The department of education shall calculate and pay state funds to colleges for participants in the college credit plus program under division (B) of section 3365.06 of the Revised Code pursuant to this section. For a nonpublic secondary school participant, a nonchartered nonpublic secondary school participant, or a home-instructed participant, the department shall pay state funds pursuant to this section only if that participant is awarded funding according to rules adopted by the chancellor of higher education, in consultation with the superintendent of public instruction, pursuant to section 3365.071 of the Revised Code. The program shall be the sole mechanism by which state funds are paid to colleges for students to earn transcripted credit for college courses while enrolled in both a secondary school and a college, with the exception of state funds paid to colleges according to an agreement described in division (A)(1) of section 3365.02 of the Revised Code.

(A) For each public or nonpublic secondary school participant enrolled in a public college:

(1) If no agreement has been entered into under division (A)(2) of this section, both of the following shall apply:

(a) The department shall pay to the college the applicable amount as follows:

(i) For a participant enrolled in a college course delivered on the college campus, at another location operated by the college, or online, the lesser of the default ceiling amount or the college's standard rate;

(ii) For a participant enrolled in a college course delivered at the participant's secondary school but taught by college faculty, the lesser of fifty per cent of the default ceiling amount or the college's standard rate;

(iii) For a participant enrolled in a college course delivered at the participant's secondary school and taught by a high school teacher who has met the credential requirements established for purposes of the program in rules adopted by the chancellor, the default floor amount.

(b) The participant's secondary school shall pay for textbooks, and the college shall waive payment of all other fees related to participation in the program.

(2) The governing entity of a participant's secondary school and the college may enter into an agreement to establish an alternative payment structure for tuition, textbooks, and fees. Under such an agreement, payments for each participant made by the department shall be not less than the default floor amount, unless approved by the chancellor, and not more than either the default ceiling amount or the college's standard rate, whichever is less. The chancellor may approve an agreement that includes a payment below the default floor amount, as long as the provisions of the agreement comply with all other requirements of this chapter to ensure program quality. If no agreement is entered into under division (A)(2) of this section, both of the following shall apply:

(a) The department shall pay to the college the applicable default amounts prescribed by division (A)(1)(a) of this section, depending upon the method of delivery and instruction.

(b) In accordance with division (A)(1)(b) of this section, the participant's secondary school shall pay for textbooks, and the college shall waive payment of all other fees related to participation in the program.

(3) No participant that is enrolled in a public college shall be charged for any tuition, textbooks, or other fees related to participation in the program.

(B) For each public secondary school participant enrolled in a private college:

(1) If no agreement has been entered into under division (B)(2) of this section, the department shall pay to the college the applicable amount calculated in the same manner as in division (A)(1)(a) of this section.

(2) The governing entity of a participant's secondary school and the college may enter into an agreement to establish an alternative payment structure for tuition, textbooks, and fees. Under such an agreement, payments shall be not less than the default floor amount, unless approved by the chancellor, and not more than either the default ceiling amount or the college's standard rate, whichever is less.

If an agreement is entered into under division (B)(2) of this section, both of the following shall apply:

(a) The department shall make a payment to the college for each participant that is equal to the default floor amount, unless approved by the chancellor to pay an amount below the default floor amount. The chancellor may approve an agreement that includes a payment below the default floor amount, as long as the provisions of the agreement comply with all other requirements of this chapter to ensure program quality.

(b) Payment for costs for the participant that exceed the amount paid by the department pursuant to division (B)(2)(a) of this section shall be negotiated by the school and the college. The agreement may include a stipulation permitting the charging of a participant.

