This bill establishes the Nebraska Promise Program and the College Promise Act, aimed at providing financial support for eligible students attending the University of Nebraska, community colleges, and state colleges in Nebraska. The Nebraska Promise Program will cover undergraduate tuition costs for Nebraska residents with a family income of less than $65,000 per year, after accounting for federal grants and scholarships. The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska will administer this program, requiring students to maintain a minimum GPA and full-time enrollment status. The College Promise Act extends similar tuition waivers to eligible students at community colleges and state colleges, with the same income and academic performance criteria. Additionally, the bill creates the College Promise Fund to support the financial aspects of the College Promise Act.

The bill also mandates the implementation of a statewide system to aggregate student data related to educational inputs and individual student discipline. School districts must provide the Department of Education with individual student achievement data from assessments, including voluntary ones, and establish a tracking system for individual student discipline by August 1, 2022. This system will collect data on various disciplinary actions and allow for aggregation by demographic characteristics. Each school is required to appoint a discipline data coordinator to manage reporting, and the Department of Education will analyze and report on student achievement and discipline, focusing on demographic disparities. The findings will be shared with stakeholders, including the Governor and the Legislature, to monitor progress toward state achievement goals for specific student populations.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 79-760.03, 79-760.05