Promise Scholarship Story Archives - Page 2 of 3 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Senate Education Committee Discusses Intelligent Design, Promise PLUS

The Senate Education Committee took up several bills Tuesday including Senate Bill 619, which would allow teachers in public schools to teach something called intelligent design.

The only definition of intelligent design provided in the bill appears in the enacting clause, simply stating it is “a theory of how the universe and/or humanity came to exist.”

Committee Chair Sen. Amy Grady, R-Mason, said the bill was brought to her by Hayden Hodge, a sophomore at Hurricane High School. Hodge presented in front of the committee, stating the bill is not intended to promote any religious belief but rather allow open, academic discussion.

“That’s what I’m arguing for, teachers could possibly lose their jobs over this when all we’re doing is just offering another idea, another theory. It’s not even teaching this as the answer,” Hodge said. “We’re just saying, allow teachers to just discuss it, talk about it.”

“I’m just stunned that they can’t now just talk about it,” said Sen. David Stover, R-Wyoming, a former teacher. “But even if they can technically, that doesn’t mean they’re not afraid of what might happen.”

Eli Baumwell, the advocacy director with the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia, spoke against the bill. He argued that, based on the case Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, allowing the teaching of intelligent design would enable violations of the establishment clause, which prohibits governments at any level in the U.S. from establishing or sponsoring religion.

Sen. Vince Deeds, R-Greenbrier, pointed out that Senate Bill 619 would only allow discussion of intelligent design and not require it, as in Kitzmiller v. Dover.

“It’s still held that this is ultimately a religious belief. It is not scientific and is not accepted by the scientific community and in promoting it as such, you’re promoting this religiously,” Baumwell said. “Whether or not we are saying you must teach it, or you may teach it, we are still saying you may violate the students’ rights.”

The bill was ultimately reported to the full Senate by the committee with the recommendation that it do pass.

More Promise

The committee moved on to other matters including Senate Bill 638, which would provide bonuses to school personnel for unused personal days, and Senate Bill 1, which would create the Promise PLUS program.

First established in 2001, the Promise Scholarship is a merit-based academic award that pays in-state tuition and fees, or $5,000, whichever is less, at any eligible institution in West Virginia.

The Promise PLUS program would act as a supplement for individuals who meet more rigorous standards so that the total of both scholarships is equal to the actual cost of tuition.

Different from the original Promise award, the bill would also require a Promise PLUS award to repay a portion of the money if the recipient chooses to reside outside of the state immediately after obtaining their degree.

“The way I’m reading this is it sounds more like it’s a forgivable student loan,” said Sen. Charles Trump, R-Morgan.

“Is that a fair characterization of what you’ve outlined here?” Trump asked Hank Hager, Senate Education counsel.

“Somewhat, but only if you reside outside of the state after graduating from school, then it would be a grant,” Hager said. “If you reside in West Virginia, it would be a grant. If you go outside of the state, then it becomes a loan.”

Senate Bill 1 was also reported to the full Senate by the committee with the recommendation that it do pass.

Higher Ed Officials Change PROMISE Eligibility, Sponsor FAFSA Sign-Up Events

The coronavirus pandemic has had a big impact on all students. This includes high school students — some of whom did not qualify for West Virginia’s PROMISE Scholarship this year.

There are also students who still have yet to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which, last fall, officials said submissions were down by 25 percent compared to the previous year.

Higher education leaders, however, are trying to address both issues.

Temporary Changes To PROMISE Eligibility

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission voted Friday to temporarily change the requirements for applicants of the PROMISE Scholarship, to allow more students to now be eligible for aid.

On average the state sees about 3,200 eligible PROMISE recipients each year, according to officials, but for 2021, just 2,500 students are, so far, considered eligible.

“These students have struggled so much this year, and they have tried so hard,” West Virginia HEPC Chancellor Sarah Armstrong Tucker said. “I, as your chancellor, cannot recommend sitting on millions of dollars that should be given to students to help them forward their education. If we have the opportunity to make these changes to help hundreds of students, then I really believe that we ought to do it.”

The pandemic forced thousands of West Virginia students this year into inconsistent learning models, resulting in a third of K-12 students failing core subjects in the fall.

To help more students be eligible for aid, test score requirements have been lowered by a single point in all subjects, and the grade point averages for renewals this year have been waived:

For students in the high school graduating class of 2021: The standardized testing deadline to qualify for the PROMISE Scholarship has been extended from August 2021 to October 2021. Colleges and universities statewide are continuing to offer free ACT On-Campus exams.
For students in the high school graduating classes of 2021 and 2022: These students will now qualify for super-scoring to achieve the minimum standardized testing scores necessary to qualify for the PROMISE Scholarship. This allows students to take their top scores from sub-sections of different ACT or SAT tests and combine them for a higher overall score.
For students in the high school graduating class of 2021 receiving the PROMISE Scholarship for the first time in 2021-22: The test score requirements have been lowered as follows:
- ACT composite score – 21 (regularly 22); ACT English score – 19 (regularly 20); ACT Reading score – 19 (regularly 20); ACT Science score – 19 (regularly 20); ACT Math score – 19 (regularly 20).
- SAT composite score – 1080 (regularly 1100); SAT Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing score – 510 (regularly 530); SAT Math score – 510 (regularly 520).
- For students who received either the Higher Education Grant or the PROMISE Scholarship for 2020-21 and are renewing it for the 2021-22 award year: The grade point average required for renewal is waived for this upcoming award year only.

“College Bound Saturday” To Tackle FAFSA Decline

This Saturday, students and families across the state will have opportunities to attend the state’s first ever “College Bound Saturday” events.

