H1030 - 2016 Appropriations Act. (SL 2016-94)

Overview: Sec. 11A.3 of S.L. 2016-94 makes the following changes, beginning with the 2016-2017, school year to awards of Opportunity Scholarship Grants (Scholarships):

• Expands the list of eligible students to include:
• Students enrolled in a Department of Defense Elementary and Secondary School located in North Carolina during the previous semester.
• Students whose parents or legal guardians are on full-time duty status in the United States Armed Forces, including the National Guard and Reserve on active duty orders.
• Clarifies that a student enrolled in a postsecondary institution in a matriculated status eligible for enrollment for 12 hours of academic credit is not eligible for the Scholarship.
• Expands from 35% to 40% the amount of funds to be used to award Scholarships to eligible students entering either kindergarten or first grade.

Beginning with the 2017-2018 school year, the section authorizes award of at least 2,000 more Scholarships annually over the prior school year.

The section also creates a new funding mechanism for the Scholarship by establishing the Opportunity Scholarship Grant Fund Reserve (Reserve). The Reserve is administered by the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina for the purpose of allocating funds to the State Education Assistance Authority for the award of Scholarships in the fiscal year following appropriations of those funds to provide additional program stability. Effective July 1, 2017, an appropriation increase of $10 million each fiscal year for 10 years is provided to the Reserve.

Except as otherwise provided, this section became effective July 1, 2016.