HB 298 expands Kentucky’s KEES scholarship program to include students attending Kentucky private, parochial, or church schools that are not certified by the Kentucky Board of Education. The bill creates a new category of “eligible noncertified school student” and sets out how those students can earn KEES base awards and supplemental awards beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year. To qualify, these students must be Kentucky residents, U.S. citizens/nationals/permanent residents, not convicted felons, and must complete reporting and application requirements established by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA).
For noncertified school students, the bill substitutes an “equivalent GPA” for the traditional high school GPA. That equivalent GPA is calculated from a combination of dual credit coursework and Advanced Placement exam performance, with at least two qualifying measures required. The bill also establishes AP-to-GPA conversion values and allows these students to earn the same KEES base award scale as other students once they reach an equivalent GPA of 2.5 or higher. It further extends certain supplemental awards tied to ACT scores, AP/IB exams, and Cambridge Advanced International exams to noncertified school students who demonstrate financial need under KHEAA criteria.
The bill also updates KEES eligibility and administration rules more broadly. It revises definitions, clarifies award calculations, and preserves existing provisions for students in Kentucky public schools, the Gatton Academy, the Craft Academy, model practice schools, exchange programs, military-transfer situations, and students who graduate in three years. It continues to allow KEES use for postsecondary study at participating institutions and for certain workforce pathways, including registered apprenticeships, qualified workforce training programs, proprietary school programs, approved workforce solutions training programs, and eligible colleges of art and design.
HB 298 would change state law by amending KRS 164.7874, 164.7879, 164.7881, and 164.7884 to add noncertified school students to the KEES framework and to direct KHEAA to adopt regulations for reporting, eligibility, and award administration. It would affect Kentucky students in private and religious schools that are not KBE-certified, as well as postsecondary institutions and workforce-training providers that participate in KEES reimbursement programs. The bill appears to create a new state scholarship pathway without changing the underlying KEES trust fund structure, but it would likely have fiscal implications because it expands the pool of eligible recipients.
The available context shows no recorded committee testimony or votes, so there is no documented public debate in the materials provided. Based on the bill’s structure, the likely general sentiment is supportive of expanding scholarship access and school-choice parity, while the main area of potential concern is cost and administration. The most notable point of contention is the extension of publicly funded scholarship benefits to students in noncertified private and religious schools, along with the use of equivalent GPA calculations based on dual credit and AP exams rather than traditional transcript grading.
HB 298 amends Kentucky’s KEES statutes to add a new scholarship eligibility category for students enrolled in noncertified private, parochial, or church schools beginning with the 2026-2027 academic year. It requires KHEAA to establish reporting, application, and award procedures, and it extends base and supplemental KEES awards to these students using an equivalent GPA system. The bill also updates related KEES provisions governing award amounts, eligibility duration, postsecondary use, and workforce-training reimbursements, thereby broadening the class of students and programs that can receive KEES-funded assistance.
No committee transcripts or vote tallies were provided, so there is no direct record of debate or roll-call sentiment in the supplied materials. The bill’s text suggests a generally expansionary and student-supportive approach, with emphasis on access to scholarships for noncertified school students and continued support for workforce and postsecondary pathways. Any opposition would likely center on fiscal exposure, program administration, and whether public scholarship funds should be extended to students outside KBE-certified schools.
The main policy dispute is the bill’s extension of KEES benefits to students attending noncertified private and religious schools, which may raise concerns about public funding for nonpublic education and the fairness of using an equivalent GPA based on AP and dual-credit coursework. Another likely point of contention is fiscal impact, since expanding eligibility could increase scholarship obligations and administrative workload for KHEAA. Supporters would likely emphasize equal access and alignment with school-choice principles, while skeptics may focus on cost, oversight, and whether the new equivalency rules adequately mirror traditional public-school grading standards.