Senate Education committee advances HB 175 to expand advanced-opportunity access for homeschoolers

The Senate Education Committee voted to send House Bill 175, as amended, to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation after a brief presentation and limited questioning.

Senator Janie Ward Engle King, District 18 senator, who presented the measure, said the bill "is the advanced opportunity and how we, deal with, students, both homeschoolers, public school students, and private school students, how they access Opportunity Scholarship money." She told the committee the bill does three primary things: it gives homeschoolers a pathway to access the program directly through community colleges; it clarifies that students may take college entrance exams more than once; and it makes technical edits to align administration between public and private school advanced-opportunity programs.

On the homeschool provision, Ward Engle King said the change would let the State Department of Education send scholarship money directly to community colleges so homeschooled students can "get themselves registered" without routing through a local public school. Senator Markley asked how homeschoolers who do not go through a local high school would access information about the program; Ward Engle King replied they may still go through traditional public or charter schools but that some families prefer to apply directly through a community college.

Ward Engle King said the bill also clarifies that students can retake college entrance exams if needed, noting that some institutions again require tests after a period of test-optional admissions. She described a technical edit replacing the phrase "tuition and fees" with "educational costs" to align with existing Opportunity Scholarship code. She also said the State Department of Education added a requirement that private-school students consult a counselor after earning 15 credits through the advanced-opportunity program to confirm the credits are leading toward a career pathway.

There was a short exchange about the program dollar limits. Ward Engle King said the limit had been raised last year but misspoke when reciting the figure; the precise current cap was not specified during the committee hearing.

After presentation and brief questions, a motion was made and seconded to send HB 175, as amended, to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation. The committee approved the motion by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript. The committee chair noted the panel will meet again the next day.

Questions from committee members focused on program access for homeschoolers and who would administer funds; no public testimony was offered during the hearing.