Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB210 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
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4	4	2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 210
5	5	April 23, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives GREEN, BRILL, B. JACOBSON,
6	6	KNODL, KREIBICH, O'CONNOR, SPIROS, SWEARINGEN, SNYDER and WITTKE,
7	7	cosponsored by Senators TOMCZYK, JAMES, QUINN and MARKLEIN. Referred to
8	8	Committee on Education.
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10	10	*AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*
11	11	AN ACT to repeal 39.41 (1m) (b), 39.41 (1m) (c) 3., 39.41 (1m) (c) 5., 39.41 (1m)
12	12	(e) and 39.41 (8); to amend 39.41 (1) (bm), 39.41 (1m) (a) 1., 39.41 (1m) (c) 4.,
13	13	39.41 (1m) (d), 39.41 (1m) (g), 39.41 (1m) (h), 39.41 (1m) (j) and 39.41 (1m) (m)
14	14	of the statutes; relating to: changes to amount of, and criteria for designating
15	15	recipients of, academic excellence higher education scholarships.
16	16	Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
17	17	Under current law, certain high school seniors who have the highest grade
18	18	point average in their class may be eligible to receive an Xacademic excellence
19	19	higher education scholarshipY (scholarship) amounting to not more than $2,250 per
20	20	academic year in relief of the individual[s future tuition and fees assessed at
21	21	participating technical colleges, University of Wisconsin System institutions, and
22	22	private institutions of higher education. The criteria used to determine the
23	23	selection of the individuals who will receive the scholarship differs by the number of
24	24	pupils enrolled in each high school. The school board or governing body of a high
25	25	school with enrollment of less than 80 pupils may nominate one senior from that
26	26	high school, and the executive secretary of the Higher Educational Aids Board may
27	27	designate not more than 10 individuals statewide who were so nominated under
28	28	that category who may receive the scholarship. However, if the high school has
29	29	more than 80 but less than 500 pupils, the school board or governing body of the
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34	34	5 2025 - 2026 Legislature
35	35	ASSEMBLY BILL 210
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38	38	SECTION 1
39	39	high school may designate one senior to receive the scholarship with no required
40	40	nomination process or designation from HEAB, and the school boards or governing
41	41	bodies of high schools with even larger enrollment sizes may designate multiple
42	42	seniors to receive the scholarship relief.
43	43	Under this bill, the school board or governing body of a high school with
44	44	enrollment of at least one pupil but less than 500 pupils may designate one senior to
45	45	receive the scholarship with no nomination process or designation from HEAB. The
46	46	bill also clarifies that a senior eligible to receive the scholarship relief does not
47	47	include a pupil enrolled in a home-based private educational program.
48	48	For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
49	49	an appendix to this bill.
50	50	The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
51	51	enact as follows:
52	52	SECTION 1. 39.41 (1) (bm) of the statutes is amended to read:
53	53	39.41 (1) (bm) XSeniorY means a pupil enrolled in the 12th grade in a public or
54	54	private high school, a tribal school, the school operated by the Wisconsin
55	55	Educational Services Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, or the school
56	56	operated by the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. XSeniorY
57	57	does not include a pupil enrolled in a home-based private educational program, as
58	58	defined in s.115.001 (3g).
59	59	SECTION 2. 39.41 (1m) (a) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
60	60	39.41 (1m) (a) 1. For each high school with an enrollment of at least 80 pupils
61	61	one pupil but less than 500 pupils, designate the senior with the highest grade
62	62	point average in all subjects as a scholar.
63	63	SECTION 3. 39.41 (1m) (b) of the statutes is repealed.
64	64	SECTION 4. 39.41 (1m) (c) 3. of the statutes is repealed.
65	65	SECTION 5. 39.41 (1m) (c) 4. of the statutes is amended to read:
66	66	39.41 (1m) (c) 4. For each public, private, or tribal high school with an
67	67	enrollment of at least 80 pupils, one pupil, notify the school board of the school
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87	87	SECTION 5
88	88	district operating the public high school or the governing body of the private or
89	89	tribal high school of the number of scholars to be designated under par. (a).
90	90	SECTION 6. 39.41 (1m) (c) 5. of the statutes is repealed.
