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Committee advances bill to prioritize online course funding for isolated rural schools
Summary
Senate Bill 35, which would direct the State Board to prioritize funding for a statewide online education program to increase access to advanced coursework in geographically isolated and understaffed schools, received a favorable recommendation from the Senate Education Committee.
The Senate Education Committee voted unanimously to advance Senate Bill 35, a committee bill aimed at prioritizing funding for the Statewide Online Education Program (SOEP) to expand access to higher-level courses for students in schools that lack staff or geographic access to qualified instructors.
The sponsor said many rural schools lack personnel or resources to offer Advanced Placement or concurrent-enrollment courses. SB 35 would require the State Board of Education to establish priority criteria for distributing SOEP funds, ranking schools by factors including current access to college and career readiness programs, geographic isolation, staff capacity and financial constraints.
Sponsor testimony said the change is intended to direct limited SOEP funding to schools that cannot otherwise provide those classes without jeopardizing local district budgets. The sponsor described the bill as a narrowing and prioritization of existing mechanisms rather than creating a new statewide program.
Senator Reby moved to give SB 35 a favorable recommendation. The committee chair called the voice vote and recorded the motion as unanimous; the bill will proceed to the full Senate for further consideration.
