Bill passes letting schools pay some college tuition.Byline: David Steves The Register-Guard SALEM - Oregon teens soon will be able to take college classes with state taxpayers picking up the tab under a bill sent to the governor Tuesday for his signature. The House's 56-1 vote for Senate Bill 300 delivered final legislative approval for an idea that's been in the works for a decade. The bill's chief sponsor, Sen. Avel Gordly, D-Portland, said the state's traditional approach - appropriating dollars to school districts on a per-student basis - failed to recognize that many of these students are pursuing part of their education at trade schools, community colleges or universities. "As a student is ready to move to the next level, we need to let them make that move," she said, explaining that many students are unable to pay out of pocket for tuition or books - expenses that would be covered by students' public school districts under SB 300. Gordly said she found success by bringing together a diverse group of education and business interests at this session's early stage to work through some of the hang-ups that doomed earlier versions In the past, the Oregon Education Association The Oregon Education Association (OEA) is the largest public education employees' union in the U.S. state of Oregon, representing more than 46,000 teachers and classified personnel. has led the opposition to Gordly's proposals, saying they amounted to voucher A receipt or release which provides evidence of payment or other discharge of a debt, often for purposes of reimbursement, or attests to the accuracy of the accounts. programs that siphon siphon (sī`fən, –fŏn), tube through which a liquid is lifted over an elevation by the pressure of the atmosphere and is then emptied at a lower level. away state dollars from financially strapped strapped adj. Informal In financial need: We are strapped for cash right now. strapped Adjective strapped for Slang public schools. Laurie Wimmer Whelan of the Oregon Education Association said the bill had been scaled back enough from earlier versions to win the backing of her group. "Our concerns were addressed. I think it's pretty simple," she said, describing "fail-safes" in SB 300 that limit how many students would have their state education dollars flow to colleges and by ensuring that students who are deemed "at risk" of failing or who have dropped out already can participate in the new program, which is called Extended Options. Without such changes, the bill would have meant subsidizing high schoolers' pursuit of college coursework coursework Noun work done by a student and assessed as part of an educational course Noun 1. coursework - work assigned to and done by a student during a course of study; usually it is evaluated as part of the student's at the expense of classmates Classmates can refer to either:
Gordly said she has been assured that Gov. Ted Kulongoski Theodore R. "Ted" Kulongoski (born November 5 1940, in rural Missouri[1]) is an American Democratic politician. Since 2003, he has served as the Governor of Oregon. He was re-elected in 2006. will sign the bill into law. It would go into effect starting with the 2006-07 school year. Students in the 11th or 12th grade and dropouts 16 and older could obtain dual high school and college credit if enrolled in eligible community college or Oregon University System The Oregon University System (OUS) consists of seven public, four-year universities in the State of Oregon administered by the Chancellor of the OUS, who serves at the will and pleasure of the Oregon State Board of Higher Education. courses. Participation would be limited. School districts would be required to cover college costs for the equivalent of seven full-time college students per 1,000 high-schoolers enrolled. |
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