Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Promise Scholarship topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board of Regents and committee discuss Promise Scholarship changes, co‑requisite remediation and 'good cause'
Summary
The Kansas Board of Regents is preparing to lift a full‑time enrollment requirement for the Promise Scholarship and to allow co‑requisite remediation courses to be covered; the Board clarified the limits of hardship postponements and will provide graduation and repayment data to the committee.
Legislators pressed the Kansas Board of Regents and KLRD staff on whether the Promise Scholarship can be made more flexible for non‑traditional students and how hardship and remediation are handled.
Leanne Thone (KLRD) explained that the Board of Regents has initiated a change to remove the full‑time enrollment requirement in KAR 88‑21 so students taking less than 12 credits per semester may be eligible for awards; the change should be ready for student awards next year. Thone also said remedial (developmental) courses are not covered by the Promise Scholarship, but the Board is adding co‑requisite options (credit course plus support) with a soft launch across institutions this fall and full implementation in fall 2026; research noting higher gateway completion rates with co‑requisite models was cited.
Elaine Frisbie (Board of Regents) told the committee the statute does not permit extending the hardship clause while a student is still enrolled; good‑cause postponements are available once a student has left the program but do not release recipients from their two‑year in‑state service requirement. She offered to provide data on how many students have gone into repayment and noted administration burdens of monitoring such a large program; an annual report will be available in January.
Committee concerns and follow‑up
Committee members asked for more data on: how many Promise students have graduated and remained employed in Kansas, how many have gone into repayment, and how often good‑cause petitions occur. Senator Erickson requested an analysis of whether the Promise Act is meeting workforce objectives and urged caution about expanding the program beyond its original intent to fill high‑demand jobs. KDADS/KBOR representatives agreed to pull data and bring back an annual report and more details for the committee.
Provenance: Board of Regents replies and Frisbie’s clarifying remarks.
