Changes the name of The College Crusade Scholarship to the Onward We Learn Scholarship and provide that those scholarships would not be considered federal or financial aid with regard to the Promise Scholarship or Hope Scholarship Pilot Program.
Impact
The modifications introduced by H7670 are likely to have significant implications for state laws concerning educational funding. By removing the scholarships from the federal financial aid category, students may have increased flexibility in utilizing both local scholarships and federal aid without penalty or reduction. Moreover, the direct involvement of a nonprofit organization in managing the scholarship program could lead to more tailored outreach and support for students aiming for higher education, particularly those from underserved backgrounds.
Summary
House Bill H7670 proposes to change the name of the existing College Crusade Scholarship to the Onward We Learn Scholarship. This legislative act aims to redefine the scholarship program's structure and requirements, allowing it to be administered by a designated nonprofit organization. The bill assigns the responsibility of establishing operational methods and procedures for implementing this scholarship to the Council on Postsecondary Education in collaboration with the Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner. Additionally, the bill stipulates that financial considerations regarding these scholarships would be distinct from federal or financial aid programs like the Rhode Island Promise Scholarship and the Hope Scholarship Pilot Program.
Contention
Points of contention surrounding this bill may involve discussions about the implications of limiting scholarships' alignment with federal aid programs. Critics might argue that decoupling these scholarships from federal guidelines could reduce transparency and oversight, potentially complicating the financial aid navigation for students and families. Furthermore, stakeholders within the educational community may express concerns regarding the effectiveness of a nonprofit administering the scholarships compared to traditional educational departments, questioning whether the changes enhance support for potential applicants or serve to facilitate a more bureaucratic process.
To create the Alabama Fits All Scholarship Program; require the State Board of Education to contract with a program manager to administer the program; to authorize the program manager to establish scholarship accounts on behalf of eligible students; to prohibit a program manager from accepting scholarship funds in certain circumstances; to require fiscal safeguards and accountability measures; to require eligible schools and service providers to meet certain standards to be eligible to receive scholarship funds; to authorize the program manager to distribute scholarship funds; to require the State Board of Education to provide limited oversight of the program manager, including an appeal process for the program manager's administrative decisions; to prohibit certain regulations of eligible schools and eligible service providers; to require criminal history background information checks for employees and officers of a program manager; to provide for program funding; and to require the program manager and the board to submit reports on the program to the Legislature.