 1, 1998] , or at the end of the fall academic term for a 14
student eligible under paragraph (b)2.[(b) 2.] of this subsection; and 15
(d) Is not a convicted felon; 16
(8) "Eligible noncertified school student" means any person who: 17
(a) Is a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States and a 18
Kentucky resident; 19
(b) Was enrolled after June 30, 2026, in a Kentucky nonpublic secondary 20
school not certified by the Kentucky Board of Education for an academic 21
year; 22
(c) Is not a convicted felon; and 23
(d) Completes all KEES noncertified school student reporting and application 24
requirements set by the authority; 25
(9) "Eligible postsecondary student" means a person who is a citizen, national, or 26
permanent resident of the United States a nd a Kentucky resident, as determined by 27
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the participating institution in accordance with criteria established by the council 1
for the purposes of admission and tuition assessment, who: 2
(a) Earned a KEES award; 3
(b) Has the required postsecondary GPA and cre dit hours required under KRS 4
164.7881; 5
(c) Has remaining semesters of eligibility under KRS 164.7881; 6
(d) Is enrolled in a participating institution as a part-time or full-time student; and 7
(e) Is not a convicted felon; 8
(10) "Equivalent grade point average" or "equivalent GPA" means the grade point 9
average, as calculated by the authority, that is earned by an eligible noncertified 10
school student during one (1) year of noncertified high school as follows: 11
(a) The grade point average earned on all, and no less than two (2), dual credit 12
courses taken at one (1) or more participating institutions; 13
(b) The grade point average resulting from the scores of all, and no less than 14
two (2), Advanced Placement exams as described in subsect ion (1)(b) of 15
Section 2 of this Act; or 16
(c) The grade point average resulting from a combination of all, and no less 17
than two (2), Advanced Placement exams and dual credit courses as 18
described in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection; 19
(11)[(9)] "Full-time student" means a student enrolled in a postsecondary program of 20
study that meets the full-time student requirements of the participating institution in 21
which the student is enrolled; 22
(12)[(10)] "Grade point average" or "GPA" means the grade point avera ge that is earned 23
by an eligible student and reported by the high school or participating institution in 24
which the student was enrolled based on a scale of 4.0 or its equivalent if the high 25
school or participating institution that the student attends does not use the 4.0 grade 26
scale; 27
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(13)[(11)] "High school" means any Kentucky public high school, the Gatton Academy 1
of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, the Craft Academy for Excellence in 2
Science and Mathematics, a high school of a model and practice schoo l under KRS 3
164.380, and any private, parochial, or church school located in Kentucky that has 4
been certified by the Kentucky Board of Education as voluntarily complying with 5
curriculum, certification, and textbook standards established by the Kentucky Board 6
of Education under KRS 156.160; 7
(14)[(12)] "KEES" or "Kentucky educational excellence scholarship" means a 8
scholarship provided under KRS 164.7871 to 164.7885; 9
(15)[(13)] "KEES award" means: 10
(a) For an eligible high school student or an eligible noncertified school student, 11
the sum of the KEES base amount for each academic year of high school or 12
noncertified high school plus any KEES supplemental amount, as adjusted 13
pursuant to KRS 164.7881; and 14
(b) For a student eligible under KRS 164.7879(3)(d)[(e)], the KEES supplemental 15
amount as adjusted pursuant to KRS 164.7881; 16
(16)[(14)] "KEES award maximum" means the sum of the KEES base amount earned in 17
each academic year of high school or noncertified high school plus any KEES 18
supplemental amount earned; 19
(17)[(15)] "KEES base amount" or "base amount" means the amount earned by an 20
eligible high school student based on the student's GPA , or for an eligible 21
noncertified school student the equivalent GPA, pursuant to KRS 164.7879 , 22
except that a KEES base amount prev iously earned by an eligible high school 23
student shall not be replaced retroactively with an equivalent GPA base amount; 24
(18)[(16)] "KEES curriculum" means five (5) courses of study, except for students who 25
meet the criteria of subsection (7)(b)2. of this section, in an academic year as 26
determined in accordance with an administrative regulation promulgated by the 27
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authority; 1
(19)[(17)] "KEES supplemental amount" means the amount earned by an eligible student 2
based on the student's ACT score pursuant to KRS 164.7879; 3
(20)[(18)] "KEES trust fund" means the Wallace G. Wilkinson Kentucky educational 4
excellence scholarship trust fund; 5
(21)[(19)] "Noncertified high school" means any private, parochial, or church school 6
located in Kentucky that has not been certified by the Kentucky Board of 7
Education as voluntarily complying with curriculum, certification, and textbook 8
standards established by the Kentucky Board of Education under KRS 156.160; 9
(22) "On track to graduate" means the number of cumulative credit hours earned as 10
compared to the number of hours determined by the postsecondary education 11
institution as necessary to complete a bachelor's deg ree by the end of eight (8) 12
academic terms or ten (10) academic terms if a student is enrolled in an 13
undergraduate program that requires five (5) years of study; 14
(23)[(20)] "Participating institution" means an "institution" as defined in KRS 164.001 15
that is eligible to participate in the federal Pell Grant program, executes a contract 16
with the authority on terms the authority deems necessary or appropriate for the 17
administration of its programs, and: 18
(a) 1. Is publicly operated; 19
2. Is licensed by the Common wealth of Kentucky and has operated for at 20
least ten (10) years, offers an associate or baccalaureate degree program 21
of study not comprised solely of sectarian instruction, and admits as 22
regular students only high school graduates, recipients of a High Sch ool 23
Equivalency Diploma, or students transferring from another accredited 24
degree granting institution; or 25
3. Is designated by the authority as an approved out -of-state institution that 26
offers a degree program in a field of study that is not offered at any 27
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institution in the Commonwealth; and 1
(b) Continues to commit financial resources to student financial assistance 2
programs; and 3
(24)[(21)] "Part-time student" means a student enrolled in a postsecondary program of 4
study who does not meet the full -time stude nt requirements of the participating 5
institution in which the student is enrolled and who is enrolled for at least six (6) 6
credit hours, or the equivalent for an institution that does not use credit hours. 7
Section 2. KRS 164.7879 is amended to read as follows: 8
(1) (a) Kentucky educational exc ellence scholarship awards shall be based upon an 9
established base scholarship amount and an eligible high school student's 10
grade point average , or for an eligible noncertified school student the 11
equivalent grade point average . The base scholarship amount for students 12
attaining a grade point average of at least 2.5 , or an equivalent GPA of at 13
least 2.5 beginning with the 2026 -2027 academic year, [ for the 1998 -1999 14
academic year] shall be as follows: 15
GPA Amount GPA Amount 16
2.50 $125.00 3.30 $325.00 17
2.60 $150.00 3.40 $350.00 18
2.70 $175.00 3.50 $375.00 19
2.75 $187.00 3.60 $400.00 20
2.80 $200.00 3.70 $425.00 21
2.90 $225.00 3.75 $437.00 22
3.00 $250.00 3.80 $450.00 23
3.10 $275.00 3.90 $475.00 24
3.20 $300.00 4.00 $500.00 25
3.25 $312.00 26
The authority shall review the base amount of the Kentucky educational 27
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excellence scholarship each academic year and may promulgate an 1
administrative regulation to make adjustments after considerin g the 2
availability of funds. 3
(b) For an eligible noncertified school student, the Advanced Placement exam 4
to GPA conversion values are as follows: 5
AP Exam GPA 6
1 0.00 7
2 1.00 8
3 2.50 9
4 3.00 10
5 4.00 11
(2) (a) 1. The authority shall commit to provide the base amount of the Kentucky 12
educational excellence scholarship to: 13
a. Each eligible high school student [the base amount of the 14
Kentucky educational excellence scholarship ] for each academic 15
year of high school study in the KEES[Kentucky educationa l 16
excellence scholarship] curriculum that the high school student has 17
attained at least a 2.5 grade point average; and 18
b. Each eligible noncertified school student for each academic year 19
of noncertified high school study that the student has attained at 20
least a 2.5 equivalent grade point average. 21
2. The award shall be based upon the eligible high school student's grade 22
point average or the eligible noncertified school student's equivalent 23
GPA, at the close of each academic year. An award attributable to a p ast 24
academic year shall not be increased after the award has been earned by 25
an eligible high school student or eligible noncertified school student , 26
regardless of any subsequent increases made to the base amount of the 27
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Kentucky educational excellence schol arship through the promulgation 1
of an administrative regulation by the authority. 2
(b) Notwithstanding the definitions of "eligible high school student" and "high 3
school" in KRS 164.7874, any high school student who maintains Kentucky 4
residency and completes the academic courses that are required for a 5
Kentucky educational excellence scholarship while participating in an 6
approved educational high school foreign exc hange program or participating 7
in the United States Congressional Page School may apply his or her grade 8
point average for that academic year toward the base as described in 9
paragraph (a) of this subsection. The grade point average shall be reported by 10
the student's Kentucky home high school, based on an official transcript from 11
the school that the student attended during the out -of-state educational 12
experience. The authority shall promulgate administrative regulations that 13
describe the approval process for the educational exchange programs that 14
qualify under this paragraph. The provisions in this paragraph shall likewise 15
apply to any Kentucky high school student who participated in an approved 16
educational exchange program or in a Congressional Page School [ since the 17
1998-99 school year] and maintained his or her Kentucky residency 18
throughout. 19
(c) 1. Notwithstanding the definitions of "eligible high school student" and 20
"high school" in KRS 164.7874 and the requirement that a student 21
graduate from a Kentucky h igh school, a high school student who 22
completes the KEES curriculum while attending an accredited out -of-23
state high school or Department of Defense school may apply the grade 24
point average for any applicable academic year toward the base as 25
described in paragraph (a) of this subsection and shall also qualify for a 26
supplemental award under subsection (3) of this section when: 27
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a. His or her custodial parent or guardian is in active service of the 1
Armed Forces of the United States; 2
b. The student attended an a ccredited out -of-state high school or a 3
Department of Defense school as a result of the custodial parent's 4
or guardian's military transfer outside of Kentucky; and 5
c. The student earned a KEES base amount at a Kentucky high 6
school prior to the custodial pa rent's or guardian's military transfer 7
outside of Kentucky. 8
2. The student or parent shall arrange for the out -of-state school to report 9
the student's grade point average each academic year and the student's 10
highest ACT score to the authority as required u nder KRS 164.7885. 11
The authority shall promulgate administrative regulations implementing 12
the requirements in this paragraph, including: 13
a. The documentation that the parent shall submit to the authority 14
establishing the student's eligibility for the scholarship; and 15
b. The assurances that an out -of-state institution shall submit to the 16
authority for submission of the student grade point average. 17
3. The provisions in this paragraph shall apply to the 2001 -2002 school 18
year and thereafter. 19
(d) An eligible hig h school [Beginning with the 2013 -2014 academic year, a] 20
student who meets the Kentucky core academic standards for high school 21
graduation established in administrative regulation and graduates after 22
completing three (3) years of high school shall receive a Kentucky 23
educational excellence scholarship award equivalent to completing high 24
school in four (4) years. The award shall be determined by dividing the total 25
actual KEES scholarship earned under subsection (1) of this section by three 26
(3) and multiplying that number by four (4). The resulting number shall be the 27
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annual award the student is eligible for under subsection (1) of this section. 1
(3) (a) [The authority shall commit to provide to each eligible high school student 2
graduating from high school before June 30, 1999, and achieving a score of at 3
least 15 on the American College Test, a supplemental award for the award 4
period beginning in the fall of 1999, based on the eligible high school 5
student's highest ACT score attained by the date of graduation fro m high 6
school. The amount of the supplemental award shall be determined as follows: 7
ACT Annual ACT Annual 8
Score Bonus Score Bonus 9
15 $21 22 $171 10
16 $43 23 $193 11
17 $64 24 $214 12
18 $86 25 $236 13
19 $107 26 $257 14
20 $129 27 $279 15
21 $150 28 or above $300 16
Subsequent supplemental awards for eligible high school students graduating 17
before June 30, 1999, shall be determined in accordance with the provisions 18
of paragraph (b) of this subsection. 19
(b) ]The authority shall commit to prov ide to each eligible high school student 20
and each eligible noncertified school student upon achievement [after June 21
30, 1999, ] of an ACT score of at least 15 on the American College Test a 22
supplemental award based on the [eligible high school ]student's highest ACT 23
score attained by the date of graduation from a high school or a noncertified 24
high school . The amount of the supplemental award shall be determined as 25
