39.415(1)(f) (f) “Senior" means a pupil enrolled in the 12th grade in a public or private high school, a tribal school, the school operated by the Wisconsin Educational Services Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, or the school operated by the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

39.415(1)(g) (g) “Tribal school" has the meaning given in s. 115.001 (15m).

39.415(1)(h) (h) “Vocational diploma" means a diploma granted to a person who has completed a 2-year, full-time program in an area designated and approved by the technical college system board for which the course requirements are established by that board.

39.415(2)(a) (a) Each school board of a school district operating one or more high schools and each governing body of a private high school or tribal high school shall develop criteria to determine the level of proficiency in technical education subjects of seniors enrolled in a high school operated by the school district or governed by the governing body and submit those criteria to the board for approval. If the board approves those criteria, the school board or governing body may use those criteria to designate seniors as scholars under sub. (3) (a) or to nominate seniors for designation as scholars under sub. (3) (b) and the faculty of the high school may use those criteria to select seniors for designation as scholars or to certify alternates under sub. (3) (d) or (e).

39.415(2)(b) (b) The executive secretary shall develop criteria to determine the level of proficiency in technical education subjects of seniors enrolled in the school operated by the Wisconsin Educational Services Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing or the school operated by the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired and of seniors nominated under sub. (3) (b) and submit those criteria to the board for approval. If the board approves those criteria, the executive secretary may use those criteria to designate seniors as scholars under sub. (3) (c) 1., 2., or 3., or to select alternates under sub. (3) (f) or (g).

39.415(3)(a)(a) Subject to par. (d), by February 25 of each school year, the school board of each school district operating one or more high schools and the governing body of each private high school and of each tribal high school shall:

39.415(3)(b) (b) Subject to par. (e), by February 25 of each school year, the school board of each school district operating one or more high schools and the governing body of each private high school and of each tribal high school may, for each high school with an enrollment of fewer than 80 pupils, nominate for designation as a scholar by the executive secretary under par. (c) 3. the senior with the highest level of proficiency in technical education subjects.

39.415(3)(c) (c) The executive secretary shall do all of the following:

39.415(3)(c)4. 4. For each public, private, or tribal high school with an enrollment of at least 80 pupils, notify the school board of the school district operating the public high school or the governing body of the private or tribal high school of the number of scholars to be designated under par. (a).

39.415(3)(c)5. 5. For each public, private, or tribal high school with an enrollment of fewer than 80 pupils, notify the school board of the school district operating the public high school or the governing body of the private or tribal high school that the school board or governing body may nominate a senior under par. (b) who may be designated as a scholar by the executive secretary.

39.415(3)(d) (d) By February 25 of each school year, if 2 or more seniors from the same high school of at least 80 pupils have the same level of proficiency in technical education subjects and, except for the limitation on the number of designated scholars, are otherwise eligible for designation under par. (a), the faculty of the high school shall select the applicable number of seniors for designation under par. (a) as scholars and shall select, in order of priority, any remaining seniors with the same level of proficiency as alternates for the scholars or, if there is no remaining senior with the same level of proficiency, any remaining seniors with the next highest level of proficiency as alternates for the scholars. If a senior from that high school who is designated as a scholar under par. (a) does not qualify for a higher education scholarship under sub. (4) (a), an alternate for the scholar with the same level of proficiency as any senior from that high school designated as a scholar under par. (a) shall be eligible for a higher education scholarship under sub. (4) (a) until the scholarship may be awarded by the board. If an alternate with the same level of proficiency as a scholar under par. (a) does not qualify for a higher education scholarship under sub. (4) (a), an alternate with the next highest level of proficiency shall be eligible for a higher education scholarship under sub. (4) (a) until the scholarship may be awarded by the board.

39.415(3)(e) (e) If 2 or more seniors from the same high school of fewer than 80 pupils have the same level of proficiency in technical education subjects and, except for the limitation of one nominated senior, are otherwise eligible for nomination under par. (b), the faculty of the high school shall select the senior who may be nominated by the school board of the school district operating the public high school or the governing body of the private or tribal high school for designation under par. (b) as a scholar by the executive secretary. If that senior is designated as a scholar by the executive secretary, but does not qualify for a higher education scholarship under sub. (4) (a), the faculty of the high school shall select, in order of priority, one or more of the remaining seniors with the same level of proficiency for nomination as a scholar or, if there is no remaining senior with the same level of proficiency, one or more of the remaining seniors with the next highest level of proficiency for nomination as a scholar, and the school board of the school district operating the high school or the governing body of the private or tribal high school shall nominate under par. (b) one or more of these seniors as eligible for a higher education scholarship under sub. (4) (a) until the scholarship may be awarded by the board.

39.415(3)(f) (f) If 2 or more seniors from the school operated by the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired have the same level of proficiency in technical education subjects and, except for the limitation of one designated senior, are otherwise eligible for designation under par. (c) 1., the executive secretary shall make the designation under par. (c) 1. of the senior who may be eligible for a higher education scholarship under sub. (4) (a). If that senior does not qualify for a higher education scholarship under sub. (4) (a), the executive secretary shall designate, in order of priority, one or more of the remaining seniors with the same level of proficiency, or, if there is no remaining senior with the same level of proficiency, one or more of the remaining seniors with the next highest level of proficiency as eligible for a higher education scholarship under sub. (4) (a) until the scholarship may be awarded by the board.

39.415(3)(g) (g) If 2 or more seniors from the school operated by the Wisconsin Educational Services Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing have the same level of proficiency in technical education subjects and, except for the limitation of one designated senior, are otherwise eligible for designation under par. (c) 2., the executive secretary shall make the designation under par. (c) 2. of the senior who may be eligible for a higher education scholarship under sub. (4) (a). If that senior does not qualify for a higher education scholarship under sub. (4) (a), the executive secretary shall designate, in order of priority, one or more of the remaining seniors with the same level of proficiency, or, if there is no remaining senior with the same level of proficiency, one or more of the remaining seniors with the next highest level of proficiency as eligible for a higher education scholarship under sub. (4) (a) until the scholarship may be awarded by the board.

39.415(3)(h) (h) Notwithstanding par. (a), if a high school of at least 80 pupils closes or merges, the school board of the school district operating the high school or the governing body of the private or tribal high school shall, subject to par. (d), for each of the 2 school years following the closure or merger, designate the same number of scholars from among the pupils enrolled in the high school at the time of closure or merger as the number of scholars designated for that high school in the school year the high school closed or merged. Any seniors designated under this paragraph shall be eligible for an original scholarship under this section.

39.415(4)(a) (a) If a designated scholar under sub. (3) is admitted to and enrolls, for at least 6 credits, by September 30 of the academic year immediately following the school year in which the senior was designated a scholar, in a technical college district school that is participating in the program under this section, the scholar shall receive a higher education scholarship in an amount not to exceed $2,250 per academic year.