SB 427 — AN ACT CONCERNING DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS.

Substitute Senate GeneralBill Assembly File No.

178427 FebruaryPublic Session,Act 2026 Substitute Senate Bill No.

42726-18 Senate,AN MarchACT 25,CONCERNING 2026DUAL TheENROLLMENT CommitteePROGRAMS. on Higher Education and Employment Advancement reported through SEN.

SLAP of the 5th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS.

and sSB427(3) /"Dual Fileenrollment No.course" and "concurrent enrollment course" have the same meanings as provided in section 10a-35d.

178(b) 1Not sSB427later Filethan July 1, 2022, each local and regional board of education shall adopt a policy, or revise an existing policy, concerning Substitute Senate Bill No.

178427 (3)the "Dualeligibility enrollmentcriteria course"for andstudent "concurrent enrollment course"in havean theadvanced samecourse meaningsor asprogram. provided in section 10a-35d.

(b) Not later than July 1, 2022, each local and regional board of education shall adopt a policy, or revise an existing policy, concerning the eligibility criteria for student enrollment in an advanced course or program.

(e) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Commissioner of Education shall, within available appropriations, establish a fee-waiver grant program to expand sSB427opportunities /for Filehigh-need high school students to access advanced courses or programs, including, but not limited to, dual and concurrent Public Act No.

17826-18 2 sSB427of File3 Substitute Senate Bill No.

178427 opportunities for high-need high school students to access advanced courses or programs, including, but not limited to, dual and concurrent enrollment courses.

ThisGovernor's actAction: shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:

SectionApproved 1May July20, 1, 2026 10-221wPublic HEDAct JointNo. Favorable Subst.

sSB42726-18 /3 Fileof No.3

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178 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $ Constituent Units of Higher OF - Revenue Potential Potential Education Gain Note:

OF=Other Funds Municipal Impact:

Municipalities Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $ Local and Regional School Reduces Potential Potential Districts Revenue Gain Explanation The bill results in a potential revenue gain annually beginning in FY to the constituent units of higher education.

The bill expands an existing grant program to any Connecticut institution of higher education, which will be eligible to receive a grant for reimbursement for the revenue loss related to fee waivers for certain dually and concurrently enrolled high school students.

To the extent funds are provided to institutions of higher education, there will be less funds available for local and regional boards of education, which are the currently authorized grant recipients.

PA 25-168, theFY26 andFY 27Budget,requirestheState Department of Education to administer a grant program for a high-need student fee waiver for dual enrollment beginning in FY 27, and provides $6 million for the program.

To the extent that the bill shifts funding for the grant to the constituent units of higher education, they would experience a sSB427 / File No.

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178 revenue gain.

At the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, fee waiversforduallyandconcurrentlyenrolledhighschoolstudentsresult in an estimated revenue loss of $21.3 million in FY 26.

The bill does not increase funding for the program.

This means that any increase in funding provided to the constituent units or other institutions of higher education as a result of the bill reduces funding available for other recipients, which are local and regional school districts.

The bill additionally requires SDE to appoint a dual and concurrent enrollment course coordinator and makes other clarifying changes.

These changes have no fiscal impact.

The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to the number of high-need student fee waivers granted and corresponding reimbursement provided to the constituent units of higher education.

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178 OLR Bill Analysis sSB 427 AN ACT CONCERNING DUAL ENROLLMENT PROGRAMS.

SUMMARY This bill requires the state Department of Education (SDE) to appoint a dualandconcurrent enrollment coursecoordinator by January 1,2027, to track establishment of these courses and student outcomes, such as completion rates and grades, by school district.

Dual and concurrent enrollment courses are a type of advanced course or program offeredby high schools in collaboration with higher education institutions (see BACKGROUND).