§ 946. Early college

(a) For each grade 12 Vermont student enrolled, the Secretary shall pay an amount equal to 87 percent of the base education amount to:

(1) the Vermont Academy of Science and Technology (VAST); and

(2) an early college program other than the VAST program that is developed and operated or overseen by the University of Vermont, by one of the Vermont State Colleges, or by an accredited private postsecondary school located in Vermont and that is approved for operation by the Secretary; provided, however, when making a payment under this subdivision (2), the Secretary shall not pay more than the tuition charged by the institution.

(b) The Secretary shall make the payment pursuant to subsection (a) of this section directly to the postsecondary institution, which shall accept the amount as full payment of the student's tuition.

(c) A student on whose behalf the Secretary makes a payment pursuant to subsection (a) of this subsection:

(1) shall be enrolled as a full-time student in the institution receiving the payment for the academic year for which payment is made;

(2) shall not be enrolled concurrently in a secondary school operated by the student's district of residence or to which the district pays tuition on the student's behalf; and

(3) shall not be included in the average daily membership of any school district for the academic year for which payment is made; provided, however, that if more than five percent of the grade 12 students residing in a district enroll in an early college program, then the district may include the number of students in excess of five percent in its average daily membership; but further provided that a student in grade 12 enrolled in a college program shall be included in the percentage calculation only if, for the previous academic year, the student was enrolled in a school maintained by the district or was a student for whom the district paid tuition to a public or approved independent school.

(d) A postsecondary institution shall not accept a student into an early college program unless enrollment in an early college program was an element of the student's personalized learning plan. (Added 2017, No. 49, § 30, eff. May 23, 2017.)