Ohio sponsors revive Foster to College Scholarship bill, ask for $7.5 million a year

Representative Jerrels and joint sponsor Representative Sharon Rae told the committee that House Bill 25 would establish a Foster College Scholarship Fund to fill remaining college or training costs for young Ohioans who spent time in foster care after age 13 and to staff dedicated navigators and an education‑workforce liaison.

Why it matters: Sponsors said the measure would reduce barriers that keep foster youth from finishing high school and pursuing postsecondary credentials. "Today, according to the Children's Defense Fund of Ohio, 40% of foster youth in this state do not have a high school diploma," Representative Jerrels said, citing the group’s data during his opening remarks.

The proposal and its scope: HB 25 is framed as a "last‑dollar" scholarship that pays remaining tuition, fees and related costs after federal and state grants are applied. Sponsors also proposed full‑time foster care navigators to help students apply, enroll and access supports, and a liaison between the Department of Education and the Department of Workforce to keep students connected through K‑12 and beyond. Jerrels said the package would cost about $7,500,000 per year, with sponsors describing that amount as covering both liaison/staffing and scholarship disbursements when taken across the biennium.

Questions from committee members focused on program design and draft language. Representative Williams asked why the bill’s school‑transfer language refers only to public school placement and whether charter schools or EdChoice‑voucher placements should be explicitly included. Representative Richardson acknowledged the bill’s goals but asked whether the proposal sufficiently addresses basic needs—housing, transportation and food—that students said they need as much as tuition support. Sponsors said the navigator and liaison roles are intended to help identify and connect those supports and that the concept was informed by conversations with foster youth and advocates.

Appropriations and drafting: Committee members pressed staff and sponsors about how the bill’s line items are written in LSC analysis. Sponsors said the fiscal intent is that the biennial $15,000,000 total (two years of $7.5 million) would fund liaison positions across relevant departments and provide scholarship dollars, but acknowledged they will work with LSC and the departments to clean up statutory language and line items to reflect that intent.

What happens next: Sponsors said advocates and additional witnesses will testify at hearings to provide lived experience and technical detail. The committee did not take a vote; HB 25 remained at the hearing stage pending further drafting and follow‑up information requested by members.