More than half the graduates from Northwest Arkansas’ largest public school districts manage to keep their lottery-backed Academic Challenge scholarships.
That’s the good news.
The not-so-good news? Future recipients of the “free money” lottery scholarships will not likely get near as much cash from the state to help pay for their education.
The lottery has had plenty of ups and downs in its administration, but underlying all that is the primary benefit and a main reason Arkansas voters authorized it: profit is invested in Arkansans who are pursing higher education.
Arkansas must gain ground on the number among its population who holdbachelor’s degrees. The state has a long way to go.
The U.S. Census Bureau says only 20 percent of Arkansas’ population holds a bachelor’s degree or higher, well below the national average of 28.2 percent.
It will be extremely challenging to “move the needle” on eliminating poverty and expanding prosperity until the state grows its educated work force. The lottery itself off ers false hope - winning millions - but the revenue it generates creates a resource by which thousands can expand their minds and earn the degree.
In Washington and Benton counties, a very respectable number of high school graduates who earned the lottery backed scholarships are keeping them as they move through their college years.
Students in college must keep a 2.75 grade-point average or better and must complete 27 hours of classes in a school year to have a scholarship renewed.
A recent study by the Oft ce of Education Policy at the University of Arkansas showed graduates from Fayetteville schools had the highest number of scholarships renewed, 67 percent. The lowest among the big cities in Benton and Washington counties came from Springdale, which nonetheless posted a healthy 58 percent renewal rate.
Bentonville’s rate was 66 percent and Rogers’ was 64 percent.
It appears the students are doing their part to a large extent.
The unfortunate news is the lottery can’t sustain the scholarships as they were originally off ered: $5,000 a year for four-year schools and $2,500 for two-year colleges.
Revenue from those betting on the losing odds of a big jackpot win has been less than anticipated and less than needed to sustain the scholarships, so lawmakers are now talking about cutting the scholarships. New recipients, under one proposal, could count on $3,300 a year in a four-year program and $1,650 in a two-year college. That’s $1,700 and $850 less, respectively, than the original plan.
Costs of higher education continue to climb, so it’s unfortunate to see the state’s primary scholarship program going the other direction.
State oftcials such as Gov. Mike Beebe and local interests such as the Northwest Arkansas Council have stressed the need not just to get students to institutions of higher learning, but to improve Arkansas’ standing when it comes to the percentage of its population that holds degrees.
We’re proud to see Northwest Arkansas students earning, and more importantly, keeping their state scholarships. We hope many of them can fi nd employment right here in Arkansas. We need them for our state’s brighter future.
One final word on lottery scholarships: State Rep.
Nate Bell, a Republican from Mena, wants to force college dropouts to repay their scholarships. We think he’s misguided. Sometimes you just have to take a chance on people’s potential, just like the state hopes people will take a chance on winning millions.
Opinion, Pages 5 on 12/20/2012