Attached are the proposed revisions to the MTAP policy 940.30. The policy is being revised for the following reasons:

• The 1999 legislature appropriated $1.5 million for the MTAP/Baker grant program for fy2000 and fy2001. In preparing the allocations for the upcoming award year it was discovered that the tribal colleges were inadvertently excluded from the Baker Grant. It was the intention of the Task Force and then Commissioner Baker to include the tribal colleges as well as the three private 4-year institutions in Montana. Constitutional language currently excludes the three private 4-year institutions due to their affiliation with a religious organization.
• The financial aid officers have discovered that the process used in Section V. Determination of Financial Need and the Making of Awards, is too cumbersome and vague. With their assistance, Section V has been revised to simplify and clarify the awarding of the Baker Grant.
• The footnote (1) was placed in the wrong text section in the original version. It was the intent of the task force to provide leeway to financial aid officers in awarding grants to a small number of students who made less than the required minimum earnings in exceptional cases. However, when the policy was drafted for Board approval, the footnote was inadvertently placed after the "full-time student" requirements rather than the earnings requirement. The policy allows the financial aid officer to award up to 10% of the funds to students who do not meet the minimum earnings requirement.

If you have any questions regarding the proposed changes, please contact me at (406) 444-0351.