Changes to amount of, and criteria for designating recipients of, academic excellence higher education scholarships. (FE)
Impact
By amending how scholarship recipients are selected, SB210 aims to encourage more high school seniors to achieve academic excellence, thus promoting higher educational attainment. The changes are designed to provide clearer pathways to financial aid for students who may otherwise face administrative barriers in scholarship application processes. Additionally, there is a notable shift away from the former structure which required nominations and complexities tied to school size, fostering a more equitable scholarship landscape across varied educational institutions in Wisconsin.
Summary
Senate Bill 210 proposes significant modifications to the criteria and amounts associated with the academic excellence higher education scholarships in Wisconsin. Specifically, the bill seeks to repeal certain provisions that have historically governed how high school seniors are designated as scholarship recipients based on their academic performance. This legislation introduces a more streamlined process for designating recipients, indicating that for schools with fewer than 500 pupils, a single senior can be directly designated without a nomination, simplifying the scholarship allocation process for smaller schools.
Contention
However, the modifications proposed in SB210 are not without controversy. Some stakeholders express concerns that the removal of the nomination process, particularly for smaller high schools, could lead to unequal recognition of academic achievements. There is an apprehension that such amendments might unintentionally benefit certain students over others within the same school, particularly if the selection criteria favor specific academic performance metrics over a more holistic evaluation of student merit. The bill's implications warrant attention from educators, policymakers, and constituents committed to ensuring fair scholarship processes.
Guaranteed admission to University of Wisconsin System institutions and technical colleges and requiring high schools to prepare class rankings for certain pupils. (FE)
Required instruction in civics in the elementary and high school grades, high school graduation requirements, and private school educational program criteria. (FE)
To create the Alabama Fits All Scholarship Program; require the State Board of Education to contract with a program manager to administer the program; to authorize the program manager to establish scholarship accounts on behalf of eligible students; to prohibit a program manager from accepting scholarship funds in certain circumstances; to require fiscal safeguards and accountability measures; to require eligible schools and service providers to meet certain standards to be eligible to receive scholarship funds; to authorize the program manager to distribute scholarship funds; to require the State Board of Education to provide limited oversight of the program manager, including an appeal process for the program manager's administrative decisions; to prohibit certain regulations of eligible schools and eligible service providers; to require criminal history background information checks for employees and officers of a program manager; to provide for program funding; and to require the program manager and the board to submit reports on the program to the Legislature.