Bill > SCR166

This Concurrent Resolution urges the Secretary of Higher Education and the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Board of Directors to study and update the program's regulations, specifically focusing on how students are prioritized for funding. The EOF program, established in 1968, provides financial aid to educationally and economically disadvantaged students in New Jersey. The resolution highlights a conflict where current regulations may disadvantage students who have earned college credits or even associate degrees through high school programs like dual enrollment, placing them in lower funding priority categories than if they had not earned those credits. This, the resolution argues, creates a disincentive for students to participate in valuable college readiness programs that the state aims to encourage. Therefore, the resolution calls for a comprehensive review of all EOF regulations to identify similar conflicts and modernize them to align with current state educational goals, with the findings and planned actions to be shared with legislative committees.