As Introduced
136th General Assembly
Regular Session S. B. No. 13
2025-2026
Senator Reynolds
A B I LL
To enact sections 3301.96 and 3333.89 of the
Revised Code to establish the Foster-to-College
Scholarship Program, to require the Department
of Education and Workforce to hire a full-time
school foster care liaison, and to make an
appropriation for the Foster-to-College
Scholarship Program.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 1. That sections 3301.96 and 3333.89 of the
Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:
Sec. 3301.96. (A) As used in this section:
(1) "School of origin" means the school in which a student
was enrolled at the time of each placement into foster care. If
the student's foster care placement changes, the school of
origin is the school in which the student is enrolled at the
time of the change in placement. "School of origin" includes the
designated receiving school at the next grade level for feeder
school or zone patterns when the student completes the final
grade level served by the school of origin. When there is more
than one potential school of origin, the department of education
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As Introduced
and workforce, or school foster care liaison under division (B)
of this section, shall designate the school of origin using the
student's input.
(2) "Student placed in foster care" means a child who at
any time during an academic semester or term is in foster care,
including any child who is in the custody of a public children's
services agency or private child placing agency or otherwise
placed with a licensed foster caregiver. "Student placed in
foster care" includes a child who transfers enrollment as a
result of being returned to the child's home at the conclusion
of the child's placement.
(B) If the director of education and workforce determines
that sufficient funds are available from general revenue fund
appropriations made to the department of education and
workforce, the department shall hire a full-time school foster
care liaison. The school foster care liaison shall work with
public children services agencies, private child placing
agencies, and the department of job and family services to
facilitate services to keep students placed in foster care in
the student's school of origin or, if the public children
services agency or private child placing agency determines that
it is not in a student's best interest to remain in the school
of origin, facilitate the prompt and appropriate placement,
transfer, and enrollment of such a student in another public
school.
The school foster care liaison's specific duties include:
(1) Responding to a request from a public children
services agency or private child placing agency for input from a
school district or school concerning the determination of
whether it is in the best interest of the student placed in
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foster care to remain in the school of origin;
(2) Collaborating with the public children services agency
or private child placing agency to ensure that any necessary
transportation and services are provided for the student placed
in foster care to remain in the student's school of origin;
(3) If a public children services agency or private child
placing agency determines that it is not in the student's best
interest to remain in the school of origin, working with the
agency, juvenile probation officer, parents, guardian ad litem
or counsel for the student, and foster caregivers to ensure that
the student is enrolled in a new school immediately with
transition planning, and that the student's complete education
information and records are requested immediately by the
student's new school upon enrollment;
(4) Upon receiving the required notification and
invitation, participating in a transition planning meeting
regarding the enrollment in a public school of a student placed
in foster care from a state-licensed day treatment facility, or
hospital, or having a designee participate in the meeting;
(5) Participating, or having the liaison's designee
participate, in any interagency collaboration team or threat
assessment team centered on students placed in foster care,
which the school district or school may develop or on which the
school district or school may be invited to participate;
(6) Providing students placed in foster care with
information about the foster-to-college scholarship program
established in section 3333.89 of the Revised Code.
Sec. 3333.89. (A) As used in this section:
(1) "Chafee ETV grant" means an educational and training
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voucher program grant made pursuant to the "John H. Chafee
Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood," 42
U.S.C. 677.
(2) "Cost of attendance" has the same meaning as in
section 3333.37 of the Revised Code.
(3) "Federal need analysis" means the methodology
determined by the United States department of education to
determine the amount of a student's financial need to pay for
postsecondary education.
(4) "Institution of higher education" has the same meaning
as in section 3345.19 of the Revised Code.
(5) "Noncertified kinship care" means a public children
services agency or private child placing agency has placed a
child in the care of a kinship caregiver, as defined in section
5101.85 of the Revised Code, who has not met the requirements
for a foster home certificate issued under section 5103.03 of
the Revised Code or has chosen not to pursue that certificate.
(6) "Qualifying student" means a resident of Ohio as
defined in section 3333.31 of the Revised Code, who has been
accepted for enrollment at an institution of higher education
who has been placed in either of the following:
(a) Foster care at any time on or after the student's
thirteenth birthday;
(b) Noncertified kinship care at any time on or after the
student's thirteenth birthday and was, at any time, adjudicated
an abused child as defined in section 2151.031 of the Revised
Code, a neglected child as defined in section 2151.03 of the
Revised Code, or a dependent child as defined in section 2151.04
of the Revised Code.
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(B)(1) The foster-to-college scholarship program is
established. Under the program, beginning in the 2025-2026
academic year, each qualifying student shall be awarded a
foster-to-college scholarship based on the student's federal
need analysis. The amount of the foster-to-college scholarship
shall equal the applicant's recognized cost of attendance after
deducting all of the following:
(a) The student aid index as calculated by the federal
need analysis;
(b) The amount of any federal Pell grant award for which
the applicant is eligible;
(c) The amount of any state grant;
(d) The federal supplemental educational opportunity
grant;
(e) The Ohio college opportunity grant, under section
3333.122 of the Revised Code;
(f) The amount of any other state and federal gift aid;
(g) The Chafee ETV grant;
(h) Extended foster care benefits under 42 U.S.C. 675(8)
(B);
(i) The amount of any private grants or scholarships,
excluding grants and scholarships provided by the private
institution of higher education in which the eligible student is
enrolled;
(j) For public institutions, the sum of all institutional
grants, scholarships, tuition waivers, and tuition remission
amounts.
