Committee hears bill to expand Kansas Promise Scholarship to additional accredited institutions and raise annual cap to $15 million

Senate Bill 44 would broaden which postsecondary institutions may accept Kansas Promise Scholarship awards and increase the program's annual appropriation limit from $10 million to $15 million, proponents told the House Committee on Education during a hearing.

The reviser explained the bill would allow any institution with its main campus or principal place of operation in Kansas that offers a Promise-eligible program, is accredited, is recognized by the Kansas Board of Regents and is eligible to receive Title IV federal student aid to participate. The reviser also noted the Senate on final passage approved the measure 37 to 3 and the bill would take effect July 1 if enacted.

Supporters said expanding the program would make workforce training more accessible to Kansans seeking credentials in high-demand trades and technical fields. Charles Friedrichs, owner and managing director of Hartland Welding Academy in Andover, told the committee the school is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education and that "the money will not be wasted." He said his program graduates roughly 40 welders per year and tracks an employment rate of about 87 percent.

Wichita Technical Institute corporate director of admissions Jenna Akpan said her school has provided short-term technical training in the Wichita area for decades and that graduates typically remain in-state; she said WTI's 2024 graduation and placement figures include an average graduation rate of about 62 percent and a placement rate of 78 percent for that year. Jason Watkins of the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce described the Promise Act as "literally a life changer," and urged lawmakers to consider broader eligibility in future years to attract workers to Kansas.

Officials who oversee the program warned of operational limits. Elaine Frisbie, vice president at the Kansas Board of Regents, said the Promise Scholarship is a last-dollar service scholarship and that her agency now must verify two years of living-and-working requirements for awardees. "This is our most complicated program," Frisbie said, and she cautioned that increased volume would create substantial additional back-office work without corresponding funding for Regents staff.

Heather Morgan, executive director of the Kansas Community College Association, said community colleges support expanding opportunity but are concerned that the current appropriation and the program's administrative rules could create a wait list without an adequate funding increase. She noted private institutions that receive Promise funds would be reimbursed at the average community and technical college tuition rate under current law.

The reviser's summary and supporters' testimony also noted the Senate amended the bill to raise the appropriation cap from $10,000,000 to $15,000,000. Representatives asked the Board of Regents for figures on program participation; Frisbie said that in academic year 2024, 2,654 students received Promise awards and in 2023 the figure was 1,843, and that the program was created in 2021.

No committee action was recorded at the hearing. The committee chair said the bill will be worked in a future meeting.

Ending: The hearing record includes proponent testimony from vocational and technical training providers, a business group, neutral testimony from the Board of Regents about administrative burden, and a neutral statement from the Kansas Community College Association requesting additional appropriation if the law expands eligibility.