2024 regular session

Introduced

House Bill 5513

By Delegates Kimble, Tully, Burkhammer, Summers, Phillips, Moore, Pinson, Hott, Petitto, Marple, and Riley

[Introduced February 07, 2024; Referred to the Committee on Education then Finance]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new article, designated §18B-3G-1, §18B-3G-2, §18B-3G-3, and §18B-3G-4, all relating to the creation of the Pierpont Community and Technical College Great Expectations Pilot Program; providing for legislative findings; providing for the enactment of the program; establishing funding; and creating the length of the pilot program.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 3G. pierpont community and technical college great expectations pilot program.

§18B-3G-1. Legislative findings.

(a) The Legislature finds that despite available social services, tuition assistance, and many other resources, aging out of foster care is a problem for the state. In the neighboring state of Virginia, the Virginia Community College System has instituted a program providing one or more full-time specialized coaches at participating community colleges. Great Expectations (GE) coaches are able to connect graduating, close to graduating, and potentially stop-out students to their nearby community college and much needed support services. GE Coaches are not simply an academic advisor or enrollment counselor, but instead provide a unique blend of life-coaching and college success navigation—fully focused on this unique and vulnerable population.

(b) According to the Kanawha Valley Health Systems , there are almost 2,000 foster children in the state between the ages of 13 and 17. This amounts to over 200 foster children nearing transition for each of West Virginia's nine Community and Technical College regions. Pierpont's Community and Technical College's region covers 13 West Virginia counties. Presently, there is a monetary amount of "WV Invests" tuition funds to share with prospective students, but the resources do not exist to address the special connection, advising, and supportive service needs of foster children.

(c) For this reason, the Legislature finds that the establishment of a pilot program to create the Great Expectations program within Pierpont Community and Technical College's Student Services department would be extremely beneficial.

§18B-3G-2. Enactment.

(a) There is hereby established the Great Expectations Pilot Program within the Pierpont Community and Technical College.

(b) When a foster child joins the Great Expectations program, the child shall be paired with an adult coach at Pierpont Community and Technical College. The duties and responsibilities of the foster child and the coach shall include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) The foster child and coach work together to assess skills and interests;

(2) Discuss the future of the foster child, and make a plan for enrolling in college;

(3) The coach shall help the foster child with everything from filling out applications to covering expenses to arranging transportation between school, home and work;

(4) The coach and the foster child shall talk about goals for the future;

(5) Research career options and learn about the schools and programs that offer the best fit for the foster child; and

(6) Reduce college costs by enacting financial aid and scholarships to students who have experienced foster care, including tuition grants that can cover tuition and fees at Pierpont Community and Technical College:

(A) To qualify, a child must have been in foster care, custody of social services, or a special needs adoption when he or she earned his or her high school diploma or GED; and

(B) Tuition grants can also be used for non-credit workforce programs.

§18B-3G-3. Funding.

There is hereby created a special revenue account entitled the "Pierpont Community and Technical College Great Expectations Pilot Program" from the state's general revenue fund. Funding shall be $95,000 per year for the duration of the pilot program. The funding shall cover the full-time salary and benefits of a navigator and resources to fund recruitment, onboarding, and supportive activities and services.

§18B-3G-4. Length of pilot program; evaluation.

The pilot program shall last for three years, after which the West Virginia Community and Technical College System, as administered by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, in coordination with Pierpont Community and Technical College, shall evaluate the success of the program, and determine the likelihood of success for implementation at other community and technical colleges across the state.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to create the Pierpont Community and Technical College Great Expectations Pilot Program. The bill provides for legislative findings. The bill provides for the enactment of the program. The bill establishes funding. Finally, the bill sets the length of the pilot program.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.