State Rep. Aaron Miller, of Sturgis, was joined Thursday by two intermediate school district superintendents in testifying before the House Education Reform Committee in support of legislation to expand the scope of eligible institutions for post-secondary education for dual enrollment purposes.

“Our commitment to high school dual enrollments should not be dictated by a state’s boundary where it makes sense,” said Miller. “Several school districts border another state and we’re limiting students’ opportunities in advanced courses by what can be an invisible line on a map. That should not happen.”

Also speaking before the committee were Brent Holcomb, superintendent of the Lewis Cass Intermediate School District in Cass County, which includes six school districts; and Stephen McNew, superintendent of the Monroe County Intermediate School District, which includes 13 school districts.

House Bill 4735 amends the Postsecondary Enrollment Options Act, allowing students enrolled in a public, charter or private school district to have dual enrollment with an out-of-state college for advanced or post-secondary courses for college credit. The bill specifies that the out-of-state facility must be within 20 miles of the shared border.

“Without this legislation, several schools in my district cannot go south to expand their students’ education, but the nearest comparable Michigan school can be further away,” Miller said. “This is about fairness and not being boxed in by borders.”

The committee did not vote on the legislation that day.