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(2) The foster scholarship shall be paid directly to the
participating institution of higher education in which the
student is enrolled.
(3) An eligible private institution may choose not to
participate in the foster-to-college scholarship program
established under this section. To opt out, the institution
shall provide notice to the chancellor of higher education by
the first day of September for the next academic year.
(4) An eligible private institution that chooses to
participate in the program and accepts a student's application
to attend the institution shall provide institutional grants,
scholarships, tuition waivers, or tuition remission in an amount
equal to the difference between the institution's cost of
attendance and the sum of the scholarship under this division
and the sum of the amounts in divisions (B)(1)(a) to (j) of this
section.
(C) In order to receive a scholarship under the program,
the qualifying student shall do all of the following:
(1) Complete the free application for federal student aid,
including acknowledgement of past or current foster care
placement;
(2) If eligible, complete the application for a Chafee ETV
grant;
(3) Be enrolled in courses leading toward a bachelor's
degree, a postgraduate degree, an associate's degree, an
industry-recognized credential, or a certificate of completion
at an institution of higher education;
(4) Request financial assistance in accordance with
policies set forth by the institution of higher education;
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(5) Remain in satisfactory academic standing in accordance
with the academic policies of the institution of higher
education and be making progress toward completion of the
requirements of the educational program in which the student is
enrolled.
(D)(1) Eligible students shall apply to participate in the
program in a form and manner prescribed by the chancellor. The
chancellor shall approve each qualifying student who applies and
who has a remaining cost of attendance for the period in which
the application is approved after all other financial aid for
which that applicant qualifies has been applied to the
applicant's account at the institution. The chancellor shall
approve applications in the order in which they are received.
The amount of scholarships awarded shall not exceed the amount
appropriated for that purpose.
(2) The chancellor shall pay to each institution of higher
education in which a participant who receives a scholarship
described in division (B) of this section is enrolled the amount
of the scholarship awarded under that division.
(E) The chancellor shall enter into an agreement with the
same organization engaged by the department of job and family
services to administer the Chafee ETV program to employ four
full-time employees to serve as foster care student navigators
and assist prospective qualifying students in applying for and
enrolling in institutions of higher education and the foster-to-
college scholarship program. The navigators shall work with
school district and school foster care liaisons to identify
prospective qualifying students. A navigator shall provide
guidance to prospective qualifying students with selecting
institutions and programs in which the student may wish to
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enroll. A navigator shall, at the request of a student, assist
the student with completing an institution's application for
admission, the free application for federal student aid, and, if
eligible, the application for a Chafee ETV grant.
(F)(1) The chancellor shall, in accordance with Chapter
119. of the Revised Code, adopt rules necessary to administer
this section.
(2) Notwithstanding any provision of section 121.95 of the
Revised Code to the contrary, a regulatory restriction contained
in a rule adopted under division (F) of this section is not
subject to sections 121.95 to 121.953 of the Revised Code.
Section 2. All items in this act are hereby appropriated
as designated out of any moneys in the state treasury to the
credit of the designated fund. For all operating appropriations
made in this act, those in the first column are for fiscal year
2026 and those in the second column are for fiscal year 2027.
The operating appropriations made in this act are in addition to
any other operating appropriations made for these fiscal years.
Section 3.
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A BOR DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION
BDedicated Purpose Fund Group
C5AM1235689Foster-to-College Scholarship $7,500,000 $7,500,000
DTOTAL DPF Dedicated Purpose Fund Group $7,500,000 $7,500,000
ETOTAL ALL BUDGET FUND GROUPS $7,500,000 $7,500,000
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As Introduced
FOSTER-TO-COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP
The foregoing appropriation item 235689, Foster-to-College
Scholarship, shall be used by the Chancellor of Higher Education
to support the Foster-to-College Scholarship Program pursuant to
section 3333.89 of the Revised Code.
Of the foregoing appropriation item 235689, Foster-to-
College Scholarship, a portion in each fiscal year may be
allocated to the same organization engaged by the Department of
Job and Family Services to administer the Chafee ETV Program to
employ four full-time foster care student navigators pursuant to
division (E) of section 3333.89 of the Revised Code.
An amount equal to the unexpended, unencumbered balance of
the foregoing appropriation item 235689, Foster-to-College
Scholarship, at the end of fiscal year 2026 is hereby
reappropriated for the same purpose in fiscal year 2027.
Section 4. Within the limits set forth in this act, the
Director of Budget and Management shall establish accounts
indicating the source and amount of funds for each appropriation
made in this act, and shall determine the manner in which
appropriation accounts shall be maintained. Expenditures from
operating appropriations contained in this act shall be
accounted for as though made in, and are subject to all
applicable provisions of, the main operating appropriations act
of the 136th General Assembly.
Section 5. On July 1, 2025, or as soon as possible
thereafter, the Director of Budget and Management shall transfer
$15,000,000 cash from the General Revenue Fund to the Foster-to-
College Scholarship Fund (Fund 5AM1), which is hereby created in
the state treasury.
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