- 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:
39.41 (1m) (d) By February 25 of each school year, if 2 or more seniors from the same high school of at least 80 pupils one pupil have the same grade point average and, except for the limitation on the number of designated scholars, are otherwise eligible for designation under par.
(a), the faculty of the high school shall select the applicable number of seniors for designation under par.
(a) as scholars and shall certify, in order of priority, any remaining seniors with the same grade point average as alternates for the scholars or, if there is no remaining senior with the same grade point average, any remaining seniors with the next highest grade point average, but not less than 3.800 or the equivalent, as alternates for the scholars.
If a senior from that high school designated as a scholar under par.
(a) does not qualify for a higher education scholarship under sub.
(2) (a) or (3) (a), an alternate for the scholar with the same grade point average as any senior from that high school designated as a scholar under par.
(a) shall be eligible for a higher education scholarship as a scholar under sub.
(2) (a) or (3) (a) until the scholarship may be awarded by the board.
If an alternate with the same grade point average as a scholar under par.
(a) does not qualify for a higher education scholarship under sub.
(2) (a) or (3) (a), an alternate with the next highest grade point average, but not less than 3.800 or the equivalent, shall be eligible for a higher education scholarship as a scholar under sub.
(2) (a) or (3) (a) until the scholarship may be awarded by the board.
- 2026 Legislature - 4 - LRB-2672/1 JAM:cdc SENATE BILL 210 SECTION 8 S ECTION 8.
39.41 (1m) (e) of the statutes is repealed.
S ECTION 9.
39.41 (1m) (g) of the statutes is amended to read:
39.41 (1m) (g) Notwithstanding par.
(a), if a high school of at least 80 pupils one pupil closes or merges in the 1991-92 school year or in any school year thereafter, the school board of the school district operating the high school or the governing body of the private or tribal high school shall, subject to par.
(d), for each of the 2 school years following the closure or merger, designate the same number of scholars from among the pupils enrolled in the high school at the time of closure or merger as the number of scholars designated for that high school in the school year the high school closed or merged.
Any seniors designated under this paragraph shall be eligible for an original scholarship under this section.
S ECTION 10.
39.41 (1m) (h) of the statutes is amended to read:
39.41 (1m) (h) Notwithstanding par.
(a), if a public high school of at least 80 pupils one pupil closed following the 1989-90 school year and a pupil from the closed high school was designated a scholar under this section for either of the 2 school years following the closure by the school board of a school district operating a high school that enrolled pupils from the closed high school, such school board shall designate the senior with the next highest grade point average for that school year as a scholar.
Any scholar designated under this paragraph shall be eligible for a higher education scholarship under sub.
(2) (b) or (3) (b) as determined under par.
(a), notwithstanding that the scholar did not receive a higher education scholarship for the academic year immediately following the school year in which the pupil from the closed high school was designated a scholar under this section.
S ECTION 11.
39.41 (1m) (j) of the statutes is amended to read:
- 2026 Legislature - 5 - LRB-2672/1 JAM:cdc SENATE BILL 210 S ECTION 11 39.41 (1m) (j) In the event that 2 or more seniors from the same high school of at least 80 pupils one pupil have the same grade point average and are otherwise eligible for designation under par.
(a), the school board of the school district operating the high school or the governing body of the private or tribal high school shall make the designation of the faculty of the high school for purposes of par.
(d) or (i).
S ECTION 12.
39.41 (1m) (m) of the statutes is amended to read:
39.41 (1m) (m) Notwithstanding pars.
(a), (b) (a) and (d), if a high school ranks its seniors on the basis of grades in academic subjects, the school board of the school district operating the high school or the governing body of the private high school or, for purposes of par.
(d), the faculty of the high school may request a waiver from the executive secretary in order to fulfill its requirements under par.
(a), (b) (a) or (d) on the basis of grade point averages in academic subjects.
S ECTION 13.
39.41 (8) of the statutes is repealed.
(END)