follows: 26
ACT ACT 27
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Score Amount Score Amount 1
15 $36 22 $286 2
16 $71 23 $321 3
17 $107 24 $357 4
18 $143 25 $393 5
19 $179 26 $428 6
20 $214 27 $464 7
21 $250 28 and above $500 8
The authority shall review the base amount of the supplemental award [ 9
beginning with the 2001 -2002 academic year and] each academic year [ 10
thereafter] and may promulgate an administrative regulation to make 11
adjustments after considering the availability of funds. 12
(b) [(c) Beginning with the 2008 -2009 academic year, ] The authority shall 13
commit to provide a supplemental award for achievement on examinations for 14
Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate as defined in KRS 15
164.002 to an eligible high school student whose family was eligible for free 16
or reduced -price lunch for any year during high school enrollment , and 17
beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year, to an eligible noncertified 18
school student who demonstrates financial need in accordance with criteria 19
established by the authority. The amounts for supplemental awards under 20
this paragraph are as follows:[.] 21
1. The supplemental award for AP examination scores are[ as follows]: 22
a. Two hundred dollars ($200) for each score of three (3); 23
b. Two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for each score of four (4); and 24
c. Three hundred dollars ($300) for each score of five (5); and[.] 25
2. The supplemental award for IB examination scores are[ as follows]: 26
a. Two hundred dollars ($200) for each score of five (5); 27
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b. Two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for each score of six (6); and 1
c. Three hundred dollars ($300) for each score of seven (7). 2
(c) [(d) Beginning with the 2013 -2014 academic year, ] The authority shall 3
commit to provide a supplemental award for achievement on examinations for 4
Cambridge Advanced International as defined in KRS 164.002 to an eligible 5
high school student whose family was eligible f or free or reduced -priced 6
lunch for any year during high school enrollment , and beginning with the 7
2026-2027 academic year, to an eligible noncertified school student who 8
demonstrates financial need in accordance with criteria established by the 9
authority. The supplemental award for Cambridge Advanced International 10
examination scores are as follows: 11
1. Two hundred dollars ($200) for each score of "e"; 12
2. Two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for each score of "c" or "d"; and 13
3. Three hundred dollars ($300) for each score of "a*", "a", or "b". 14
(d)[(e)] The authority shall promulgate administrative regulations in accordance 15
with KRS Chapter 13A establishing the eligibility criteria and procedures for 16
making a supplemental award to [Kentucky residents who are citize ns, 17
nationals, or permanent residents of the United States and who graduate from 18
a nonpublic secondary school not certified by the Kentucky Board of 19
Education and ] Kentucky residents who are citizens, nationals, or permanent 20
residents of the United States and who obtain a High School Equivalency 21
Diploma within five (5) years of their high school graduating class [,] and 22
students under subsection (2) (b)[(c)] of this section who do not attend an 23
accredited high school. 24
Section 3. KRS 164.7881 is amended to read as follows: 25
(1) Eligible high school students and eligible noncertified school students, who have 26
graduated from either a high school or a noncertified high school, and eligible 27
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postsecondary students who have earned a Kentucky educational excellence 1
scholarship, a Kentucky educational excellence scholarship and a supplemental 2
award, or a supplemental award only pursuant to KRS 164.7879(3) (d)[(e)], shall be 3
eligible to receive the Kentucky educational excellence scholar ship, the Kentucky 4
educational excellence scholarship and the supplemental award, or a supplemental 5
award only for a maximum of eight (8) academic terms in an undergraduate or other 6
postsecondary program of study at a participating institution, except as p rovided in 7
subsections (5) and (6) of this section. 8
(2) To receive the Kentucky educational excellence scholarship, a Kentucky 9
educational excellence scholarship and supplemental award, or a supplemental 10
award only, an eligible high school , eligible noncer tified school, or postsecondary 11
student shall: 12
(a) Enroll in and attend a participating institution as a full -time student or a part -13
time student; and 14
(b) Maintain eligibility as provided in subsection (3) of this section. 15
(3) Eligibility for a Kentucky educational excellence scholarship or a Kentucky 16
educational excellence scholarship and supplemental award shall terminate upon 17
