House Status:
Senate Status:
Senate Status:
Minutes for SB44 - Committee on Education
Short Title
Expanding the postsecondary educational institutions eligible to participate in the Kansas promise scholarship program.
Minutes Content for Tue, Feb 4, 2025
Chairman Erickson opened the hearing on SB44.
Tamera Lawrence, Assistant Revisor, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, gave an overview of the bill. (Attachment 1)
Proponent Testimony:
Mike O'Neal, Kansas Policy Institute, on behalf of Wichita Technical Institute (WTI), explained WTI focuses on training students with marketable skills in six technical and healthcare fields. Given the demand for high quality technical training, it makes sense to expand the current eligibility for participation in the Promise Scholarship Act. (Attachment 2)
Jenna Akpan, on behalf of Wichita Technical Institute, said Kansas' economic growth has been significantly higher than the national average. Employment forecasts project growth in several of the vocational and healthcare areas in which students are prepared for jobs in those fields. Trade programs, unlike other areas of higher education, are in hot demand. WTI believes all students deserve the same opportunities as other Kansas students. Growing the Kansas economy is essential. Approximately 95% of WTI graduates continue to live in, work in, and contribute to the Kansas economy. Technical students deserve the same opportunities to go through training, enter the workforce, and improve the Kansas economy debt-free as other Kansas students have under the Promise Act. (Attachment 3) (Attachment 4) (Attachment 5)
Charles Friedrichs, Owner and Managing Director of Heartland Welding Academy, said there are approximately 90,000 welding jobs needing to be filled annually from 2023-2027. This is due to retirements and industry growth. There is an expected shortage of 550,000 plumbers by 2027; nearly 30% of union electricians are close to retirement and more than one out of five construction workers are over the age of 55. The shortage of trade workers is coming at a time when the perception of "blue collar" jobs are finally improving. The days of telling students the only way to be successful is to get a college degree are over. Secondary students are looking for an alternative to college and it's length of time, cost and no guarantee of available jobs.
As a school that has spent considerable time and money to gain legitimacy from a regulatory perspective, any change to current legislation should not be taken lightly and any school seeking to use state funds should have to prove they are a credible institution.(Attachment 6)
Jason P. Watkins, Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce, stood in strong support of this bill. The Promise Act has proven to be a valuable tool in addressing workforce shortages in high-demand industries by providing critical financial assistance to students pursuing two-year degrees and technical certificates. The Legislature is urged to also increase funding for the program as the Promise Act has hit its $10 million cap. By doing so, it demonstrates both the demand for this initiative and the need for greater investment to ensure continued access for students. The Chamber encourages an amendment to this bill that would allow out-of-state students to qualify for the scholarship, provided they commit to living and working in Kansas for at least two years after earning their degree or certificate.(Attachment 7)
Proponent Written:
Kylee Childs, Director of Government Affairs, LeadingAge Kansas, stated when the Promise Scholarship Act was established, it aimed to provide financial support to students attempting to gain credentials or necessary degrees in high-demand fields such as mental and physical healthcare. This bill represents a significant opportunity to address workforce challenges within Kansas adult care homes by improving access to education and training for current and future workers at a wider variety of colleges, including not-for-profit and accredited educational institutions. This bill can be transformative by increasing access to training programs, addressing recruitment shortages, supporting employee advancement, and reducing financial barriers.(Attachment 8)
Neutral Testimony:
Elaine Frisbie, Vice President for Finance and Administration, Kansas Board of Regents, stated with the structure of this program, the institution's financial aid staff make the awards to eligible students, including verification of eligibility, and create and maintain student-level records as required by the Board of Regents for documentation of the satisfaction of the Act's requirements. The potential increase in awards would come from expanding eligible institutions. When the Legislature appropriates state monies to the Board of Regents for a financial aid program, those monies are used only for scholarship awards, not for the administration of the programs which includes service agreements that require years of staff time for each individual student. One way to ease the administrative requirements would be to eliminate the service requirement, however, this may limit the intended effect of the program.(Attachment 9)
Heather Morgan, Executive Director, Kansas Association of Community Colleges, said the Promise Scholarship is especially beneficial to lower-middle-class students whose parents earn too much to qualify for Pell but still cannot afford to pay or college without taking on significant student loan debt. Kansas Community Colleges are concerned about whether there is enough funding to accommodate additional scholarship recipients. The current $10 million cap needs to be increased to reflect the increased demand. It is believed increasing the cap to $15 million would ensure the program can continue to support students pursuing education in Kansas' most in-demand fields while living and working in the state for at least two years after graduation. (Attachment 10)
Opponent Testimony:
Jim Genandt, President, Kansas Technical Colleges, shared concerns regarding the proposed changes to this bill saying the $10 million cap would be diluted as it is spread over more institutions and rendering the program less effective. Those institutions who have developed specific and effective relationships with their regional employers to optimize the impact of the Promise Act to have rapid and direct return on investment in Kansas as well as retention of this workers with local companies.(Attachment 11)
Discussion followed.
The Chairman closed the hearing on SB44.
