PRDO Perdoceo Education Corporation

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPANY

Perdoceo’s academic institutions offer a quality postsecondary education primarily online to a diverse student population, along with campus-based and blended learning programs. Our two regionally accredited universities – Colorado Technical University (“CTU”) and American InterContinental University (“AIU”) – provide degree programs through the master’s or doctoral level as well as associate and bachelor’s levels. Both universities offer students industry-relevant and career-focused degree programs that are designed to meet the educational needs of today’s busy adults. CTU and AIU continue to show innovation in higher education, advancing new personalized learning technologies like their intellipath^® learning platform and using data analytics and technology to support students and enhance learning. Perdoceo is committed to providing quality education that closes the gap between learners who seek to advance their careers and employers needing a qualified workforce.

A listing of individual campus locations and web links to Perdoceo’s institutions can be found at www.perdoceoed.com.  

As used in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the terms “we,” “us,” “our,” “the Company,” “Perdoceo” and “PEC” refer to Perdoceo Education Corporation and our wholly-owned subsidiaries. The terms “institution” and “university” refer to an individual, branded, for-profit educational institution owned by us and includes its campus locations. The term “campus” refers to an individual main or branch campus operated by one of our institutions.

2. BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, the financial statements do not include all of the information and notes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, including normal recurring accruals, considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year ending December 31, 2020.

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements presented herein include the accounts of Perdoceo Education Corporation and our wholly-owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.

         Our reporting segments are determined in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 280 – Segment Reporting and are based upon how the Company analyzes performance and makes decisions. Each segment represents a postsecondary education provider that offers a variety of academic programs. We organize our business across two reporting segments: CTU and AIU (collectively referred to as the “University Group”).

          On March 2, 2020, the Company acquired substantially all of the assets of Trident University International (“Trident University”). Trident University’s operations were brought within the AIU segment, preserving the “Trident” name and programs as part of AIU’s operations. Results of operations related to the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Trident University (the “Trident acquisition”) are not material to our consolidated results of operations and are included in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements from the date of acquisition. See Note 3 “Business Acquisition” for further information.

Effective January 1, 2020, we implemented FASB ASC Topic 326 – Financial Instruments - Credit Losses. This guidance requires a financial asset measured at amortized cost basis to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected and credit losses relating to available-for-sale debt securities to be recorded through an allowance for credit losses. The guidance under Topic 326 impacts accounting for credit losses with the most significant relevance to our accounting for credit losses related to student receivables. The guidance under Topic 326 did not materially impact our presentation of our financial condition, results of operations and disclosures. See Note 7 “Student Receivables” for further information.   

Effective January 1, 2020, the Company reclassified non-current assets of discontinued operations within other non-current assets and current liabilities of discontinued operations within current other accrued expenses. This reclassification was not material to our condensed consolidated balance sheets. Prior period amounts were recast to be comparable to current year reporting.       

3. BUSINESS ACQUISITION

On March 2, 2020, the Company acquired substantially all of the assets of Trident University, a regionally accredited university offering online undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs with a strong focus on graduate programs. Trident University’s operations were brought within the scope of the state licensure, accreditation and Department of Education approval of AIU, with Trident University relinquishing its accreditor and Department approvals. Trident University’s programs are now offered by AIU under the “Trident” name. The combined institution continues to serve existing and future students with a broader range of program offerings and resources.

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On the date of acquisition, the Company made a cash payment of $38.1 million for the Trident University assets. Pursuant to the purchase agreement, $4.0 million of this payment was set aside in an escrow account to secure indemnification obligations of the seller after closing and is reflected as restricted cash on our condensed consolidated balance sheets. A subsequent cash payment will be made to the seller after finalization of Trident University’s results measured in terms of its revenue and EBITDA (as determined pursuant to the purchase agreement for the transaction) during the 12-month period ended December 31, 2019 and a final working capital adjustment calculated pursuant to the purchase agreement. The Company estimates that this subsequent cash payment will be approximately $6.0 million. The initial payment was, and the post-closing payment will be, fully funded with the Company’s available cash balances generated from operating activities.

The estimated purchase price of approximately $44 million was allocated to estimated fair values of acquired tangible and identifiable intangible assets of $53.1 million and assumed liabilities of $9.3 million as of March 2, 2020. The net assets acquired assume a working capital adjustment that is subject to finalization. Intangible assets acquired include a trade name with an estimated fair value of $1.0 million and student relationships and course curriculum with an aggregate estimated fair value of $9.4 million. Based on our preliminary purchase price allocation, we have recorded goodwill of $31.4 million. We expect substantially all of this goodwill balance to be deductible for income tax reporting purposes. Subsequent adjustments may be made to the purchase price allocation once the purchase price is finalized.

