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SUBCHAPTER K. EARLY
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
§ 56.201. PROGRAM NAME. The student financial
assistance program authorized by this subchapter is known as the
Early High School Graduation Scholarship program.
Added
by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, § 19, eff. May 30, 1995;
Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 620, § 2, eff. Aug. 28, 1995.
§ 56.202. PURPOSE. (a) The Early High School
Graduation Scholarship program is created to increase efficiency in
the Foundation School Program and to provide assistance for tuition
and mandatory fees to an eligible person to enable that person to
attend a
Texas
public or private institution of higher education.
(b) A portion of the savings to the Foundation School
Program that occur as a result of the program is dedicated to state
credits for tuition and mandatory fees provided to an eligible
person under the program.
Added
by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, § 19, eff. May 30, 1995;
Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 620, § 2, eff. Aug. 28, 1995. Amended
by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1317, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
§ 56.203. ELIGIBLE PERSON.
Text
of section as amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 365, § 1
(a) To be eligible for the Early High School Graduation
Scholarship program, a person must:
(1) have the written approval of at least one of the
person's parents or a person standing in parental relation to the
person;
(2) have successfully completed the recommended or
advanced high school program established under Section 28.025 in
not more than 36 consecutive months and graduated or be eligible for
graduation from a Texas public high school;
(3) have attended high school in this state only; and
(4) be a Texas resident as defined by Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board rule.
(b) A person who does not satisfy the curriculum
requirements of Subsection (a)(2) is considered to have satisfied
those requirements if the high school from which the person
graduated indicates on the person's transcript that the person was
unable to complete the appropriate curriculum within the time
prescribed by that subsection solely because necessary courses were
unavailable to the person at the appropriate times in the person's
high school career as a result of course scheduling, lack of
enrollment capacity, or another cause not within the person's
control.
Added
by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, § 19, eff. May 30, 1995;
Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 620, § 2, eff. Aug. 28, 1995; Amended
by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 365, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
For
text of section as amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1317,
§ 2, see § 56.203, post.
§ 56.203. ELIGIBLE PERSON.
Text
of section as amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1317, § 2
(a) To be eligible for the Early High School Graduation
Scholarship program, a person must:
(1) have the written approval of at least one of the
person's parents or a person standing in parental relation to the
person, if the person graduated from high school in not more than 41
consecutive months;
(2) have successfully completed the recommended or
advanced high school program established under Section 28.025 and
graduated from a Texas public high school in not more than 41
consecutive months or, if the person graduated with at least 30
hours of college credit, in not more than 45 consecutive months;
(3) have attended high school in this state only; and
(4) be a Texas resident as defined by Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board rule.
(b) A person's eligibility for the Early High School
Graduation Scholarship program ends on the sixth anniversary of the
date that the person first becomes eligible to participate in the
program, unless the person is provided additional time to
participate in the program under Subsection (c).
(c) The coordinating board shall adopt rules to provide a
person who is otherwise eligible to participate in the Early High
School Graduation Scholarship program additional time to use a
state credit for tuition and mandatory fees under the program. The
rules must require a person seeking an extension under this
subsection to show hardship or other good cause that prevents the
person from enrolling in or continuing enrollment in an eligible
institution during the period provided by Subsection (b). For
purposes of this subsection, hardship or other good cause includes
a severe illness or other debilitating condition or responsibility
for the care of a sick, injured, or needy person.
(d) A person who does not satisfy the curriculum
requirements of Subsection (a)(2) is considered to have satisfied
those requirements if the high school from which the person
graduated indicates on the person's transcript that the person was
unable to complete the appropriate curriculum within the time
prescribed by that subsection solely because necessary courses were
unavailable to the person at the appropriate times in the person's
high school career as a result of course scheduling, lack of
enrollment capacity, or another cause not within the person's
control.
Added
by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, § 19, eff. May 30, 1995;
Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 620, § 2, eff. Aug. 28, 1995. Amended
by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1317, § 2, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
For
text of section as amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 365,
§ 1, see § 56.203, ante.
§ 56.204. ENTITLEMENT; MATCHING CREDIT. (a) An
eligible person under the Early High School Graduation Scholarship
program is entitled to a state credit to pay tuition and mandatory
fees at a public or private institution of higher education in this
state in the following amounts:
(1) $2,000 if the person successfully completed the
recommended or advanced high school program established under
Section 28.025 and graduated from high school in 36 consecutive
months or less and an additional $1,000 if the person graduated with
at least 15 hours of college credit;
(2) $500 if the person successfully completed the
recommended or advanced high school program established under
Section 28.025 and graduated from high school in more than 36
consecutive months but not more than 41 consecutive months and an
additional $1,000 if the person graduated with at least 30 hours of
college credit; or
(3) $1,000 if the person successfully completed the
recommended or advanced high school program established under
Section 28.025 and graduated from high school in more than 41
consecutive months but not more than 45 consecutive months with at
least 30 hours of college credit.
(b) The use of a credit at a private institution is
contingent on a private institution's agreement to match the state
credit.
