New Missouri Law Provides Free Tuition For Career, Technical Education
Missouri has passed a new law that authorizes the payment of tuition for high school graduates wanting to pursue career and technical education rather than attend college.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed Senate Bill 150, a multi-component higher education bill that contains the new provision, on July 9. The bill establishing the "Career-Tech Certificate (CTC) Program" passed both chambers of the Missouri General Assembly with strong bipartisan support.
The idea to cover career-certificate tuition along with required fees and the cost of books was modeled on Missouri's highly popular A+ Program, which pays for two years of public community college for students pursuing associate's degrees.
'This will increase (the workforce) astronomically,' said state Rep. Ann Kelley, a Republican from Lamar who filed the bill in the Missouri House of Representatives. 'And it's great for the kids who are in those career tech programs. It gives them another avenue to make themselves better.'
The eligibility requirements follow those established for the A+ Program. To qualify, students must graduate high school with at least a 2.5 GPA, maintain a 95% or higher attendance rate, complete 50 hours of unpaid tutoring and demonstrate proficiency in the Algebra I end-of-course exam.
According to the law, which was sponsored by Senator Jill Carter (R-Granby) in the Missouri Senate, the new tuition benefit becomes effective for the 2026-2027 school year.
'Currently a student who wants to obtain a certificate or license right out of high school… must pay for these out of pocket because the courses are too short to qualify for the A+ reimbursement program and are not Pell eligible,' Kelley said in a committee hearing on the bill in February. 'These students are typically ones who are not interested in going to a two-year or four-year school.'
Eligible programs for the tuition benefit are those where the required length for completion does not exceed 60 credit hours or their equivalent and 'results in the award of a non-graduate-level certificate or other industry-recognized credential.' Examples of such certificate programs listed in the new law are:
The bill also establishes a fund managed by the State Treasurer's Office to pay for the student grants. Funding would need to be appropriated annually by the Missouri General assembly, but the fund will also accept donations. The state has estimated that the new program will cost up to $2.1 million in Fiscal Year 2027 and $3.3 million the following year.
The legislation had widespread support from groups such as the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Missouri National Education Association. Missouri Chamber of Commerce Manager of Governmental Affairs Cade Tremain said the bill would 'strengthen the public workforce, as well as strengthen the existing programs we already have.'
Governor Kehoe had also expressed support for career and technical education in his January State of the State speech, in which he called for enhancements to Missouri's career and technical education programs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Landlord jailed for decades in hate-crime attack on Palestinian American family has died
JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — A landlord jailed for decades after he attacked a Palestinian American boy and his mother has died. Three months ago, Joseph Czuba was sentenced to 53 years behind bars for the attack. He was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder and hate-crime charges in the death of Wadee Alfayoumi and the wounding of the boy's mother, Hanan Shaheen. The 73-year-old Czuba targeted them in October 2023 because of their Islamic faith and as a response to the war between Israel and Hamas, which started days earlier. Czuba died Thursday in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections, the Chicago Sun-Times reported, citing the Will County Sheriff's Office. The law enforcement agency did not return a call seeking comment on the death. Ahmed Rehab, the executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations' Chicago office, said in a statement on Saturday that 'this depraved killer has died, but the hate is still alive and well.' Evidence at trial included harrowing testimony from Shaheen and her frantic 911 call, along with bloody crime scene photos and police video. Jurors deliberated less than 90 minutes before handing in a verdict. The family had been renting rooms in Czuba's home in Plainfield, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from Chicago when the attack happened. Central to prosecutors' case was harrowing testimony from the boy's mother, who said Czuba attacked her before moving on to her son, insisting they had to leave because they were Muslim. Prosecutors also played the 911 call and showed police footage. Czuba's wife, Mary, whom he has since divorced, also testified for the prosecution, saying he had become agitated about the Israel-Hamas war, which had erupted days earlier. Police said Czuba pulled a knife from a holder on a belt and stabbed the boy 26 times, leaving the knife in the child's body. Some of the bloody crime scene photos were so explicit that the judge agreed to turn television screens showing them away from the audience, which included Wadee's relatives. The attack renewed fears of anti-Muslim discrimination and hit particularly hard in Plainfield and surrounding suburbs, which have a large and established Palestinian community. Wadee's funeral drew large crowds, and Plainfield officials have dedicated a park playground in his honor.
CBS News
19 minutes ago
- CBS News
USDA to relocate HQ in part to Northern Colorado, Congressman Gabe Evans and cattlemen celebrate
The United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, will close down a major portion of its current headquarters in Washington, D.C., moving some of the staffers to Northern Colorado. Fort Collins was selected as one of five locations around the country where the headquarters will be relocated. "At first blush, everything about having offices out here makes sense," said Kenny Rogers, a cattleman in Yuma. Rogers has been a cattleman for decades, at times serving in leadership roles among his peers. He said the announcement of the partial move to Fort Collins was a surprise to him, but one he welcomes. "Getting boots on the ground where the action is occurring, rather than in an office in Washington, D.C., that is not a bad thing," Rogers said. "If you are USDA, this is where the action is, right around this area." Congressman Gabe Evans said he learned about the USDA's plans on Thursday. "It was great news for us to find out about," Evans said. Evans, who represents a large portion of Northern Colorado, said this change will be beneficial not only for his rural constituents but also for the surrounding area near the office. The office is currently located in the center of Fort Collins near the CSU veterinary sciences school. "We are a massive agricultural producing region here. In Colorado as a whole, but specifically in Northern Colorado," Evans said. "(By moving to Fort Collins) they are closer to the farmers and ranchers. They are closer to the people doing the boots on the ground hard work of producing America's food supply. That can only help our agricultural producers by closing that gap between the bureaucracy and the actual farmers and ranchers," Evans said. The USDA has a wide reach of oversight, including the U.S. Forest Service and even nutrition in schools. While the exact number of jobs moving to Fort Collins has not yet been announced, Evans said he is hoping the change will benefit urban and rural parts of Colorado. "It is a huge boost to our agricultural producers, and it is a boost to the region, honestly. That is more good paying jobs that will be coming to Northern Colorado," Evans said. Both Evans and Rogers noted that the Bureau of Land Management's headquarters was relocated to Colorado years ago, bringing more jobs and access to Colorado. Evans said he hopes the relative proximity of both the BLM and USDA in Colorado will also help cut down fire risks by creating a symbiotic relationship when it comes to ridding of fuels in the Colorado mountains. Rogers said he also hoped the change would save taxpayers money. "I would assume square footage office rental is much less than it is out in D.C.," Rogers said. The other cities selected for USDA offices were Indianapolis, Kansas City, Salt Lake City and Raleigh.
Bloomberg
19 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Pressure Mounts on Fed Chief Powell in Tee Up to GDP, Jobs Data
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues will step into the central bank's board room on Tuesday to deliberate on interest rates at a time of immense political pressure, evolving trade policy, and economic cross-currents. In a rare occurrence, policymakers will convene in the same week that the government issues reports on gross domestic product, employment and the Fed's preferred price metrics. Fed officials meet Tuesday and Wednesday, and are widely expected to keep rates unchanged again.