The following table summarizes the preliminary estimated fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of March 2, 2020 (dollars in thousands):

4. RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

Recent accounting guidance adopted in 2020

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting. This ASU provides temporary optional guidance to ease the potential burden in accounting for reference rate reform. The new guidance provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying generally accepted accounting principles to contract modifications and hedging relationships, subject to meeting certain criteria, that reference LIBOR or another reference rate expected to be discontinued. For all entities, ASU 2020-04 is effective as of March 22, 2020 through December 22, 2022. We have evaluated and adopted this guidance effective March 22, 2020. The adoption did not significantly impact the presentation of our financial condition, results of operations and disclosures.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other – Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That is a Service Contract. The amendments in this ASU provide clarifications which align the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software or software licenses. The accounting for the service element of a hosting arrangement that is a service

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contract is not affected by these amendments. We have evaluated and adopted this guidance effective January 1, 2020. The adoption did not significantly impact the presentation of our financial condition, results of operation and disclosures.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework – Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. The amendments in this ASU include removals from, modifications of and additions to the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements, including the consideration of costs and benefits. The guidance removed the requirements of the amount of and reasons for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, the policy for timing of transfers between levels and the valuation process for Level 3 fair value measurements. This ASU also added additional requirements regarding changes in unrealized gains and losses for the period included in other comprehensive (loss) income for recurring Level 3 fair value measurements held at the end of the reporting period and the range and weighted average of significant unobservable inputs used to develop Level 3 fair value measurements. We have evaluated and adopted this guidance effective January 1, 2020. The adoption did not significantly impact the presentation of our financial condition, results of operations and disclosures.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. The amendments in this ASU require a financial asset measured at amortized cost basis to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected and credit losses relating to available-for-sale debt securities to be recorded through an allowance for credit losses. The standard replaces today’s “incurred loss” approach with an “expected loss” model for instruments measured at amortized cost. We completed the assessment of our evaluation of the new standard on our accounting policies and adopted this guidance effective January 1, 2020 using a modified retrospective approach without restating prior comparative periods. The adoption of this guidance did not significantly impact the presentation of our financial condition, results of operations and disclosures.

Recent accounting guidance not yet adopted

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. The amendments in this ASU simplify the accounting for income taxes by removing the following exceptions: the exception to the incremental approach for intraperiod tax allocation when there is a loss from continuing operations and income or a gain from other items, the exception to the requirement to recognize a deferred tax liability for equity method investments when a foreign subsidiary becomes an equity method investment, the exception to the ability not to recognize a deferred tax liability for a foreign subsidiary when a foreign equity method investment becomes a subsidiary and the exception to the general methodology for calculating income taxes in an interim period when a year-to-date loss exceeds the anticipated loss for the year. The amendments in this ASU also simplify the accounting for income taxes by requiring that an entity recognize a franchise tax (or similar tax) that is partially based on income as an income-based tax and account for any incremental amount incurred as a non-income-based tax, requiring that an entity evaluate when a step up in the tax basis of goodwill should be considered part of the business combination in which the goodwill recorded for US GAAP purposes was originally recognized and when it should be considered a separate transaction, specifying that an entity is not required to allocate the consolidated amount of current and deferred tax expense to a legal entity that is not subject to tax in its separate financial statements with some exceptions, requiring that an entity reflect the effect of an enacted change in tax laws or rates in the annual effective tax rate computation in the interim period that includes the enactment date and making minor codification improvements for income taxes related to employee stock ownership plans. For all public business entities, ASU 2019-12 is effective for annual periods and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2020; early adoption is permitted for public organizations for which financial statements have not yet been issued. We are currently evaluating this guidance and the impact on the presentation of our financial condition, results of operations and disclosures.

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In the table above, unrealized holding gains (losses) relate to short-term investments that have been in a continuous unrealized gain (loss) position for less than one year.

Our non-governmental debt securities primarily consist of commercial paper and certificates of deposit. Our treasury and federal agencies primarily consist of U.S. Treasury bills and federal home loan debt securities. We do not intend to sell our investments in these securities prior to maturity and it is not likely that we will be required to sell these investments before recovery of the amortized cost basis.  

