INDIANAPOLIS — The Senate’s Education Committee heard testimony on several bills Wednesday.
Among them, House Bill 1449 would help lower-income students pay for a two- or four-year degree after they graduate from high school.
The bill calls for automatic enrollment of seventh and eighth-grade students into the 21st Century Scholars Program, which gives money for college to students on free and reduced lunch.
Right now, families are required to enroll themselves, but many don’t even realize the program exists.
The bill’s author, Rep. Earl Harris, D-District 2, said parents ask him all the time about programs to help them pay for their child's schooling.
“My first usual answer is, ‘Are they a 21st Century Scholar? Did they sign up for 21st Century Scholars?’ More than not, the parent looks at me and goes, ‘What’s that?’ and if they’re saying, ‘What’s that?’ in high school, then it’s too late,” Harris told lawmakers who sit on the Education Committee.
According to Harris, fewer than half of eligible students enroll in the program, leading to thousands of Hoosier students missing the chance for a tuition-free college education.
That would change with automatic enrollment.
“Many families don’t learn about the scholarship in time to register and their child misses out on this life-changing opportunity,” said Elia James, a mother of three children who testified she learned about the program last year on social media.
Lawmakers also heard testimony on House Bill 1382, which would create a grant program to fund more robotics teams at Indiana schools.
Right now, 30% of Indiana school districts have robotics teams. Supporters of HB 1382 say the grant program would grow that number so that at least 18,000 Hoosier students could be a part of a team.
Funding for the program would come from a partnership between the state and local industries or tech schools.
“I believe this puts industries on notice that says, ‘Look, the legislature is partnering with you. You need a pipeline of students. We need them in Indiana. Get involved corporations and fund these robotics teams,’” the bill’s author, Rep. Chuck Goodrich, R-District 29, told the committee.
Governor Eric Holcomb has also expressed support for automatic enrollment for eligible students in the 21st Century Scholars Program.