$15.5 million will go to expand dual enrollment in Arizona
Helios Education Foundation is pleased to see $15.5 million will go to expand access to dual enrollment under the $17.8 billion state budget in Arizona.
The budget signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs includes $15 million to create the dual enrollment student development fund. This will help students pay for dual enrollment courses, with priority given to those who qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Students will get reimbursed $50 per credit hour if they pass the dual enrollment course and have at least a 2.5 grade point average. The reimbursements are capped at $300 for students in ninth and 10th grades, and $600 for students in 11th and 12th grades.
The budget also creates the dual enrollment teacher development fund to provide a one-time incentive bonus of up to $1,000 for teachers. They must meet the requirements to teach a dual enrollment course and provide instruction in at least one course to qualify for the bonus.
Helios Education Foundation thanks Gov. Hobbs for supporting dual enrollment and making it a focus of the state budget. We also thank Republican state Sen. Steve Kaiser for his leadership on SB1717. Two provisions of that bill mirror the language around dual enrollment that made it to the state budget. Sen. Kaiser was instrumental in helping solidify support for the bipartisan group of lawmakers who got this across the finish line.
This comes as research that Helios Education Foundation released earlier this year shows high school students who participate in dual enrollment programs are more than twice as likely to attend college. They’re also more likely to stay enrolled, earn higher GPAs and finish. The problem is that only about a quarter (24.4%) of high school students in Arizona take at least one dual enrollment course. Latino students (17.2%) and students from low-income backgrounds (17.1%) have some of the lowest participation rates.
Helios Education Foundation is hopeful that will change with this newly approved $15.5 million investment.
It will make a profound difference in Arizona students’ lives and reward teachers for putting in extra work to meet the requirements to teach the courses.