Fair Value Measurements

FASB ASC Topic 820 – Fair Value Measurements establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. These tiers include: Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets; Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable; and Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions.

As of March 31, 2020, we held investments that are required to be measured at fair value on a recurring basis. These investments (available-for-sale) consist of municipal bonds, non-governmental debt securities and treasury and federal agencies securities. Available for sale securities included in Level 1 are valued at quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities. Available for sale securities included in Level 2 are estimated based on observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities, such as quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in inactive markets or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

Investments measured at fair value on a recurring basis subject to the disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 820 – Fair Value Measurements at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 were as follows (dollars in thousands):

Equity Method Investment

Our investment in an equity affiliate, which is recorded within other noncurrent assets on our condensed consolidated balance sheets, represents an international investment in a private company. As of March 31, 2020, our investment in an equity affiliate equated to a 30.7%, or $2.7 million, non-controlling interest in CCKF, a Dublin-based educational technology company providing intelligent systems to power the delivery of individualized and personalized learning.

During each of the quarters ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, we recorded less than $0.1 million of gain related to our proportionate investment in CCKF within miscellaneous (expense) income on our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income.

We make periodic operating maintenance payments related to proprietary rights that we use in our intellipath^® personalized learning technology. The total fees paid during the quarters ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 were as follows (dollars in thousands):

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(1)During the first quarter of 2020, the Company prepaid approximately $1.4 million of maintenance payments, of which approximately $0.4 million was recognized as expense during the current quarter.

Credit Agreement

On December 27, 2018, the Company; its wholly-owned subsidiary, CEC Educational Services, LLC; and the subsidiary guarantors thereunder, entered into a credit agreement with BMO Harris Bank N.A., in its capacities as the sole lender, the letter of credit issuer thereunder and the administrative agent for the lenders which from time to time may be parties to the credit agreement. The credit agreement provides the Company with the benefit of a $50.0 million revolving credit facility and is scheduled to mature on January 20, 2022. The loans and letter of credit obligations under the credit agreement are required to be 100% secured with cash and marketable securities deposited with the bank. As of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, there were no outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility.

__________________

(3)  AIU includes revenue related to the Trident acquisition commencing on the March 2, 2020 date of acquisition.

Performance Obligations

Our revenue, which is derived primarily from academic programs taught to students who attend our institutions, is generally segregated into two categories: (1) tuition and fees, and (2) other. Tuition and fees represent costs to our students for educational services provided by our institutions. Our institutions charge tuition and fees at varying amounts, depending on the institution, the type of program and specific curriculum. Our institutions bill students a single charge that covers tuition, fees and required program materials, such as textbooks and supplies, which we treat as a single performance obligation. Generally, we bill student tuition at the beginning of each academic term, and recognize the tuition as revenue on a straight-line basis over the academic term, which includes any applicable externship period. As part of a student’s course of instruction, certain fees, such as technology fees and graduation fees, are billed to students. These fees are earned over the applicable term and are not considered separate performance obligations.

Other revenue, which consists primarily of contract training revenue and bookstore sales, is billed and recognized as goods are delivered or services are performed. Contract training revenue results from individual training courses that are stand-alone courses and not part of a degree or certificate program. Bookstore sales are primarily initiated by the student and are not included in the enrollment

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agreement at the onset of a student’s entrance to the institution. These types of sales constitute a separate performance obligation from classroom instruction.

Our institutions’ academic year is generally at least 30 weeks in length but varies both by institution and program of study and is divided by academic terms. Academic terms are determined by regulatory requirements mandated by the federal government and/or applicable accrediting body, which also vary by institution and program. Academic terms are determined by start dates, which vary by institution and program and are generally 8 – 12 weeks in length.

Contract Assets

For each term, the portion of tuition and fee payments received from students but not yet earned is recorded as deferred revenue and reported as a current liability on our condensed consolidated balance sheets, as we expect to earn these revenues within the next year. A contract asset is recorded for each student for the current term for which they are enrolled for the amount charged for the current term that has not yet been received as payment and to which we do not have the unconditional right to receive payment because the student has not reached the point in the student’s current academic term at which the amount billed is no longer refundable to the student. On a student by student basis, the contract asset is offset against the deferred revenue balance for the current term and the net deferred revenue balance is reflected within current liabilities on our condensed consolidated balance sheets. For our Trident programs, students are billed as they register for courses, including courses related to future terms. Any billings for future terms would meet the definition of a contract asset as we do not have the unconditional right to receive payment as the academic term has not yet started. Contract assets related to future terms are offset against the deferred revenue associated with the respective future term.

