PRINTER'S NO. 3688
No. 2683 Session of 1998
INTRODUCED BY VEON, DONATUCCI, BELFANTI, McNAUGHTON, BELARDI,
YOUNGBLOOD, SAINATO, ROONEY, MELIO, BARD, RAMOS, SURRA,
DeWEESE, M. COHEN, SCRIMENTI, GIGLIOTTI, C. WILLIAMS, TRELLO,
JOSEPHS, STEELMAN, THOMAS, LAUGHLIN AND JAMES, JUNE 8, 1998
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, JUNE 8, 1998
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
2 act relating to the public school system, including certain
3 provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
4 schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
5 laws relating thereto," further providing for payments on
6 account of tuition; creating a qualified high school student
7 tuition waiver program; and further providing for payments on
8 account of tuition.
9 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
10 hereby enacts as follows:
11 Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
12 as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding an
13 article to read:
14 ARTICLE XX-B.
15 QUALIFIED HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT
16 TUITION WAIVER PROGRAM.
17 Section 2001-B. Short Title.--This article shall be known
18 and may be cited as the "Qualified High School Student Tuition
19 Waiver Act."
20 Section 2002-B. Definitions.--The following words and
1 phrases when used in this article shall, for the purpose of this
2 article, have the following meanings, respectively, except in
3 those instances where the context clearly indicates a different
4 meaning:
5 (1) "Community college" shall mean an institution operating
6 under Article XIX-A.
7 (2) "Qualified high school student" shall mean a student
8 enrolled in a Commonwealth high school who has exhausted all
9 appropriate courses in an area of study in the available high
10 school curriculum, except all courses required to receive a
11 diploma, and who is academically qualified to enroll in a
12 postsecondary course at a community college in the same area of
13 study that has been exhausted.
14 (3) "State-owned institution" shall mean each of the
15 colleges and universities comprising the State System of Higher
16 Education under Article XX-A.
17 (4) "State-related institution" shall mean each of the
18 following: The Pennsylvania State University, the University of
19 Pittsburgh, Temple University, Lincoln University, their branch
20 campuses, and any institution which is designated "State-
21 related" by the Commonwealth.
22 Section 2003-B. Program for Qualified High School
23 Students.--Each State-owned institution, State-related
24 institution and community college shall develop a plan for
25 providing appropriate courses for credit to qualified high
26 school students and shall submit the plan to each school
27 district within a fifty (50) mile radius of the institution or
28 college. The plan shall at a minimum address:
29 (1) Outreach efforts to enroll qualified high school
30 students.
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1 (2) Accessibility, including transportation options.
2 (3) Availability of courses based on demand from qualified
3 high school students.
4 (4) Time of course.
5 (5) Possibility of a college credit course for qualified
6 high school students being offered at an alternative site.
7 The plan shall be made available by the institution or college
8 to the public upon request.
9 Section 2004-B. Tuition Waiver.--Each State-owned
10 institution, State-related institution and community college
11 shall accept the amount provided by a school district in section
12 2503 as payment in full for the tuition of a qualified high
13 school student.
14 Section 2005-B. Space Available.--Nothing in this article
15 shall require a State-owned institution, State-related
16 institution or community college to make space available for
17 qualified high school students in certain courses. Qualified
18 high school students shall be subject to space availability
19 guidelines established by the State-owned institution, State-
20 related institution or community college.
21 Section 2. Section 2503 of the act is amended by adding a
22 subsection to read:
23 Section 2503. Payments on Account of Tuition.--* * *
24 (e) Each school district, regardless of classification,
25 whose resident pupils are qualified high school students
26 attending State-owned institutions, State-related institutions,
27 community colleges established under Article XIX-A or private
28 postsecondary institutions shall pay each such institution or
29 college a portion of the amount received under section 2502 for
30 that pupil. The amount shall be pro-rated based on the
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1 percentage of time the pupil is in attendance at the institution
2 or college and the percentage of time the pupil is in attendance
3 at the school district.
4 Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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