the earlier of: 18
(a) The expiration of five (5) years following the student's graduation from a high 19
school or a noncertified high school , except as provided in subsection (5) or 20
(6) of this section; or 21
(b) The successful completion of an undergraduate or other postsecondary course 22
of study. However, any student who successfully completes the requirements 23
for a degree or certification involving a postsecondary course of study that 24
normally requires less than eight (8) academic terms to complete may 25
continue to receive the benefits of a Kentucky educational excellence 26
scholarship, a Kentucky educational excellence scholarship and supplemental 27
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award, or a supplemental award only, for a cumulative total of eight (8) 1
academic terms if the student enrolls as at least a part -time student in a four 2
(4) year program. 3
(4) (a) The maximum award amount shall be determined by the authority and shall 4
be adjusted as provided in this subsection. The award amount ultimately 5
determined to be available to an eligible postsecondary student for an award 6
period shall be delivered by the authority to the participating institution for 7
disbursement to the eligible postsecondary student. 8
(b) The authority shall, by promulgation of administrative regulations, provide for 9
the proportionate reduction of the maximum a ward amount for an eligible 10
postsecondary student for any academic term in which the student is enrolled 11
on a part -time basis. Each academic term for which any scholarship or 12
supplemental award funds are accepted by an eligible postsecondary student 13
shall count as a full academic term, even if the award amount was reduced to 14
reflect the part-time status of the eligible postsecondary student, except if the 15
eligible postsecondary student interrupts enrollment during the award period 16
for any reason specified in subsection (5) of this section, and the participating 17
institution does not certify a cumulative grade point average for that student at 18
the end of that award period. 19
(c) 1. An eligible postsecondary student who is enrolled full -time in an 20
undergraduate p rogram of study, in the pharmacy program at the 21
University of Kentucky, or in a program of study designated as an 22
equivalent undergraduate program of study by the authority in an 23
administrative regulation, shall receive the maximum award amount for 24
the fir st award period that the student is enrolled in and attending the 25
program of study. 26
2. To retain the maximum award for the second award period, an eligible 27
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postsecondary student shall have at least a 2.5 grade point average at the 1
end of the first award pe riod. If the eligible postsecondary student 2
interrupts enrollment during the award period for any reason specified in 3
subsection (5) of this section, and the participating institution does not 4
certify a cumulative grade point average for that student at th e end of 5
that award period, the eligible postsecondary student shall, subject to 6
paragraph (b) of this subsection, retain the maximum award for the 7
award period in which he or she resumes enrollment. 8
3. To retain the maximum award amount for subsequent awa rd periods, an 9
eligible postsecondary student shall have: 10
a. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or greater at the end of 11
the prior award period. If the eligible postsecondary student 12
interrupts enrollment during the award period for any reason 13
specified in subsection (5) of this section, and the participating 14
institution does not certify a cumulative grade point average for 15
that student at the end of that award period, the eligible 16
postsecondary student shall, subject to paragraph (b) of this 17
subsection, retain the same award for the award period in which he 18
or she resumes enrollment as he or she received in the award 19
period in which enrollment was interrupted; or 20
b. A cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or greater but less than 21
3.0 at the end of the prior award period and be on track to 22
graduate. If the eligible postsecondary student interrupts 23
enrollment during the award period for any reason specified in 24
subsection (5) of this section, and the participating institution does 25
not certify a cumulative grade point average for that student at the 26
end of that award period, the eligible postsecondary student shall, 27
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subject to paragraph (b) of this subsection, retain the same award 1
for the award period in which he or she resumes enrollment as he 2
or she recei ved in the award period in which enrollment was 3
interrupted. 4
4. Any eligible full -time postsecondary student who maintains a 5
cumulative grade point average of less than 3.0 but at least 2.5 but is not 6
