Establish the Foster-to-College Scholarship Program

As Introduced

136th
General Assembly

Regular
Session
S. B. No. 13

2025-2026

Senator Reynolds

A
BILL

To
enact sections
3301.96

and 3333.89 of the Revised Code
to
establish the Foster-to-College Scholarship Program, to require the
Department of Education and Workforce to hire a full-time school
foster care liaison, and to make an appropriation for the
Foster-to-College Scholarship Program.

BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section
1.
That
sections
3301.96

and 3333.89 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:

Sec.
3301.96.
(A)
As used in this section:

(1)
"School of origin" means the school in which a student was
enrolled at the time of each placement into foster care. If the
student's foster care placement changes, the school of origin is the
school in which the student is enrolled at the time of the change in
placement. "School of origin" includes the designated
receiving school at the next grade level for feeder school or zone
patterns when the student completes the final grade level served by
the school of origin. When there is more than one potential school of
origin, the department of education and workforce, or school foster
care liaison under division (B) of this section, shall designate the
school of origin using the student's input.

(2)
"Student placed in foster care" means a child who at any
time during an academic semester or term is in foster care, including
any child who is in the custody of a public children's services
agency or private child placing agency or otherwise placed with a
licensed foster caregiver. "Student placed in foster care"
includes a child who transfers enrollment as a result of being
returned to the child's home at the conclusion of the child's
placement.

(B)
If the director of education and workforce determines that sufficient
funds are available from general revenue fund appropriations made to
the department of education and workforce, the department shall hire
a full-time school foster care liaison. The school foster care
liaison shall work with public children services agencies, private
child placing agencies, and the department of job and family services
to facilitate services to keep students placed in foster care in the
student's school of origin or, if the public children services agency
or private child placing agency determines that it is not in a
student's best interest to remain in the school of origin, facilitate
the prompt and appropriate placement, transfer, and enrollment of
such a student in another public school.

The
school foster care liaison's specific duties include:

(1)
Responding to a request from a public children services agency or
private child placing agency for input from a school district or
school concerning the determination of whether it is in the best
interest of the student placed in foster care to remain in the school
of origin;

(2)
Collaborating with the public children services agency or private
child placing agency to ensure that any necessary transportation and
services are provided for the student placed in foster care to remain
in the student's school of origin;

(3)
If a public children services agency or private child placing agency
determines that it is not in the student's best interest to remain in
the school of origin, working with the agency, juvenile probation
officer, parents, guardian ad litem or counsel for the student, and
foster caregivers to ensure that the student is enrolled in a new
school immediately with transition planning, and that the student's
complete education information and records are requested immediately
by the student's new school upon enrollment;

(4)
Upon receiving the required notification and invitation,
participating in a transition planning meeting regarding the
enrollment in a public school of a student placed in foster care from
a state-licensed day treatment facility, or hospital, or having a
designee participate in the meeting;

(5)
Participating, or having the liaison's designee participate, in any
interagency collaboration team or threat assessment team centered on
students placed in foster care, which the school district or school
may develop or on which the school district or school may be invited
to participate;

(6)
Providing students placed in foster care with information about the
foster-to-college scholarship program established in section 3333.89
of the Revised Code.

Sec.
3333.89.
(A)
As used in this section:

(1)
"Chafee ETV grant" means an educational and training
voucher program grant made pursuant to the "John H. Chafee
Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood," 42
U.S.C. 677.

(2)
"Cost of attendance" has the same meaning as in section
3333.37 of the Revised Code.

(3)
"Federal need analysis" means the methodology determined by
the United States department of education to determine the amount of
a student's financial need to pay for postsecondary education.

(4)
"Institution of higher education" has the same meaning as
in section 3345.19 of the Revised Code.

(5)
"Noncertified kinship care" means a public children
services agency or private child placing agency has placed a child in
the care of a kinship caregiver, as defined in section 5101.85 of the
Revised Code, who has not met the requirements for a foster home
certificate issued under section 5103.03 of the Revised Code or has
chosen not to pursue that certificate.

(6)
"Qualifying student" means a resident of Ohio as defined in
section 3333.31 of the Revised Code, who has been accepted for
enrollment at an institution of higher education who has been placed
in either of the following:

(a)
Foster care at any time on or after the student's thirteenth
birthday;

(b)
Noncertified kinship care at any time on or after the student's
thirteenth birthday and was, at any time, adjudicated an abused child
as defined in section 2151.031 of the Revised Code, a neglected child
as defined in section 2151.03 of the Revised Code, or a dependent
child as defined in section 2151.04 of the Revised Code.

(B)(1)
The foster-to-college scholarship program is established. Under the
program, beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year, each qualifying
student shall be awarded a foster-to-college scholarship based on the
student's federal need analysis. The amount of the foster-to-college
scholarship shall equal the applicant's recognized cost of attendance
after deducting all of the following:

(a)
The student aid index as calculated by the federal need analysis;

(b)
The amount of any federal Pell grant award for which the applicant is
eligible;

(c)
The amount of any state grant;

(d)
The federal supplemental educational opportunity grant;

(e)
The Ohio college opportunity grant, under section 3333.122 of the
Revised Code;

(f)
The amount of any other state and federal gift aid;

(g)
The Chafee ETV grant;

(h)
Extended foster care benefits under 42 U.S.C. 675(8)(B);

(i)
The amount of any private grants or scholarships, excluding grants
and scholarships provided by the private institution of higher
education in which the eligible student is enrolled;

(j)
For public institutions, the sum of all institutional grants,
scholarships, tuition waivers, and tuition remission amounts.

