ENROLLED
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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 173
BY REPRESENTATIVE COX
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To urge and request the Board of Regents and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education (BESE), in collaboration with the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation, the
Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance, each public postsecondary
education management board, the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges
and Universities, the Louisiana Department of Economic Development, the
Louisiana Workforce Commission, the Louisiana Association of Business and
Industry, the Council for a Better Louisiana, the Louisiana School Counselors
Association, the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents, the Louisiana
Association of Educators, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, the Associated
Professional Educators of Louisiana, the Louisiana School Boards Association,
Stand for Children-Louisiana, the Louisiana Black Alliance for Educational Options,
the parent of a high school student selected by the president of BESE, the parent of
a college student selected by the chairman of the Board of Regents, and any other
person or entity the Board of Regents and BESE deem appropriate, to study certain
issues relative to the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) and to submit
a written report of findings and conclusions, including any recommendations for
related legislation, to the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee
on Education not later than sixty days prior to the beginning of the 2015 Regular
Session of the Legislature of Louisiana.
WHEREAS, current law provides for the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students
(TOPS) as a program of merit scholarships for students attending certain postsecondary
education institutions who meet a specific grade point average, ACT score, and core
curriculum requirements and certain other qualifications; and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 173
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WHEREAS, there is a need to create a better alignment between the abilities of
college graduates and the needs of business and industry; and
WHEREAS, there is some concern that many students are not equipped with the
knowledge they need in terms of qualifying for initial TOPS eligibility, maintaining such
eligibility throughout college, and pursuing courses of study that will best enable them to
have successful careers in Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, sustaining a well-educated, highly skilled, and productive workforce
is critical to the economic growth of this state; and
WHEREAS, every effort must be made to address the current and future workforce
needs of the state and to empower TOPS recipients to succeed both in college and in the
workforce.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the Board of Regents and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary
Education (BESE), in collaboration with the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation, the Louisiana
Office of Student Financial Assistance, each public postsecondary education management
board, the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Louisiana
Department of Economic Development, the Louisiana Workforce Commission, the
Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, the Council for a Better Louisiana, the
Louisiana School Counselors Association, the Louisiana Association of School
Superintendents, the Louisiana Association of Educators, the Louisiana Federation of
Teachers, the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana, the Louisiana School Boards
Association, Stand for Children-Louisiana, the Louisiana Black Alliance for Educational
Options, the parent of a high school student selected by the president of BESE, the parent
of a college student selected by the chairman of the Board of Regents, and any other person
or entity the Board of Regents and BESE deem appropriate, to study certain issues relative
to the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS), which shall include but need not
be limited to the following:
(1) Measures that may be taken in order to align the granting of TOPS awards with
the meeting of Louisiana's workforce needs.
(2) Facilitating the efforts of guidance counselors with respect to counseling students
about TOPS before they enter high school and while they are in high school. ENROLLEDHCR NO. 173
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(3) Establishing a "Total Louisiana" workforce counseling program in which each
high school student receives personalized guidance counseling on how his skills and
aptitudes, as indicated by standardized tests and any other evaluation tool, best align with
Louisiana employment opportunities, as indicated by the Louisiana Workforce
Commission's evaluation of areas of economic growth, and a career plan is developed for
the student such that the TOPS scholarship can be invested in an education path that meets
the needs of Louisiana's economy and leads to lifelong employment and residency in
Louisiana.
(4) The cost of TOPS thus far and projected future costs, degrees obtained by TOPS
recipients, the number of TOPS recipients who lose their awards, and the number of TOPS
recipients who do not graduate.
(5) Relative to TOPS-Tech, the feasibility of lowering the minimum ACT score
required for initial eligibility and eliminating chemistry courses from the core curriculum
required for initial eligibility.
(6) Relative to TOPS-Tech, the feasibility of allowing certain individuals who have
received a general equivalency diploma to qualify for the award.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Regents and BESE shall submit
jointly a written report of findings and conclusions, including any recommendations for
related legislation, to the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on
Education not later than sixty days prior to the beginning of the 2015 Regular Session of the
Legislature of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to the chairman of the Board of Regents, the president of the State Board of Elementary and
Secondary Education, the commissioner of higher education, Phyllis M. Taylor, the
executive director of the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance, the chairman of
each public postsecondary education management board, the president of the Louisiana
Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the secretary of the Louisiana
Department of Economic Development, the executive director of the Louisiana Workforce
Commission, and the respective presidents of the Louisiana Association of Business and
Industry, the Council for a Better Louisiana, the Louisiana School Counselors Association,
the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents, the Louisiana Association of ENROLLEDHCR NO. 173
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Educators, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, the Associated Professional Educators of
Louisiana, the Louisiana School Boards Association, Stand for Children-Louisiana, and the
Louisiana Black Alliance for Educational Options.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE