The House Education Reform Committee approved legislation by state Rep. Aaron Miller Thursday, which calls for expanded post-secondary education and dual enrollment options for high school students.

“We should allow our students the best education options to help them build their own future, especially in consideration of post-high school programs,” said Miller, of Sturgis. “While Michigan has so many dual enrollment opportunities, there are still pockets of our state where the closest and most reasonable dual programs are still quite a distance away when you consider a high school schedule. We have to do what’s best for all of our state’s students, so I’m glad that committee agreed with this legislation.”

The legislation amends current law under the Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act with the specific stipulation that the out-of-state facility must be within 20 miles of the shared border for students enrolled in a public, charter or private school district.

Thursday’s vote comes two weeks after Brent Holcomb, superintendent of the Lewis Cass Intermediate School District in Cass County, and Stephen McNew, superintendent of the Monroe County Intermediate School District, joined Miller before the committee.

“We have found that several school districts in neighboring states send their students into Michigan for post-secondary education programs, which just reinforces this is good policy,”  Miller said. “This was always about our commitment to education going beyond our physical borders for the good of the state’s future.”

HB 4735 advances to the House floor for its consideration.