Due to the short-term nature of our academic terms, the contract asset balance which exists at the beginning of each quarter will no longer be a contract asset at the end of that quarter, with the exception of the contract assets associated with future terms. The decrease in contract asset balances are a result of one of the following: it becomes a student receivable balance once a student reaches the point in a student’s academic term where the amount billed is no longer refundable to the student; a refund is made to withdrawn students for the portion entitled to be refunded under each institutions’ refund policy; we receive funds to apply against the contract asset balance; or a student makes a change to the number of classes they are enrolled in which may cause an adjustment to their previously billed amount. As of the end of each quarter, a new contract asset is determined on a student by student basis based on the most recently started term and a student’s progress within that term as compared to the date at which the student is no longer entitled to a refund under each institution’s refund policy. Contract assets associated with future terms remain as contract assets until the academic term begins and the student reaches the point in that academic term that they are no longer entitled to a refund.

The amount of contract assets which are being offset with deferred revenue balances as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019 were as follows (dollars in thousands):

______________

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Cash Receipts

Our students pay for their costs through a variety of funding sources, including federal loan and grant programs, institutional payment plans, employer reimbursement, Veterans’ Administration and other military funding and grants, private and institutional scholarships and cash payments. Cash receipts from government related sources are typically received during the current academic term. We typically receive funds after the end of an academic term for students who receive employer reimbursements. Students who have not applied for any type of financial aid generally set up a payment plan with the institution and make payments on a monthly basis per the terms of the payment plan.

If a student withdraws from one of our institutions prior to the completion of the academic term, we refund the portion of tuition and fees already paid that, pursuant to our refund policy and applicable federal and state law and accrediting agency standards, we are not entitled to retain. Generally, the amount to be refunded to a student is calculated based upon the percent of the term attended and the amount of tuition and fees paid by the student as of their withdrawal date. In certain circumstances, we have recognized revenue for students who have withdrawn that we are not entitled to retain. We have estimated a reserve for these limited circumstances based on historical evidence in the amount $1.1 million each as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019. Students are typically entitled to a partial refund through approximately halfway of their term. Pursuant to each institution’s policy, once a student reaches the point in the term where no refund is given, the student would not have a refund due if withdrawing from the institution subsequent to that date.

Management reassesses collectability when a student withdraws from the institution and has unpaid tuition charges for the current term which the institution is entitled to retain per the applicable refund policy. Such unpaid charges do not meet the threshold of reasonably collectible and are recognized as revenue in accordance with ASC Topic 606 when cash is received and the contract is terminated and neither party has further performance obligations. We have no remaining performance obligations for students who have withdrawn from our institutions, and once the refund calculation is performed and funds are returned to the student, if applicable under our refund policy, no further consideration is due back to the student. We recognized $0.3 million and $0.2 million of revenue for the quarters ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, for payments received from withdrawn students.

7. STUDENT RECEIVABLES

Student receivables represent funds owed to us in exchange for the educational services provided to a student. Student receivables are reflected net of an allowance for credit losses at the end of the reporting period. Student receivables, net, are reflected on our condensed consolidated balance sheets as components of both current and non-current assets. We do not charge interest or fees on any of our payment plans.

Our students pay for their costs through a variety of funding sources, including federal loan and grant programs, institutional payment plans, employer reimbursement, Veterans’ Administration and other military funding and grants, private and institutional scholarships and cash payments. Cash receipts from government related sources are typically received during the current academic term. We typically receive funds after the end of an academic term for students who receive employer reimbursements. Students who have not applied for any type of financial aid generally set up a payment plan with the institution and make payments on a monthly basis per the terms of the payment plan. For those balances that are not received during the academic term, the balance is typically due within the current academic year which is approximately 30 weeks in length. Generally, a student receivable balance is written off once a student is out of school and it reaches greater than 90 days past due.

Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, commonly known as “CECL.” This guidance impacted our accounting for the allowance for credit losses (formerly referred to as “doubtful accounts”) for student receivables.

Our standard student receivable allowance is based on an estimate of lifetime expected credit losses for student receivables. Our estimation methodology considers a number of quantitative and qualitative factors that, based on our collection experience, we believe have an impact on our repayment risk and ability to collect student receivables. Changes in the trends in any of these factors may impact our estimate of the allowance for credit losses. These factors include, but are not limited to: internal repayment history, changes in the current economic, legislative or regulatory environments, internal cash collection forecasts and the ability to complete the federal financial aid process with the student. These factors are monitored and assessed on a regular basis. Overall, our allowance estimation process for student receivables is validated by trending analysis and comparing estimated and actual performance.

