Two bills in Missouri Legislature aim to pay for adults to go back to school

A pair of bills in the state Legislature aim to create a pathway for more adult Missourians to be able to go back to school, and for the state to have a more prepared workforce.

The Missouri Senate's Committee on Education heard public testimony Tuesday afternoon in support of House Bill 225, sponsored by Rep. Kathryn Swan, R-Cape Girardeau. No one on Tuesday spoke in opposition to the bill, which is a companion to Republican Sen. Gary Romine's Senate Bill 16.

Romine's - of Farmington, and Chairman of the Senate education committee - and Swan's bills would establish a "Fast-Track Workforce Incentive Grant." The language about the grant program in both bills is the same; grants would pay for eligible Missourians' "actual tuition and general fees" at "an approved Missouri postsecondary institution of their choice" that they would attend.

The Coordinating Board for Higher Education would designate eligible programs of study by Jan. 1, 2020, "in connection with local education institutions, regional business organizations and other stakeholders. The eligible programs must be reviewed and updated by the coordinating board annually."

For Missourians to be eligible to get a grant, they would have to be at least 25 years old and make less than $40,000 a year if they file their taxes as single, head of household or as a qualifying widow or widower, or make less than $80,000 a year if their filing status is married filing combined. Students would also have to continue to meet eligibility requirements and maintain a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.

The amount awarded for tuition and fees would be after all other federal and state aid had been applied, and if other aid covered all eligible expenses, a student would receive an award of up to $500 or the remaining cost of attendance, whichever is less.

Funding for the grant program would be subject to state appropriations, and students could transfer their funding from one approved institution to another. Eligibility for a grant would also expire upon certain markers of academic progress - receipt of a bachelors degree, or having a certain amount of time or semesters pass.

Shawn Strong, president of State Technical College in Linn, testified he hoped such a bill would help more non-traditional students attend the school; Strong did not recall seeing any such students at State Tech's recent open house.

Strong said less than 6 percent of his students are non-traditional - the full-time cohort model of the school is challenging for them, he said - but he hoped State Tech could see 8 percent or more of its students be non-traditional.

What is non-traditional, and what kind of interest could there be? Other supporters of HB 225 on Tuesday compared the grant program idea to Tennessee's "Reconnect" program, which pays for adults 25 years and older in that state to earn an associate degree or technical certificate tuition-free.

Swan said Tuesday that demographic has not been legislatively addressed elsewhere in Missouri, and she cited the importance of having a more prepared workforce.

Gov. Mike Parson's administration has recently made a public push to promote workforce development, and has made structural changes to some state government departments to encourage it.

Kara Corches, director of legislative affairs for the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, testified Tuesday that there are 2.6 million working adults in the state who have no post-secondary training.

The Nashville Tennessean reported in August 2018 that in the first year of Tennessee's Reconnect program, 31,000 adults applied - 71 percent of whom were women - when the initial hope was for 8,000-10,000 applicants.

In terms of what programs in Missouri would be approved for adults to receive funding to attend were the state's own grant program to be enacted, Higher Education Commissioner Zora Mulligan said Tuesday that the focus would be on programs that can affect tens of thousands of Missourians and help them move from low-wage to higher-paying jobs.

Other supporters of HB 225 on Tuesday included more chamber of commerce representatives and the Missouri National Education Association teachers' union; the News Tribune was not present for all of the public testimony in support of the bill.

In terms of what's next, Mulligan said staff would continue to narrow the list of job and career fields that would be aided by the bill.

That list is available for public comment at dhe.mo.gov/initiatives/fast_track.php, along with other information about Romine and Swan's legislation.

The website notes Missouri has a goal of having 60 percent of its working-age adults having a "high quality certificate or degree" by 2025.

As of Wednesday, Romine's bill is on the Senate's calendar for bills to be perfected, and there had not been an update posted for Swan's bill beyond that a public hearing was held Tuesday in front of the Senate committee.