SENATE MAJORITY WHIP WILSON WANTS TO EXPAND
KEES FUNDING TO HOMESCHOOLERS
FRANKFORT, KY. (January 11, 2024) – Senate Majority Whip Mike Wilson, R-Bowling Green, filed Senate Bill 7 (SB7) which, if passed, will allow homeschooled children access to more Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) money, aligning them on par with other students earning KEES money from public, private or parochial Kentucky schools.
“We owe it to these kids whose parents have chosen to homeschool them the same benefit of children who have sought more traditional educational avenues in Kentucky’s accredited high schools,” said Wilson. “Maybe even more importantly, we want these bright students to feel the same sense of accomplishment their friends do when they complete high school.”
KEES money is generated through the Kentucky Lottery and provides funds to high school students based on their grades and ACT scores. Homeschooled students do not have a traditional GPA, so as much as 80 percent of KEES money isn’t available to award to them.
There are approximately 60,000 homeschooled students across Kentucky, approximately 20,000 of whom are high school students, according to testimony from the 2023 Interim.
KEES awards range from $125 per school year for a student with a 2.50 GPA to $500 for a 4.0 GPA. The ACT bonus ranges from $36 annually for a score of 15 to $500 for a score of 28 or better. That means high school students who carry a 4.0 GPA for all four years and earn a 28 on the ACT can earn up to $2,500 per year for college, while home school students are limited to the ACT bonus of only $500 per year.
In FY 2023, almost $333 million dollars, and in 2024 more than $340 million was awarded to high school students for their hard work in preparation for college. Wilson thinks it’s only fair that children who have pursued an alternative path to high school graduation, be awarded along the same standards as their public, private and parochial friends.
“Awarding homeschooled students alongside their peers is the right thing to do,” said Wilson. “Kentucky will also benefit from them remaining here for a quality post-secondary educational experience, and hopefully join our workforce after college graduation.”
The General Assembly will take up the next biennial budget during the 2024 Legislative Session, which began on January 2.
Find Senate Bill 7 and additional filed legislation at Legislature.ky.gov.
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Senator Mike Wilson, R-Bowling Green, represents the 32nd Senate District, including Logan, Simpson, and Todd Counties and southern Warren County. He serves as the Senate majority whip and, as a Senate majority leadership member, serves on the Legislative Research Commission, the Committee on Committees, and the Rules Committee. Wilson is a member of the Senate Agriculture; Economic Development, Tourism and Labor; Education; Transportation; and Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection committees. He also serves as Education Assessment and Accountability Review Subcommittee and Public Pension Oversight Board member. Wilson recently served as a 2022 Interim Early Childhood Education Task Force member.