MADISON, Wi. — A bipartisan group of Wisconsin legislators has proposed waiving tuition and fees for foster children attending University of Wisconsin schools and state technical colleges, saying the children lack a permanent family when they age out of the foster system and need help to succeed.
The measure would cost the state hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition reimbursements and grants over the next two years and still result in the UW System losing tens of thousands of dollars annually, according to fiscal estimates. Still, more than a third of the Legislature’s 132 members have signed onto the bill as co-sponsors.
The Assembly’s universities committee is expected to approve the measure Thursday, clearing the way for a full vote in that chamber.
“When (foster children) age out of the system, they sometimes have no support,” the bill’s chief sponsor, Republican Rep. Todd Novak, said. “They end up either in the workforce or they end up in trouble. This is an incentive to get into school. It gives them something to strive for in high school.”
Twenty-eight other states already offer some form of post-secondary tuition assistance for foster children. Eight states provide grants or scholarships to defray tuition costs; 20 states waive tuition at varying levels.
The bill calls for eliminating tuition and fees at UW schools and state technical colleges for state residents who lived in an out-of-home placement for at least a year after turning 13; were adopted or appointed a guardian after turning 13 or were in an out-of-home placement on his or her 18th birthday. People who fit those parameters would be eligible for free tuition and fees for 12 semesters or until he or she attains a degree or reaches age 25.
The Higher Educational Aids Board would get $410,000 annually to reimburse UW and technical colleges for the lost revenue.
