In Pennsylvania, some children enter kindergarten at 5-years-old. Some start school at 6 or 7. And some wait until age 8 to begin their education.

Currently, Pennsylvania does not require children to attend school before age 8, and students can drop out at age 17 without parental consent. But the state’s compulsory school attendance age may soon be changing to get children in school earlier and keep them there longer.

Changing the compulsory attendance age is part of the state budget proposed by Gov. Tom Wolf. His proposal would mandate that children be enrolled in some sort of school — a public district, private institution, charter school or a homeschool program — by age 6. It would also require students to attend school until age 18.

The idea seems to have some support. The House Education Committee held a hearing on legislation that would change the compulsory school age on Tuesday morning. Afterwards, committee Chairman Curtis Sonney, R-Erie County, said he expects to move the bills to the House floor at some point in the future — although he couldn’t promise they would be part of the state budget agreement, which has a rapidly-approaching June 30 deadline.

“I think the issues are minor and that we should be able to work through the issues,” he said. “I believe we have a real interest to try to work with the governor to implement this. Again, I think it’s something we can work out the details, smooth it out a little bit and get it done.”

According to state Education Secretary Pedro Rivera, roughly 14,000 students statewide dropped out of high school during the 2016-17 academic year. If the changes to the compulsory age are passed, he expects the state will see an elementary enrollment increase of 3,300 students.

During the hearing, Rivera said the current compulsory attendance age is outdated, with drop out laws passed in 1949 and the low end of the compulsory age range established in 1895.

“This antiquated requirement no longer reflects the needs of the commonwealth’s families,” Rivera said. “Raising the upper age of compulsory attendance is a significant back end measure to increase the likelihood of postsecondary attainment; however, engaging children in the crucial fundamentals of education early in life provides the basis for students to be prepared for opportunities available to them throughout their educational careers.”

Several teachers and administrators, including Richard Fry, superintendent of Big Spring School District in Cumberland County and president of the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators, said changing the compulsory attendance age will also give staff more time to form connections with students, creating lifelong learners.

“The current compulsory attendance law in Pennsylvania … is well below the minimum time needed for any student to acquire the competencies and skills necessary to be successful in life,” Fry said.

But while some educators stressed the benefits of getting children in school earlier and keeping them there longer, several homeschooling organizations raised concerns that the proposal would place an additional burden on local school districts and homeschooling families, which are required to record hours of instruction and maintain a portfolio.

“The proposed legislation would now require parents to engage in the process of filing for an additional two or three years, thus requiring additional recordkeeping and documentation,” said Angela Davis, director of support services and administration for the Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania. “It would require families to incur the additional expenses of at least two or three years of evaluations for each child in the family.”

Opponents also voiced worries that the legislation would take away parental choice, forcing parents to enroll their child in a program before the child is prepared to attend school. Ellen Kramer, co-founder of the Catholic Homeschoolers of Pennsylvania, also noted that children are usually already being educated by parents before attending school.

“If ‘educational neglect’ is occurring, that is not an education issue,” she said. “It’s a parenting issue.”

But Rivera said the proposal would not prevent parents from choosing the best option for their children. If a child wasn’t ready to attend school in a classroom setting, families could explore alternate options, like homeschooling.

“This would require that a school age child receive some form of education,” Rivera said. “There are homeschool options, there are private options, there are independent options and then there is the public school option, so all of those options would remain on the table.”