SB 210 — Relating to: changes to amount of, and criteria for designating recipients of, academic excellence higher education scholarships. (FE)

- 2026 LEGISLATURE LRBa0532/1LRB-2672/1 ARG:klmJAM:cdc SENATE AMENDMENT 1, TO SENATE BILL 210 OctoberApril 16, 2025 - OfferedIntroduced by SenaOMCZYKSenators .OMCZYK , AMES , QUINN and M ARKLEIN , cosponsored by Representatives G REEN , B RILL, B.

AtJ theACOBSON locations, indicated,K amendNODL the, billK asREIBICH, follows:O'CONNOR , NYDER , SPIROS, WEARINGEN and W ITTKE.

1.Referred to Committee on Education.

PageA 2,N lineA 13:CT to repeal 39.41 (1m) (b), 39.41 (1m) (c) 3., 39.41 (1m) (c) 5., 39.41 (1m) (e) and 39.41 (8);

afterto thatamend line39.41 insert:(1) (bm), 39.41 (1m) (a) 1., 39.41 (1m) (c) 4., 39.41 (1m) (d), 39.41 (1m) (g), 39.41 (1m) (h), 39.41 (1m) (j) and 39.41 (1m) (m) of the statutes;

XSECTIONrelating 4m.to:

39.41changes (1m)to (c)amount 3m.of, and criteria for designating recipients of, academic excellence higher education scholarships.

ofAnalysis by the statutesLegislative isReference createdBureau Under current law, certain high school seniors who have the highest grade point average in their class may be eligible to read:receive an “academic excellence higher education scholarship” (scholarship) amounting to not more than $2,250 per academic year in relief of the individual’s future tuition and fees assessed at participating technical colleges, University of Wisconsin System institutions, and private institutions of higher education.

39.41The (1m)criteria (c)used 3m.to determine the selection of the individuals who will receive the scholarship differs by the number of pupils enrolled in each high school.

DesignateThe theschool board or governing body of a high school with enrollment of less than 80 pupils may nominate one senior from that high school, and the executive secretary of the Higher Educational Aids Board may designate not more than 10 individuals statewide who were so nominated under sub.that category who may receive the scholarship.

(9)However, (b)if thatthe meethigh school has more than 80 but less than 500 pupils, the requirementsschool underboard sub.or governing body of the - 2026 Legislature - 2 - LRB-2672/1 JAM:cdc SENATE BILL 210 SECTION 1 high school may designate one senior to receive the scholarship with no required nomination process or designation from HEAB, and the school boards or governing bodies of high schools with even larger enrollment sizes may designate multiple seniors to receive the scholarship relief.

(9)Under (b)this asbill, scholars.Y.the school board or governing body of a high school with enrollment of at least one pupil but less than 500 pupils may designate one senior to receive the scholarship with no nomination process or designation from HEAB.

2.The bill also clarifies that a senior eligible to receive the scholarship relief does not include a pupil enrolled in a home-based private educational program.

PageFor 5,further lineinformation 14:see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

afterThe thatpeople lineof insert:the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

XSECTIONS 14.ECTION 1.

39.41 (9)(1) (bm) of the statutes is createdamended to read:

39.41 (9)(1) (a)(bm) In“Senior” thismeans subsection:a pupil enrolled in the 12th grade in a public or private high school, a tribal school, the school operated by the Wisconsin Educational Services Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, or the school operated by the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

1.“Senior” does not include a pupil enrolled in a home-based private educational program, as defined in s.115.001 (3g).

XACTS meansECTION the2. American College Testing exam or its successor exam.

2.39.41 (1m) (a) 1.

XParentYof means a parent or guardian that, for the schoolstatutes year in which a pupil is nominatedamended underto par.read:

(b),39.41 submitted(1m) to(a) the1. department of public instruction the homeschool enrollment report required by the department of public instruction - 2026 Legislature - 2 - LRBa0532/1 ARG:klm indicating that the individual[s child will be enrolled in a home-based private educational program, as defined in s.

115.001For (3g).each high school with an enrollment of at least 80 pupils one pupil but less than 500 pupils, designate the senior with the highest grade point average in all subjects as a scholar.

S ECTION 3.

XSATY39.41 means(1m) the(b) Scholasticof Assessmentthe Teststatutes oris itsrepealed. successor exam.

(b)S ByECTION February4. 25 of each school year, a parent of a pupil who is a senior or the equivalent of a senior may nominate the pupil to be designated as a scholar by the executive secretary under sub.

39.41 (1m) (c) 3m.3.

if all of the followingstatutes apply:is repealed.

1.S ECTION 5.

The39.41 pupil(1m) is(c) enrolled4. in a home-based private educational program, as defined in s.

115.001of (3g).the statutes is amended to read:

2.39.41 (1m) (c) 4.

TheFor pupileach attainedpublic, aprivate, scoreor tribal high school with an enrollment of at least 3380 onpupils, one pupil, notify the ACTschool board of the school - 2026 Legislature - 3 - LRB-2672/1 JAM:cdc SENATE BILL 210 SECTION 5 district operating the public high school or athe scoregoverning body of atthe leastprivate 1500or ontribal high school of the SAT.number of scholars to be designated under par.

3.(a).

TheS parentECTION provides6. with the nomination any necessary documentation, as determined by the board, evidencing that the pupil meets the requirements under subds.

1.39.41 (1m) (c) 5.

andof 2.Y.the statutes is repealed.

(ENDS )ECTION 7.

39.41 (1m) (d) of the statutes is amended to read: