Committee hears bill to add teaching-coursework option to North Dakota scholarship

The House Education Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 1098, introduced by Representative Jonas, to add courses related to the profession of teaching as an additional coursework option for the North Dakota scholarship’s workforce-ready pathway.

The change would let students meet the workforce-ready coursework requirement by completing a teaching-related sequence, rather than the current two options: 4 credits of career and technical education (CTE) with at least 2 in the same plan of study or 3 credits in the same world, indigenous or sign language. Representative Jonas said the proposal restores an option that existed under the former academic and CTE scholarships and “would add another option for which students can achieve the coursework requirements under the pathway.”

Jim Upgren, legislative liaison and assistant director in the Office of School Approval and Opportunity at the Department of Public Instruction, spoke in support and proposed an amendment to mirror the former CTE scholarship’s rigor. Upgren described the North Dakota scholarship as a $6,000 college scholarship awarded to students who meet specified high-school requirements and said the workforce-ready pathway language appears on page 3 of the bill. He told the committee that as the bill is currently written the teaching pathway only calls for 2 credits, "which would not be the same level of rigorous for credits to CTE or 3 world language classes," and recommended restoring a four-credit option that had previously existed.

Under the department’s proposed amendment, the teaching-related option would consist of: 2 credits of career and technical education, 1 credit of a teaching-profession or education-methodology course, and 1 credit chosen from advanced placement psychology, dual-credit psychology, child development, peer-to-peer leadership, or child-related careers — for a total of four credits. Upgren said making the option four credits would make it "the same level of rigor as the options currently available." The department provided a draft amendment in its written testimony.

Century High School principal Steve Badler testified that peer-to-peer leadership is an established course in Bismarck Public Schools that includes dual-credit work and supervised peer mentoring in inclusive classrooms. Badler said the course aligns to a life-skills MIS code and can count toward college licensure requirements when paired with the University of Mary dual-credit offering.

Committee members asked about fiscal and student-impact estimates. Jim Upgren said state systems ran historical transcript reports and estimated the bill as written would add roughly nine additional qualifying students per year statewide; adopting the department’s four-credit amendment would reduce that to about three additional students per year. Upgren explained the fiscal note came from the university system (which distributes scholarship dollars) and described the ramp-up across the biennium: minimal impact in the current year, then larger totals as additional graduating classes meet the new pathway rules.

Brenda Zastepoel of the North Dakota University System said the system had additional appropriations in the previous session and that carryover balances would allow the system to absorb the modest expense projected under the bill and proposed amendment.

No formal committee action or vote on House Bill 1098 was recorded; the committee closed the hearing after receiving support testimony and the department’s proposed amendment.

The hearing record includes the department’s proposed amendment text and a color-coded scholarship chart the department provided to the committee to illustrate pathway and essential-skills requirements.