Section 37-109-9 - [Repealed Effective 7/1/2025] Program participation criteriaIn addition to the criteria established in Section 37-109-7, the following program participation criteria must be adhered to:
(a) Future enrollment at the providing institution cannot be a requirement for a student to be eligible for Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program funds;(b) Community college career and technical education (CTE) courses approved in the manual shall be eligible for funding;(c) The board shall promulgate rules as necessary to implement and administer this section;(d) The board shall develop rules for ensuring that expenses of the scholarship program in each fiscal year do not exceed funding for the program in that fiscal year. For that purpose, and any other provision of this section to the contrary notwithstanding, the board may limit the acceptance of scholarship applications and may limit the award amount of scholarships;(e) If the state appropriation is insufficient to fully fund all students eligible for participation in the program in a given year, those funds shall be prorated to the student's account at the eligible participating institution by an amount to be determined by the board. The student or school district will then be responsible for the remaining balance due for the course taken at the providing institution;(f) The board may conduct its own annual audits of any institution participating in the Mississippi Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program. The board may suspend or revoke an institution's eligibility to receive future funds under the program if it finds that the institution has not complied with the provisions of the manual and the requirements established in Section 37-109-7(1);(g) The board may conduct its own annual audits of students participating in the Mississippi Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program. The board may suspend or revoke a high school's eligibility to participate in the program if it finds the student or high school has not complied with the provisions of the manual and the requirements established in Section 37-109-7(2);(h) The average community college credit hour tuition amount for the current academic year, as referenced in Section 37-109-7(1)(e), shall be provided annually by the Mississippi Community College Board to the executive director of the board;(i) If a public institution chooses not to participate in the program, or if a public institution in the eligible student's region does not have a particular program the eligible student wants to enroll in but the program is available at another public institution, a student shall have the option of enrolling at a program at another participating public institution;(j) Public school districts or charter schools and institutions participating in the program shall be permitted to enter into agreements under Section 37-15-38, which allow students to enroll and complete additional dual credit or dual enrollment courses, with the goal of increasing the number of students graduating from high school with an associate level degree or other nationally recognized credential. This chapter is intended to provide funding and structure for a minimum standardized dual enrollment/dual credit program across the state;(k) To encourage more participation in the program, a final grade of C or above in a three (3) credit hour dual credit course, academic or career and technical, shall be weighted the same as a three (3) or above in an Advanced Placement course final examination in the Mississippi Statewide Accountability System. Only courses included in the approved dual credit course list referenced in the manual shall be weighted in the model; and(l) There is established in the State Treasury a special fund to be designated the "Mississippi Dual Enrollment/Dual Credit Scholarship Program" into which shall be deposited those funds appropriated by the Legislature, and any other funds that may be made available, for the purpose of implementing the program established under this chapter. Money in the fund at the end of the fiscal year shall not lapse into the General Fund, and interest earned on any amounts deposited into the fund shall be credited to the special fund;(m) The program requires specific appropriation by the Legislature.Added by Laws, 2023, ch. 532, SB 2487,§ 5, eff. 7/1/2023.