(c) A person eligible for a tuition credit under the tuition
credit program authorized by Rider 23, page III-9, Chapter 19, Acts
of the 72nd Legislature, 1st Called Session, 1991 (the General
Appropriations Act), who did not receive a credit under that
program is eligible for and entitled to $ 1,000 in state tuition
credits under this subchapter. This subsection expires
September
1, 2005.
Added
by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, § 19, eff. May 30, 1995;
Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 620, § 2, eff. Aug. 28, 1995. Amended
by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1317, § 3, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
§ 56.205. ISSUANCE OF CERTIFICATE. The coordinating
board shall provide a certificate for state credits for tuition and
mandatory fees to an eligible person.
Added
by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, § 19, eff. May 30, 1995;
Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 620, § 2, eff. Aug. 28, 1995. Amended
by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1317, § 4, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
§ 56.206. USE OF STATE CREDIT. (a) On enrollment of an
eligible person in an eligible institution of higher education, the
institution shall apply to the person's charges for tuition and
mandatory fees for the enrollment period an amount equal to the
lesser of:
(1) the amount of the state credit available to the
person; or
(2) the person's actual tuition and mandatory fees.
(b) A private institution of higher education shall apply
the state credit and the matching credit required by Section
56.204(b) in equal amounts.
(c) For each student using a state credit for tuition and
mandatory fees under this subchapter, the institution of higher
education shall report to the coordinating board:
(1) the student's name;
(2) the school district from which the student
graduated from high school; and
(3) the amount of the state credit applied.
(d) Subject to Section 56.203(b), an eligible person may use
the state credit for enrollment in an eligible institution of
higher education during any semester or summer session, except the
person's initial use of the credit may not be for enrollment during
any term of a summer session immediately following the person's
graduation from high school.
Added
by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, § 19, eff. May 30, 1995;
Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 620, § 2, eff. Aug. 28, 1995. Amended
by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1317, § 5, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
§ 56.207. PAYMENT OF STATE CREDIT. (a) At least once
each year the coordinating board shall submit a report to the
commissioner of education that includes:
(1) the name of each student who used the state credit
under this subchapter during the period covered by the report;
(2) the school district from which each student
graduated from high school; and
(3) the amount of the state credit used by each student
during the period covered by the report.
(b) On receipt of a report from the coordinating board under
Subsection (a), the commissioner shall transfer to the coordinating
board, from funds appropriated for the Foundation School Program,
an amount sufficient to pay each eligible institution of higher
education the amount of state credit for tuition and mandatory fees
that is applied by the institution during the period covered by the
report.
(c) The coordinating board shall distribute the appropriate
amount of funds to each eligible institution when the board
receives the funds under Subsection (b).
Added
by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, § 19, eff. May 30, 1995;
Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 620, § 2, eff. Aug. 28th, 1995.
Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 205, § 1, eff.
Sept. 1,
1997;
Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1317, § 6, 7, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
§ 56.2075. PAYMENT OF
SCHOOL DISTRICT
CREDIT. (a) A
school district is entitled to a one-time credit of:
(1) $1,000 for each eligible person graduating from
high school in the district who uses any part of a state credit of
$2,000 or more under Section 56.204(a)(1); and
(2) $250 for each eligible person graduating from high
school in the district who uses any part of a state credit of $500 or
more under Section 56.204(a)(2).
(b) The commissioner shall distribute money from the
foundation school fund in an amount sufficient to pay each school
district under Subsection (a).
Added
by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1317, § 8, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
§ 56.208. FUNDING. (a) The Early High School
Graduation Scholarship program is financed under the Foundation
School Program. Funding for the state tuition credits is not
subject to the provisions of Sections 42.253(e) through (k).
(b) The commissioner of education shall reduce the total
annual amount of foundation school fund payments made to a school
district by an amount equal to F x A, where:
(1) "F" is the lesser of one or the quotient of the
district's local share for the preceding school year under Section
42.252 divided by the amount of money to which the district was
entitled under Subchapters B and C, Chapter 42, for the preceding
school year; and
(2) "A" is the amount of state tuition credits under
this subchapter applied by institutions of higher education on
behalf of eligible persons who graduated from the district that has
not been used to compute a previous reduction under this
subsection.
(c) A school district that does not receive foundation
school fund payments during a year in which the commissioner would
otherwise withhold money from the district under Subsection (b)
shall remit an amount equal to the amount that would be withheld
under Subsection (b) to the comptroller for deposit to the credit of
the foundation school fund.
(d) Repealed by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1071, § 30,
eff.
Sept. 1, 1997.
Added
by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, § 19, eff. May 30, 1995;
Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 620, § 2, eff. Aug. 28, 1995. Amended
by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1071, § 30, eff. Sept. 1, 1997.
§ 56.209. ADOPTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF RULES. (a) The
coordinating board shall adopt rules to administer this subchapter.
(b) The coordinating board shall distribute copies of all
rules adopted under this subchapter to each eligible institution of
higher education and to each school district.
Added
by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, § 19, eff. May 30, 1995;
Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 620, § 2, eff. Aug. 28, 1995.
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