91	91	SECTION 7. 39.41 (1m) (d) of the statutes is amended to read:
92	92	39.41 (1m) (d) By February 25 of each school year, if 2 or more seniors from
93	93	the same high school of at least 80 pupils one pupil have the same grade point
94	94	average and, except for the limitation on the number of designated scholars, are
95	95	otherwise eligible for designation under par. (a), the faculty of the high school shall
96	96	select the applicable number of seniors for designation under par. (a) as scholars
97	97	and shall certify, in order of priority, any remaining seniors with the same grade
98	98	point average as alternates for the scholars or, if there is no remaining senior with
99	99	the same grade point average, any remaining seniors with the next highest grade
100	100	point average, but not less than 3.800 or the equivalent, as alternates for the
101	101	scholars. If a senior from that high school designated as a scholar under par. (a)
102	102	does not qualify for a higher education scholarship under sub. (2) (a) or (3) (a), an
103	103	alternate for the scholar with the same grade point average as any senior from that
104	104	high school designated as a scholar under par. (a) shall be eligible for a higher
105	105	education scholarship as a scholar under sub. (2) (a) or (3) (a) until the scholarship
106	106	may be awarded by the board. If an alternate with the same grade point average as
107	107	a scholar under par. (a) does not qualify for a higher education scholarship under
108	108	sub. (2) (a) or (3) (a), an alternate with the next highest grade point average, but not
109	109	less than 3.800 or the equivalent, shall be eligible for a higher education scholarship
110	110	as a scholar under sub. (2) (a) or (3) (a) until the scholarship may be awarded by the
111	111	board.
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139	139	SECTION 8
140	140	SECTION 8. 39.41 (1m) (e) of the statutes is repealed.
141	141	SECTION 9. 39.41 (1m) (g) of the statutes is amended to read:
142	142	39.41 (1m) (g) Notwithstanding par. (a), if a high school of at least 80 pupils
143	143	one pupil closes or merges in the 1991-92 school year or in any school year
144	144	thereafter, the school board of the school district operating the high school or the
145	145	governing body of the private or tribal high school shall, subject to par. (d), for each
146	146	of the 2 school years following the closure or merger, designate the same number of
147	147	scholars from among the pupils enrolled in the high school at the time of closure or
148	148	merger as the number of scholars designated for that high school in the school year
149	149	the high school closed or merged. Any seniors designated under this paragraph
150	150	shall be eligible for an original scholarship under this section.
151	151	SECTION 10. 39.41 (1m) (h) of the statutes is amended to read:
152	152	39.41 (1m) (h) Notwithstanding par. (a), if a public high school of at least 80
153	153	pupils one pupil closed following the 1989-90 school year and a pupil from the closed
154	154	high school was designated a scholar under this section for either of the 2 school
155	155	years following the closure by the school board of a school district operating a high
156	156	school that enrolled pupils from the closed high school, such school board shall
157	157	designate the senior with the next highest grade point average for that school year
158	158	as a scholar. Any scholar designated under this paragraph shall be eligible for a
159	159	higher education scholarship under sub. (2) (b) or (3) (b) as determined under par.
160	160	(a), notwithstanding that the scholar did not receive a higher education scholarship
161	161	for the academic year immediately following the school year in which the pupil from
162	162	the closed high school was designated a scholar under this section.
163	163	SECTION 11. 39.41 (1m) (j) of the statutes is amended to read:
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191	191	SECTION 11
192	192	39.41 (1m) (j) In the event that 2 or more seniors from the same high school of
193	193	at least 80 pupils one pupil have the same grade point average and are otherwise
194	194	eligible for designation under par. (a), the school board of the school district
195	195	operating the high school or the governing body of the private or tribal high school
196	196	shall make the designation of the faculty of the high school for purposes of par. (d) or
197	197	(i).
198	198	SECTION 12. 39.41 (1m) (m) of the statutes is amended to read:
199	199	39.41 (1m) (m) Notwithstanding pars. (a), (b) (a) and (d), if a high school
200	200	ranks its seniors on the basis of grades in academic subjects, the school board of the
201	201	school district operating the high school or the governing body of the private high
202	202	school or, for purposes of par. (d), the faculty of the high school may request a waiver
203	203	from the executive secretary in order to fulfill its requirements under par. (a), (b) (a)
204	204	or (d) on the basis of grade point averages in academic subjects.
205	205	SECTION 13. 39.41 (8) of the statutes is repealed.
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