This bill amends the Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska to establish the Nebraska Promise Program, which will cover undergraduate tuition costs for eligible Nebraska residents attending the University of Nebraska or the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture. The program will fund up to fifteen credit hours per semester and thirty credit hours per academic year, after federal financial aid is applied. Eligibility criteria include being a Nebraska resident, having a family income below $65,000, and maintaining a minimum GPA of 2.5. Additionally, the bill introduces the College Promise Act, which provides a full tuition waiver for eligible students at community colleges and state colleges in Nebraska, with similar income and residency requirements.

The bill also enhances the Quality Education Accountability Act by introducing nationally recognized career-readiness assessments starting in the 2025-26 school year and requires the state board to report on student achievement and assessment results. It establishes a system for aggregating and tracking student data related to academic achievement and disciplinary actions, mandating school districts to provide individual student achievement data and requiring the state board to create a discipline tracking system. The Department of Education will conduct annual analyses on student achievement and discipline, disaggregated by demographic characteristics, to identify disparities and progress towards state goals. The bill includes provisions for immediate effect due to an emergency declaration and repeals certain existing sections of the Nebraska Revised Statutes.

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