However, under no circumstances shall:

(i) Payments for a participant made by the department under division (B)(2) of this section exceed the lesser of the default ceiling amount or the college's standard rate;

(ii) The amount charged to a participant under division (B)(2) of this section exceed the difference between the maximum per participant charge amount and the default floor amount;

(iii) The sum of the payments made by the department for a participant and the amount charged to that participant under division (B)(2) of this section exceed the following amounts, as applicable:

(I) For a participant enrolled in a college course delivered on the college campus, at another location operated by the college, or online, the maximum per participant charge amount;

(II) For a participant enrolled in a college course delivered at the participant's secondary school but taught by college faculty, one hundred twenty-five dollars;

(III) For a participant enrolled in a college course delivered at the participant's secondary school and taught by a high school teacher who has met the credential requirements established for purposes of the program in rules adopted by the chancellor, one hundred dollars.

(iv) A participant that is identified as economically disadvantaged according to rules adopted by the department be charged under division (B)(2) of this section for any tuition, textbooks, or other fees related to participation in the program.

(C) For each nonpublic secondary school participant enrolled in a private or eligible out-of-state college, the department shall pay to the college the applicable amount calculated in the same manner as in division (A)(1)(a) of this section. Payment for costs for the participant that exceed the amount paid by the department shall be negotiated by the governing body of the nonpublic secondary school and the college.

However, under no circumstances shall:

(1) The payments for a participant made by the department under this division exceed the lesser of the default ceiling amount or the college's standard rate.

(2) Any nonpublic secondary school participant, who is enrolled in that secondary school with a scholarship awarded under either the educational choice scholarship pilot program, as prescribed by sections 3310.01 to 3310.17, or the pilot project scholarship program, as prescribed by sections 3313.974 to 3313.979 of the Revised Code, and who qualifies as a low-income student under either of those programs, be charged for any tuition, textbooks, or other fees related to participation in the college credit plus program.

(D) For each nonchartered nonpublic secondary school participant and each home-instructed participant enrolled in a public, private, or eligible out-of-state college, the department shall pay to the college the lesser of the default ceiling amount or the college's standard rate, if that participant is enrolled in a college course delivered on the college campus, at another location operated by the college, or online.

(E) Not later than thirty days after the end of each term, each college expecting to receive payment for the costs of a participant under this section shall notify the department of the number of enrolled credit hours for each participant.

(F) The department shall make the applicable payments under this section to each college, which provided proper notification to the department under division (E) of this section, for the number of enrolled credit hours for participants enrolled in the college under division (B) of section 3365.06 of the Revised Code. Except in cases involving incomplete participant information or a dispute of participant information, payments shall be made by the last day of January for participants who were enrolled during the fall term and by the last day of July for participants who were enrolled during the spring term. The department shall not make any payments to a college under this section if a participant withdrew from a course prior to the date on which a withdrawal from the course would have negatively affected the participant's transcripted grade, as prescribed by the college's established withdrawal policy.

(1) Payments made for public secondary school participants under this section shall be deducted from the school foundation payments made to the participant's school district or, if the participant is enrolled in a community school, a STEM school, or a college-preparatory boarding school, from the payments made to that school under section 3314.08, 3326.33, or 3328.34 of the Revised Code. If the participant is enrolled in a joint vocational school district, a portion of the amount shall be deducted from the payments to the joint vocational school district and a portion shall be deducted from the payments to the participant's city, local, or exempted village school district in accordance with the full-time equivalency of the student's enrollment in each district. Amounts deducted under division (F)(1) of this section shall be calculated in accordance with rules adopted by the chancellor, in consultation with the state superintendent, pursuant to division (B) of section 3365.071 of the Revised Code.

(2) Payments made for nonpublic secondary school participants, nonchartered nonpublic secondary school participants, and home-instructed participants under this section shall be deducted from moneys appropriated by the general assembly for such purpose. Payments shall be allocated and distributed in accordance with rules adopted by the chancellor, in consultation with the state superintendent, pursuant to division (A) of section 3365.071 of the Revised Code.

(G) Any public college that enrolls a student under division (B) of section 3365.06 of the Revised Code may include that student in the calculation used to determine its state share of instruction funds appropriated to the department of higher education by the general assembly.

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 49, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2017.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 64, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2015.

Added by 130th General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 487, §1, eff. 9/17/2014.