South Carolina General Assembly
117th Session, 2007-2008

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Bill 4316

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter


(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

COMMITTEE REPORT

January 30, 2008

H. 4316

Introduced by Reps. Lucas, Clyburn and Cotty

S. Printed 1/30/08--H.    [SEC 1/31/08 5:10 PM]

Read the first time January 8, 2008.

            

THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND PUBLIC WORKS

To whom was referred a Bill (H. 4316) to amend the Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, by adding Section 59-104-28 so as to establish criteria for the awarding of Palmetto Fellows Scholarships to students, etc., respectfully

REPORT:

That they have duly and carefully considered the same and recommend that the same do pass with amendment:

Amend the bill, as and if amended, by striking all after the enacting words and inserting:

/SECTION    1.    Chapter 59, Title 104 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 59-104-28.    (A)    For the purposes of this section, a 'magnet school' is defined as a public school within a school district:

(1)    whose enrollment is open to all students of that district;

(2)    that emphasizes an academic theme; and

(3)    that was established for desegregation purposes in response to the United States District Court Order.

(B)    Beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, a student graduating from a magnet school as defined in subsection (A) may use, in addition to criteria set for Palmetto Fellows eligibility in Section 59-104-20(G), the class rank in the senior class from the high school he would have attended had there been no magnet school when applying for a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship. The submission of this application by the magnet school student may not cause the regular high school to exceed the six percent limitation from its senior class for these scholarships.

(C)    The magnet high school must be responsible for obtaining official documentation from the regular high school that the magnet high school student is within the top six percent of the senior class. This documentation must be submitted with the student's Palmetto Fellows Scholarship application supporting documents. The official documentation shall include the name of the regular high school, the number in the senior class, and the student's exact rank in the senior class. Once the Commission on Higher Education has received all eligible applications, the commission shall ensure that the sending high schools do not exceed six percent of their classes with the inclusion of the magnet school applicants."

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor./

Renumber sections to conform.

Amend title to read:

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 59-104-28 SO AS TO ESTABLISH ALTERNATIVE CRITERIA FOR STUDENTS GRADUATING IN 2008 AND THEREAFTER WHO ATTEND A MAGNET SCHOOL, AS DEFINED, FOR THE AWARDING OF PALMETTO FELLOWS SCHOLARSHIPS.

ROBERT E. WALKER for Committee.

            

A BILL

TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 59-104-28 SO AS TO ESTABLISH CRITERIA FOR THE AWARDING OF PALMETTO FELLOWS SCHOLARSHIPS TO STUDENTS GRADUATING IN 2008 AND THEREAFTER WHO ATTEND "MAGNET SCHOOLS" OR SCHOOLS WITH "OPEN ENROLLMENT".

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION    1.    Chapter 59, Title 104 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:

"Section 59-104-28.    (A)    For the purposes of applying for the Palmetto Fellows Scholarships, beginning with students graduating in 2008 and thereafter, a 'magnet school' is defined as any public school within a school district whose enrollment is open to all students of that district with all of the following characteristics:

(1)    is attended by students outside their attendance zone who could not attend it if it were not a magnet school;

(2)    emphasizes an academic theme or specialization; and

(3)    was established for desegregation purposes.

(B)    For all students in magnet schools as defined in subsection (A), whenever a student meets all criteria for applying for the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship except for rank in class, the student may use the rank in class from the high school he would have attended had there been no magnet school so long as by submitting an application for a Palmetto Fellows Scholarship, the magnet school does not cause the regular high school to exceed the six percent limitation from its sophomore or junior class for these scholarships.

(C)    The magnet high schools must be responsible for obtaining official documentation from the regular high school that the magnet high school student is within the top six percent of either the sophomore or junior class. This documentation must be submitted with the student's Palmetto Fellows Scholarship application supporting documents. The official documentation shall include the name of the regular high school, the number in the class and whether it is the sophomore or junior year, and the student's exact rank in that class. Once the Commission on Higher Education has received all eligible applications, the commission shall ensure that the sending high schools do not exceed six percent of their classes with the inclusion of the magnet school applicants."

SECTION    2.    This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

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