Homeschool Opportunity Scholarship bill saved by compromise
A last-minute compromise saved a bill making it easier for homeschooled students to receive the state’s Opportunity Scholarship.
That merit scholarship is given to high school students who achieve a 24 on their ACT and take a rigorous course load. Starting in July, students without the course load will be able to receive the scholarship by earning a 28 on the ACT.
Advocates for homeschooled students said that was unfair because those students didn’t have the opportunity to take those courses like students at public or private schools. They proposed a bill letting homeschooled students receive the Opportunity Scholarship with a 24 on the ACT.
But on Wednesday that proposal ran into resistance from lawmakers who saw it as making the scholarship easier for homeschoolers than for traditional students. It fell a single vote short of passage in the House.
Reviving the bill on Thursday, sponsor Rep. Lance Russell offered a compromise amendment: homeschooled students could get the scholarship with a 26 on the ACT.
That change was enough to persuade five representatives to switch from no to yes, overcoming three supporters who became opponents.
The proposal, House Bill 1128, now heads to the Senate.
Here are the lawmakers who switched sides from the first vote to the second vote:
From “yes” to “no”: Hickey, Schremmp, Feickert
From “no” to “yes”: Bolin, Magstadt, Sly, Werner, Conzet
