2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
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2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 210
April 23, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives GREEN, BRILL, B. JACOBSON,
KNODL, KREIBICH, O'CONNOR, SPIROS, SWEARINGEN, SNYDER and WITTKE,
cosponsored by Senators TOMCZYK, JAMES, QUINN and MARKLEIN. Referred to
Committee on Education.
***AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***
AN ACT to repeal 39.41 (1m) (b), 39.41 (1m) (c) 3., 39.41 (1m) (c) 5., 39.41 (1m)
(e) and 39.41 (8); to amend 39.41 (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; relating to: changes to amount of, and criteria for designating
recipients of, academic excellence higher education scholarships.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, certain high school seniors who have the highest grade
point average in their class may be eligible to receive an Xacademic excellence
higher education scholarshipY (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. The criteria used to determine the
selection of the individuals who will receive the scholarship differs by the number of
pupils enrolled in each high school. The school 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
that category who may receive the scholarship. However, if the high school has
more than 80 but less than 500 pupils, the school board or governing body of the
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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.
Under this bill, 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. 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.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 39.41 (1) (bm) of the statutes is amended to read:
39.41 (1) (bm) XSeniorY means 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. XSeniorY
does not include a pupil enrolled in a home-based private educational program, as
defined in s.115.001 (3g).
SECTION 2. 39.41 (1m) (a) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
39.41 (1m) (a) 1. For 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.
SECTION 3. 39.41 (1m) (b) of the statutes is repealed.
SECTION 4. 39.41 (1m) (c) 3. of the statutes is repealed.
SECTION 5. 39.41 (1m) (c) 4. of the statutes is amended to read:
39.41 (1m) (c) 4. For each public, private, or tribal high school with an
enrollment of at least 80 pupils, one pupil, notify the school board of the school
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district operating the public high school or the governing body of the private or
tribal high school of the number of scholars to be designated under par. (a).
SECTION 6. 39.41 (1m) (c) 5. of the statutes is repealed.
SECTION 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.
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SECTION 8
SECTION 8. 39.41 (1m) (e) of the statutes is repealed.
SECTION 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.
SECTION 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.
SECTION 11. 39.41 (1m) (j) of the statutes is amended to read:
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SECTION 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).
SECTION 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.
SECTION 13. 39.41 (8) of the statutes is repealed.
(END)
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