on track to graduate at the completion of any award per iod shall receive 7
a reduction in the maximum award amount equal to fifty percent (50%) 8
of the maximum award amount for the next award period. 9
5. Any eligible postsecondary student who maintains a cumulative grade 10
point average of less than 2.5 at the compl etion of any award period 11
shall lose his or her award for the next award period. 12
6. a. Each participating institution shall certify to the authority at the 13
close of each award period the cumulative grade point average of 14
each Kentucky educational excellenc e scholarship recipient 15
enrolled as a full -time or part -time student at the participating 16
institution. 17
b. In addition to reporting the grade point average, [ beginning with 18
the 2010-2011 academic year,] each participating institution shall 19
certify to the authority at the close of each award period whether a 20
Kentucky educational excellence scholarship recipient [ who 21
initially enrolled in college in 2009 -2010 or thereafter] is on track 22
to graduate. 23
7. Any student who loses eligibility through failure to mainta in the 24
required cumulative grade point average may regain eligibility in a 25
subsequent award period upon reestablishing at least a 2.5 cumulative 26
grade point average or its equivalent during a subsequent award period, 27
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as certified by the participating institution. 1
(5) The expiration of a student's eight (8) academic terms and five (5) year eligibility 2
shall be extended by the authority upon a determination that the student was unable 3
to enroll for or complete an academic term due to any of the following 4
circumstances: 5
(a) A serious and extended illness or injury of the student, certified by an 6
attending physician; 7
(b) The death or serious and extended illness or injury of an immediate family 8
member of the student, certified by an attending physician, which wo uld 9
render the student unable to attend classes; 10
(c) Natural disasters that would render a student unable to attend classes; or 11
(d)[ 1.] Active duty status for the student in the United States Armed Forces or 12
as an officer in the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health 13
Service, or active service by the student in the Peace Corps Act or the 14
Americorps, for the total number of years during which the student was on 15
active duty status. The number of months served on active duty status shall be 16
rounded up to the next higher year to determine the maximum length of 17
eligibility extension allowed.[ 18
2. A student whose eligibility expired prior to July 15, 2008, due to the 19
three (3) year time limit on eligibility extensions imposed by this 20
paragraph prior to July 15, 2008, shall have his or her eligibility 21
reinstated for the number of years beyond the three (3) years during 22
which he or she was on active duty status. The number of months served 23
on active duty status shall be rounded up to the next higher ye ar to 24
determine the maximum length of eligibility extension allowed.] 25
(6) An eligible postsecondary student who is enrolled at a participating institution in a 26
five (5) year undergraduate degree program designated in an administrative 27
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regulation promulgated by the authority shall be eligible to receive the Kentucky 1
educational excellence scholarship, the Kentucky educational excellence 2
scholarship and the supplemental award, or the supplemental award only for a 3
maximum of ten (10) academic terms. The expira tion of an eligible postsecondary 4
student's five (5) year eligibility shall be extended to six (6) years for eligible 5
postsecondary students meeting the requirements of this subsection. 6
(7) Each participating institution shall notify its students of their terms of eligibility. 7
(8) Each eligible high school student who attains a 28 or above on the ACT and a 4.0 8
grade point average for all four (4) years of high school shall be designated as a 9
"Senator Jeff Green Scholar" in honor of the late Senator Jeff Green of Mayfield, 10
Kentucky, First District, and shall be recognized by the high school in a manner 11
consistent with recognition given by the high school to other high levels of 12
academic achievement. 13
Section 4. KRS 164.7884 is amended to read as follows: 14
(1) As used in this section: 15
(a) "Academic year" means July 1 through June 30 of each year; 16
(b) "Apprentice" has the same meaning as in KRS 343.010; 17
(c) "Approved workforce solutions training program" means a local high -demand 18
work sector training program that is approved by the authority and is offered 19
by the Kentucky Community and Technical College System through 20
consultation with representatives of the local workforce development area and 21
the local Kentucky Community and Technical College System campus where 22