Student Receivables Under Extended Payment Plans

We have an immaterial amount of student receivables that are due greater than 12 months from the date of our condensed consolidated balance sheets. As of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the amount of non-current student receivables under payment plans that are longer than 12 months in duration, net of allowance for credit losses, was $1.1 million and $1.2 million, respectively.

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Fair Value Measurements

The carrying amount reported in our condensed consolidated balance sheets for the current portion of student receivables approximates fair value because of the nature of these financial instruments as they generally have short maturity periods. It is not practicable to estimate the fair value of the non-current portion of student receivables, since observable market data is not readily available, and no reasonable estimation methodology exists.

8. LEASES

We lease most of our administrative and educational facilities under non-cancelable operating leases expiring at various dates through 2028. Lease terms generally range from five to ten years with one to four renewal options for extended terms. In most cases, we are required to make additional payments under facility operating leases for taxes, insurance and other operating expenses incurred during the operating lease period, which are typically variable in nature.

We determine if a contract contains a lease when the contract conveys the right to control the use of identified property, plant or equipment for a period of time in exchange for consideration. Upon identification and commencement of a lease, we establish a right of use (“ROU”) asset and a lease liability.

Quantitative information related to leases is presented in the following table (dollars in thousands):

Subleases

For certain of our leased locations, primarily those related to our closed campuses, we have vacated the facility and have fully or partially subleased the space. For each sublease that has been entered into, we remain the guarantor under the lease and therefore become the intermediate lessor. We have six subleases within five leased facilities with terms ranging from one to three years. We

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have recognized sublease income of $0.8 million and $1.1 million for the quarters ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, as an offset to lease expense on our unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income.

During the first quarter of 2020, we recorded $0.6 million of asset impairment related to one of our previously vacated facilities as a result of non-payment from the sub-lessee. We determined that the right of use asset carrying value was not recoverable through the end of the lease for this facility.

9. CONTINGENCIES

An accrual for estimated legal fees and settlements of $0.4 million and $7.3 million at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, is presented within other current liabilities on our condensed consolidated balance sheets.

We record a liability when we believe that it is both probable that a loss will be incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. We evaluate, at least quarterly, developments in our legal matters that could affect the amount of liability that was previously accrued, and make adjustments as appropriate. Significant judgment is required to determine both probability and the estimated amount. We may be unable to estimate a possible loss or range of possible loss due to various reasons, including, among others: (1) if the damages sought are indeterminate; (2) if the proceedings are in early stages; (3) if there is uncertainty as to the outcome of pending appeals, motions, or settlements; (4) if there are significant factual issues to be determined or resolved; and (5) if there are novel or unsettled legal theories presented. In such instances, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the ultimate resolution of such matters, including a possible eventual loss, if any.

We receive informal requests from state attorneys general and other government agencies relating to specific complaints they have received from students or former students which seek information about the student, our programs, and other matters relating to our activities in the relevant state. These requests can be broad and time consuming to respond to, and there is a risk that they could expand and/or lead to a formal inquiry or investigation into our practices in a particular state. We are subject to a variety of other claims, lawsuits, arbitrations and investigations that arise from time to time out of the conduct of our business, including, but not limited to, matters involving prospective students, students or graduates, alleged violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, both individually and on behalf of a putative class, and employment matters. Periodically matters arise that we consider outside the scope of ordinary routine litigation incidental to our business. While we currently believe that these matters, individually or in aggregate, will not have a material adverse impact on our financial position, cash flows or results of operations, these matters are subject to inherent uncertainties, and management’s view of these matters may change in the future. Were an unfavorable final outcome to occur in any one or more of these matters, there exists the possibility of a material adverse impact on our business, reputation, financial position and cash flows.

10. INCOME TAXES

The determination of the annual effective tax is based upon a number of significant estimates and judgments, including the estimated annual pretax income in each tax jurisdiction in which we operate and the ongoing development of tax planning strategies during the year. In addition, our provision for income taxes can be impacted by changes in tax rates or laws, the finalization of tax audits and reviews, as well as other factors that cannot be predicted with certainty. As such, there can be significant volatility in interim tax provisions.

The following is a summary of our provision for income taxes and effective tax rate from continuing operations (dollars in thousands):

As of December 31, 2019, a valuation allowance of $45.0 million was maintained with respect to our foreign tax credits and state net operating losses. After considering both positive and negative evidence related to the realization of the deferred tax assets, we have determined that it is necessary to continue to maintain a $45.0 million valuation allowance against our foreign tax credits and state net operating losses as of March 31, 2020.

The effective tax rate for the quarters ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 was benefitted by the tax effect of stock-based compensation and the release of previously recorded tax reserves. The effect of these discrete items decreased the effective tax rate for the quarters ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 by 1.9% and 5.6%, respectively.

We estimate that it is reasonably possible that the gross liability for unrecognized tax benefits for a variety of uncertain tax positions will decrease by up to $1.4 million in the next twelve months as a result of the completion of various tax audits currently in process and the expiration of the statute of limitations in several jurisdictions. The income tax rate for the quarter ended March 31,

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2020 does not take into account the possible reduction of the liability for unrecognized tax benefits. The impact of a reduction to the liability will be treated as a discrete item in the period the reduction occurs. We recognize interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in tax expense. As of March 31, 2020, we had accrued $1.7 million as an estimate for reasonably possible interest and accrued penalties.

Our tax returns are routinely examined by federal, state and local tax authorities and these audits are at various stages of completion at any given time. The Internal Revenue Service has completed its examination of our U.S. income tax returns through our tax year ended December 31, 2014.

11. SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION

Overview of Share-Based Compensation Plans

The Company’s 2016 Incentive Compensation Plan (the “2016 Plan”) authorizes awards of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, deferred stock, performance units, annual incentive awards, and substitute awards, which generally may be settled in cash or shares of our common stock. Any shares of our common stock that are subject to awards of stock options or stock appreciation rights payable in shares will be counted as 1.0 share for each share issued for purposes of the aggregate share limit and any shares of our common stock that are subject to any other form of award payable in shares will be counted as 1.35 shares for each share issued for purposes of the aggregate share limit. As of March 31, 2020, there were approximately 1.1 million shares of common stock available for future share-based awards under the 2016 Plan, which is net of (i) 0.8 million shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options and (ii) 3.0 million shares underlying restricted stock units, which will be settled in shares of our common stock if the vesting conditions are met and thus reduce the common stock available for future share-based awards under the 2016 Plan by the amount vested. These shares have been multiplied by the applicable factor under the 2016 Plan to determine the remaining shares available as of March 31, 2020. Additionally, as of March 31, 2020 under the Company’s previous 2008 Incentive Compensation Plan, there were approximately 1.5 million shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options and 0.1 million shares underlying outstanding deferred stock units, which will be settled in shares of our common stock if the vesting conditions are met. This plan was replaced by the 2016 Plan effective May 24, 2016. The vesting of all types of equity awards (stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and deferred stock units) is subject to possible acceleration in certain circumstances. Generally, if a plan participant terminates employment for any reason other than by death or disability during the vesting period, the right to unvested equity awards is forfeited.

As of March 31, 2020, we estimate that compensation expense of approximately $30.0 million will be recognized over the next four years for all unvested share-based awards that have been granted to participants, including stock options and restricted stock units to be settled in shares of stock but excluding any estimates of forfeitures. This amount includes expenses associated with all outstanding performance-based restricted stock unit awards as the Company currently believes it is probable that the associated performance targets for each award will be achieved.

Stock Options. The exercise price of stock options granted under each of the plans is equal to the fair market value of our common stock on the date of grant. Employee stock options generally become exercisable 25% per year over a four-year service period beginning on the date of grant and expire ten years from the date of grant. Non-employee directors’ stock options expire ten years from the date of grant and generally become 100% exercisable after the first anniversary of the grant date. Grants of stock options are generally only subject to the service conditions.

Stock option activity during the quarter ended March 31, 2020 under all of our plans was as follows (options in thousands):

Restricted Stock Units to be Settled in Stock. Restricted stock units to be settled in shares of stock which are not “performance-based” generally vest 25% per year over a four-year service period. Restricted stock units which are “performance-based” are subject to performance or market conditions that, even if the requisite service period is met, may reduce the number of units of restricted stock that vest at the end of the requisite service period or result in all units being forfeited. The performance-based restricted stock units generally vest three years after the grant date.

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The following table summarizes information with respect to all outstanding restricted stock units to be settled in shares of stock under our plans during the quarter ended March 31, 2020 (units in thousands):