(1)The general assembly
hereby declares that the Colorado opportunity scholarship initiative created in this
part 10 is intended to:
(a)Award scholarships or grants based upon a rigor-based method that
emphasizes student commitment to academic achievement and successful
placement in the workforce and ensuring that participating students and
institutions be held accountable through measurable outcomes; and
(b)Develop the connections and community partnerships necessary to
ensure that every Colorado student has the support needed to enter a
postsecondary opportunity, persist and succeed, and enter his or her desired
position in the workforce.
(2)It is the intent of the general assembly to match nonprofit and private
financial contributions to the Colorado opportunity scholars
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(1) The general assembly
hereby declares that the Colorado opportunity scholarship initiative created in this
part 10 is intended to:
(a) Award scholarships or grants based upon a rigor-based method that
emphasizes student commitment to academic achievement and successful
placement in the workforce and ensuring that participating students and
institutions be held accountable through measurable outcomes; and
(b) Develop the connections and community partnerships necessary to
ensure that every Colorado student has the support needed to enter a
postsecondary opportunity, persist and succeed, and enter his or her desired
position in the workforce.
(2) It is the intent of the general assembly to match nonprofit and private
financial contributions to the Colorado opportunity scholarship initiative with
annual contributions from the general fund so that a sustainable corpus is created
to fund scholarship awards in future years. Whenever practicable, the annual match
should be in an amount that is significant enough to attract continued investment
by community partners.
(3) (a) The general assembly further declares that:
(I) The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption to the lives of
students and their families, the operations of the public institutions of higher
education in Colorado, and the state's workforce and economy;
(II) While the pandemic has affected the entire state, it has
disproportionately impacted low-income families and communities of color,
exacerbating systemic economic inequities;
(III) The crisis has had a disproportionate impact on front-line workers, those
who earn low wages, and those who lack a postsecondary credential or degree; and
(IV) An equitable economic recovery from the pandemic depends on having
robust pathways for workers to obtain new skills, earn higher wages, and be
prepared for the in-demand careers of the future.
(b) The general assembly therefore finds that it is an appropriate, necessary,
and lawful use of the money received through the federal American Rescue Plan
Act of 2021, Pub.L. 117-2, to appropriate a portion of said money to the Colorado
opportunity scholarship initiative to address the significant decline in enrollment in
the public institutions of higher education, high rates of job loss, and continuing
unemployment and the overall disruption to the workforce caused by the COVID-19
pandemic, which has resulted in significant economic harm to individuals and
businesses, by quickly and effectively providing support for students to return to
the public institutions of higher education to complete their postsecondary
credentials and help to rebuild and revitalize the workforce of Colorado and by
assisting students to complete the free application for federal student aid and the
Colorado application for state financial aid.
(c) It is the intent of the general assembly that institutions use the
allocations distributed pursuant to section 23-3.3-1006 to provide direct and
indirect support to students to re-enroll and complete postsecondary credentials. It
is further the general assembly's intent that the institutions provide this direct and
indirect student support through programs that incentivize students to return and
complete degree and credential programs, assist students in navigating their
options for how to return and complete degrees and credentials efficiently, address
equity gaps in higher education and the workforce, provide training for industry-recognized certificates and skill development for traditional and non-traditional
students and members of the workforce, support workforce development for
significantly impacted job sectors, and support and improve overall student
success in completing postsecondary credentials and entering the workforce.
(d) This subsection (3) is repealed, effective July 1, 2026.