(a)As used in this section, "eligible postsecondary institution" and "Tennessee Promise scholarship student" have the same meanings as defined in § 49-4-708 .
(b)The Tennessee higher education commission shall establish a four-year pilot program to award completion grants to Tennessee Promise scholarship students who are eligible for and receiving services as part of the college coaching initiative delivered by Tennessee Promise partnering organizations, and who have an immediate financial need, or who are experiencing a financial hardship, that may prevent the student from completing a postsecondary degree or credential. The Tennessee Promise partnering organizations are responsible for identifying the college coaching initiative students who are eligible for a completion grant under th
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(a) As used in this section, "eligible postsecondary institution" and "Tennessee Promise scholarship student" have the same meanings as defined in § 49-4-708 . (b) The Tennessee higher education commission shall establish a four-year pilot program to award completion grants to Tennessee Promise scholarship students who are eligible for and receiving services as part of the college coaching initiative delivered by Tennessee Promise partnering organizations, and who have an immediate financial need, or who are experiencing a financial hardship, that may prevent the student from completing a postsecondary degree or credential. The Tennessee Promise partnering organizations are responsible for identifying the college coaching initiative students who are eligible for a completion grant under this subsection (b). (c) The pilot program will begin with the 2021-2022 academic year. (d) The commission may contract with one (1) or more entities to administer some or all portions of the pilot program. The commission is encouraged to contract with organizations that are partnering with this state to support the college coaching initiative, which is a proactive, high-impact coaching model that seeks to increase postsecondary matriculation, retention, and completion rates for the most at-risk Tennessee Promise scholarship student population. (e) Throughout the pilot program, the commission shall collect and analyze: (1) The number and percentage of college coaching initiative students who: (A) Applied for a completion grant, disaggregated by each eligible postsecondary institution; (B) Received a completion grant, disaggregated by each eligible postsecondary institution; (C) Remained enrolled and made progress toward a postsecondary degree or credential after receiving a completion grant, disaggregated by each eligible postsecondary institution; (D) Withdrew from the eligible postsecondary institution or stopped making progress toward a postsecondary degree or credential after receiving a completion grant, disaggregated by each eligible postsecondary institution; and (E) Completed a postsecondary degree or credential after receiving a completion grant, disaggregated by each eligible postsecondary institution; (2) (A) The total amount of completion grants awarded, disaggregated by academic year and by each eligible postsecondary institution; and (B) The average amount of completion grants awarded; (3) The financial needs or hardships reported by college coaching initiative students who applied for, but did not receive, a completion grant; (4) The financial needs or hardships reported by college coaching initiative students who applied for and received a completion grant; and (5) Information that the commission believes may assist the general assembly in evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program. (f) Subject to appropriation in the general appropriations act: (1) The commission shall not: (A) Use net proceeds of the state lottery to fund completion grants awarded pursuant to this section; or (B) Award more than two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) in completion grants in the first year of the pilot program or in any subsequent year of the pilot program; (2) The commission shall only use funds available to the commission from the unexpended balance of the qualified work-based learning grant fund established pursuant to § 49-11-903 to award completion grants pursuant to this section; (3) All funds allocated to the commission from the funds available in the qualified work-based learning grant fund for purposes of this section that remain unexpended at the end of a fiscal year do not revert to the general fund, but must be carried forward into subsequent fiscal years to effectuate the purposes of this section; (4) Funds allocated to the commission from the qualified work-based learning grant fund for purposes of this section for each fiscal year must provide the commission with sufficient funds to ensure that the minimum balance of funds available to the commission on July 1 of that fiscal year is not less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000), including any funds that may have been carried forward from preceding fiscal years; and (5) Any funds that remain unexpended at the conclusion of the pilot program revert to the general fund at the end of the fiscal year. (g) The commission shall submit an annual report on the outcomes of the pilot program to the education committee of the senate and to the education committee of the house of representatives no later than December 31, 2022, for the first year of the pilot program, and no later than December 31 of each remaining year. (h) This section is repealed on January 1, 2026.