(2)
The foster scholarship shall be paid directly to the participating
institution of higher education in which the student is enrolled.

(3)
An eligible private institution may choose not to participate in the
foster-to-college scholarship program established under this section.
To opt out, the institution shall provide notice to the chancellor of
higher education by the first day of September for the next academic
year.

(4)
An eligible private institution that chooses to participate in the
program and accepts a student's application to attend the institution
shall provide institutional grants, scholarships, tuition waivers, or
tuition remission in an amount equal to the difference between the
institution's cost of attendance and the sum of the scholarship under
this division and the sum of the amounts in divisions (B)(1)(a) to
(j) of this section.

(C)
In order to receive a scholarship under the program, the qualifying
student shall do all of the following:

(1)
Complete the free application for federal student aid, including
acknowledgement of past or current foster care placement;

(2)
If eligible, complete the application for a Chafee ETV grant;

(3)
Be enrolled in courses leading toward a bachelor's degree, a
postgraduate degree, an associate's degree, an industry-recognized
credential, or a certificate of completion at an institution of
higher education;

(4)
Request financial assistance in accordance with policies set forth by
the institution of higher education;

(5)
Remain in satisfactory academic standing in accordance with the
academic policies of the institution of higher education and be
making progress toward completion of the requirements of the
educational program in which the student is enrolled.

(D)(1)
Eligible students shall apply to participate in the program in a form
and manner prescribed by the chancellor. The chancellor shall approve
each qualifying student who applies and who has a remaining cost of
attendance for the period in which the application is approved after
all other financial aid for which that applicant qualifies has been
applied to the applicant's account at the institution. The chancellor
shall approve applications in the order in which they are received.
The amount of scholarships awarded shall not exceed the amount
appropriated for that purpose.

(2)
The chancellor shall pay to each institution of higher education in
which a participant who receives a scholarship described in division
(B) of this section is enrolled the amount of the scholarship awarded
under that division.

(E)
The chancellor shall enter into an agreement with the same
organization engaged by the department of job and family services to
administer the Chafee ETV program to employ four full-time employees
to serve as foster care student navigators and assist prospective
qualifying students in applying for and enrolling in institutions of
higher education and the foster-to-college scholarship program. The
navigators shall work with school district and school foster care
liaisons to identify prospective qualifying students. A navigator
shall provide guidance to prospective qualifying students with
selecting institutions and programs in which the student may wish to
enroll. A navigator shall, at the request of a student, assist the
student with completing an institution's application for admission,
the free application for federal student aid, and, if eligible, the
application for a Chafee ETV grant.

(F)(1)
The chancellor shall, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised
Code, adopt rules necessary to administer this section.

(2)
Notwithstanding any provision of section 121.95 of the Revised Code
to the contrary, a regulatory restriction contained in a rule adopted
under division (F) of this section is not subject to sections 121.95
to 121.953 of the Revised Code.

Section
2.
All
items in this act are hereby appropriated as designated out of any
moneys in the state treasury to the credit of the designated fund.
For all operating appropriations made in this act, those in the first
column are for fiscal year 2026 and those in the second column are
for fiscal year 2027. The operating appropriations made in this act
are in addition to any other operating appropriations made for these
fiscal years.

Section
3.

1

2

3

4

5

A

BOR
DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

B

Dedicated
Purpose Fund Group

C

5AM1

235689

Foster-to-College
Scholarship

$7,500,000

$7,500,000

D

TOTAL
DPF Dedicated Purpose Fund Group

$7,500,000

$7,500,000

E

TOTAL
ALL BUDGET FUND GROUPS

$7,500,000

$7,500,000

FOSTER-TO-COLLEGE
SCHOLARSHIP

The
foregoing appropriation item 235689, Foster-to-College Scholarship,
shall be used by the Chancellor of Higher Education to support the
Foster-to-College Scholarship Program pursuant to section 3333.89 of
the Revised Code.

Of
the foregoing appropriation item 235689, Foster-to-College
Scholarship, a portion in each fiscal year may be allocated to the
same organization engaged by the Department of Job and Family
Services to administer the Chafee ETV Program to employ four
full-time foster care student navigators pursuant to division (E) of
section 3333.89 of the Revised Code.

An
amount equal to the unexpended, unencumbered balance of the foregoing
appropriation item 235689, Foster-to-College Scholarship, at the end
of fiscal year 2026 is hereby reappropriated for the same purpose in
fiscal year 2027.

Section
4.
Within
the limits set forth in this act, the Director of Budget and
Management shall establish accounts indicating the source and amount
of funds for each appropriation made in this act, and shall determine
the manner in which appropriation accounts shall be maintained.
Expenditures from operating appropriations contained in this act
shall be accounted for as though made in, and are subject to all
applicable provisions of, the main operating appropriations act of
the 136th General Assembly.

Section
5.
On
July 1, 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter, the Director of
Budget and Management shall transfer $15,000,000 cash from the
General Revenue Fund to the Foster-to-College Scholarship Fund (Fund
5AM1), which is hereby created in the state treasury.