the program will be offered; 23
(d) "Eligible college of art and design" means a college that: 24
1. Qualifies as a tax exempt organization pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of 25
the Internal Revenue Code: 26
2. Is conditionally or unconditionally licensed by the Council on 27
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Postsecondary Education; 1
3. Is a candidate for accreditation by a regional accrediting association 2
recognized by the United States Department of Education; 3
4. Has its main campus physically located in Kentucky; 4
5. Limits its degree program offerings to the area of fine arts; and 5
6. Does not qualify as a participating institution as defined i n KRS 6
164.7874; 7
(e) "Eligible student" means an eligible high school student who has graduated 8
from high school, an eligible noncertified school student who has graduated 9
from a noncertified high school, or a student eligible under KRS 10
164.7879(3)(d)[(e)]; 11
(f) "Proprietary school" means a school that: 12
1. Is licensed by the Kentucky Commission on Proprietary Education; 13
2. Has operated for at least five (5) years; 14
3. Has its headquarters or main campus physically located in Kentucky; 15
and 16
4. Does not qualify as a participating institution as defined in[under] KRS 17
164.7874[(20)]; 18
(g) "Qualified proprietary school program" means a program offered by a 19
proprietary school that is in the field of agriculture as defined in KRS 246.010 20
or is in one (1) of Kentucky's t op five (5) high -demand work sectors as 21
determined by the Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board; 22
(h) "Qualified workforce training program" means a program that is in one (1) of 23
Kentucky's top five (5) high -demand work sectors as determined by the 24
Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board; 25
(i) "Registered apprenticeship program" means an apprenticeship program that: 26
1. Is established in accordance with the requirements of KRS Chapter 343; 27
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2. Requires a minimum of two thousand (2,000) hours of on -the-job work 1
experience; 2
3. Requires a minimum of one hundred forty -four (144) hours of related 3
instruction for each year of the apprenticeship; and 4
4. Is approved by the Education and Labor Cabinet; 5
(j) "Related instruction" has the same meaning as in KRS 343.010; and 6
(k) "Sponsor" has the same meaning as in KRS 343.010. 7
(2) Notwithstanding KRS 164.7881, an eligible student who earned a KEES award 8
shall be eligible for a Kentucky educational excellence sc holarship if the student 9
meets the requirements of this section and is: 10
(a) An apprentice in a registered apprenticeship program; 11
(b) Enrolled in a qualified workforce training program that has a current 12
articulation agreement for postsecondary credit hour s with a participating 13
institution; 14
(c) Enrolled in a qualified proprietary school program; 15
(d) Enrolled in an approved workforce solutions training program; or 16
(e) Enrolled in an eligible college of art and design. 17
(3) (a) [Beginning with the 2018 -2019 academic year, ] An eligible student enrolled 18
in a registered apprenticeship program ,[ or, for the academic year beginning 19
July 1, 2020, an eligible student enrolled in] a qualified workforce training 20
program,[ or, for the academic year beginning July 1, 2023, an eligible student 21
enrolled in] a qualified proprietary school program, an approved workforce 22
solutions training program, or an eligible college of art and design, may 23
receive reimbursement of tuition, books, required tools, and other approved 24
expenses required for participation in the program, upon certification by the 25
sponsor, school, or college and approval by the authority. 26
(b) The reimbursement amount an eligible student may receive in an academic 27
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year shall not exceed the student's KEES award maximum. 1
(c) The total reimbursement amount an eligible student may receive under this 2
section shall not exceed the student's KEES award maximum multiplied by 3
four (4). 4
(4) Eligibility for a KEES scholarship under this section shall terminate upon the earlier 5
of: 6
(a) The expiration of five (5) years following the eligible student's graduation 7
from high school or receiving a High School Equivalency Diploma, except as 8
provided in KRS 164.7881(5); or 9
(b) The eligible student's successful completion of the registere d apprenticeship 10
program, qualified workforce training program, qualified proprietary school 11
program, or approved workforce solutions training program. 12
(5) The authority shall promulgate administrative regulations in accordance with KRS 13
Chapter 13A establishing the procedures for making awards under this section in 14
consultation with the [ Kentucky] Education and Labor Cabinet and the Cabinet 15
for[Kentucky] Economic Development[ Cabinet]. 16