These free workshops will allow students to learn more about state and federal financial aid programs, as well as get direct help filing the FAFSA.

“We are working hard to bring direct help to students and their families as they continue making plans for college,” said Brian Weingart, HEPC’s senior director of financial aid. “Typically, we would have been in high schools across the state over the past year, [but due to COVID-19] our outreach has been largely virtual or over the phone. While we’ve been able to reach and help many students over that time, we know that direct, in-person support is always the best.”

Students who file the FAFSA at these events will be entered into a drawing and could win a free computer.

“College Bound Saturday” will be held on June 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the following locations across West Virginia:

Concord University (Athens, WV)
James Monroe High School (Lindside, WV)
Lincoln County High School (Hamlin, WV)
Marshall University (Huntington, WV)
Mid-Ohio Valley Center (Point Pleasant, WV)
Salem University (Salem, WV)
Shepherd University (Shepherdstown, WV)
Southern WV Community and Technical College (Mt. Gay, WV)
Spring Mills High School (Martinsburg, WV)
West Virginia University Institute of Technology (Beckley, WV)
West Virginia Northern Community College (Wheeling, WV)
West Virginia State University (Institute, WV)
West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV)

HEPC Chancellor Tucker said West Virginia has more than $100 million in state financial aid each year to help students and their families pay for college.

Students can pre-register for “College Bound Saturday” and find more information – including a list of items to bring here.

Senators Consider Tim Tebow, PROMISE For Community And Technical College Student Bills

A bill to help students pay for community and technical college and another that would allow private and homeschool students to participate in extracurriculars at public schools are on the move in the West Virginia Senate.

The Senate Education Committee on Thursday afternoon considered SB 28, which would create the Tim Tebow Act — so named for the former professional American athlete Tim Tebow, a Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Florida, who was homeschooled.

Senators amended the title, however, after some discussion, to the Open and Equal Opportunities in Student Activities Act.

Sen. John Unger, D-Berkeley, expressed concern that naming a law after someone who is still alive could result in stigma, should anything negative ever befall the person. Unger used former professional American cyclist Lance Armstrong as an example.

The bill’s lead sponsor, Senate Judiciary Chair Sen. Charles Trump, R-Morgan, agreed.

“It’s much more important, what this bill does or will do, than whom it’s named after,” Trump said. “This is not about any particular person but about the hundreds and thousands of children who will get to benefit by sports participation, band participation in years to follow us.”

The bill would permit students who are homeschooled, attending private school or Hope Scholarship recipients to participate in sports, band, theater and other activities at public schools.

SB 28 passed unanimously in committee and now heads to the full chamber.

Senators also passed SB 335, which allows students seeking a vocational certificate or degree at an accredited community and technical college in the state to be eligible for the PROMISE Scholarship.

Students who qualify for PROMISE at a community and technical college would receive an annual award of up to $4,750 for tuition and fees.

SB 335 passed unanimously out of committee and now heads to the Senate Finance Committee for further consideration.

Four-Year W. Va. Colleges Are Retaining, But Not Enrolling, More Freshmen

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission reports that more students are entering four-year colleges in West Virginia this year with almost four percent more freshmen than last year while overall enrollment remains steady.

According to the commission, the college retention rate, meaning students returning for their second enrolled year, is nearly 71 percent, the highest level in five years.

However, enrollment of first-time freshman is 11,283 at the 11 four-year colleges, is down 3.1 percent from five years earlier.

The commission says enrollment generally goes up in economic downturns and declines as jobs return.

The report shows total enrollment of 64,577 that’s nearly even with last year and down 5.5 percent since 2011.

The current total includes more than 41,000 West Virginians and 23,000 out-of-state students.

PROMISE Scholars to Wait for Award Letters Until Budget Finalized

High school counselors across the state have been notified that recipients of the PROMISE scholarship won’t receive their award letters until after the state has a budget for next year.

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission sent a letter to high school counselors May 2 explaining why they have decided to hold PROMISE award letters this year.

The letter says without a budget in place for the 2017 fiscal year, the HEPC cannot guarantee the scholarship money. But HEPC spokeswoman Jessica Tice says the commission is very optimistic lawmakers will include the scholarship funding in the upcoming budget.

Tice says just over 10,000 students received the PROMISE scholarship this past fall. She says changes in funding to the program would affect not only upcoming and future possible recipients, but also those currently receiving the scholarship.

Lawmakers cannot change the eligibility requirement for the program unless Gov. Tomblin specifically puts the PROMISE scholarship on the call for the special budget session that will begin Monday. The Legislature can, however, reduce the funding for the program which means fewer students would receive the scholarship.

Tomblin and legislative leaders have been negotiating a budget deal since mid-March and have yet to come to a widespread agreement, but a Tomblin spokesman said Monday the governor will bring lawmakers back to town May 16 because of the uncertainty caused by not having a budget in place.

Promise Scholarship Applications Available Beginning Monday

High school graduates can begin applying for West Virginia’s merit-based Promise Scholarship on Monday.

Applications will be available until March 1.

The scholarship pays up to $4,750 for college tuition and mandatory fees for in-state students who maintained at least a 3.0 grade average in high school. To be eligible, students also must have scored a composite 22 on the ACT or a combined 1020 score on the SAT college entrance exams.

Higher Education Policy Commission director of financial aid Brian Weingart says students should apply for the Promise Scholarship even if they don’t think they’re eligible.

Weingart tells The Charleston Gazette-Mail that eligible students who don’t meet the deadlines for the fall semester can still receive the scholarship. But they won’t receive the awards until the spring semester.