State lawmakers are looking to close a loophole in a law requiring students in adult education programs to pay tuition. The legislature made tuition a requirement in 2011 and but the state accidentally exempted out-of-state and transfer students.
Under a proposal in the House, those students will now be required to pay the same $30 per-term fee that other students enrolled in adult education programs have to pay. Most of those students are former dropouts who have gone back to school to complete their education.
“And all this does is level the playing field and conforms the language because all other adult ed students are required to pay the fees currently," said House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Jeanette Nunez.
The state’s Office of Program Policy and Analysis reports enrollment in adult ed programs has fallen by more than 40 percent since the fee requirements went into effect in 2011. The same law also required students to provide two forms of residency, which can be difficult for students between the ages of 16 and 25, the bulk of those enrolled. School officials say the tuition and residency requirements have negatively affected students who need the programs the most.
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