The Ohio Learn and Earn Committee is introducing an amendment to Ohio Consitution that would create a huge statewide scholarship program that will, upon maturity, provide college scholarships for every Ohio high school student admitted to an Ohio college and university.
Under the Learn & Earn initiative headed for the November 2006 ballot, Ohio school children will be guaranteed college tuition support for any public or private College or University of an estimated $900 million a year. In addition, Ohio local governments would receive an estimated $200 million annually in development dollars to attract new business and local jobs.
That's $200 million in new money without tax increases, supplementing existing state appropriations. By law, members of the Ohio General Assembly will be prohibited from "raiding" the accounts, as they did with lottery and tobacco settlement funds.
The scholarship program, when fully funded, would make scholarships and tuition grants available to all graduates of Ohio public and non-public high schools who: "take core and advanced academic courses, participate in college readiness programs, assessments, and testing...."
Prior to the Learn and Earn program being fully funded, the amendment provides scholarships and uniform tuition grants to Ohio public and non-public high school students who graduate in the top five percent of their class until the Learn and Earn program is fully funded in an estimated 12-years.
After 12-years, all Ohio graduates regardless of their class ranking would join in the program and earn the scholarships and tuition grants equal to the average undergraduate tuition charged at Ohio's public universities.
In all cases, the amendment provides the scholarships and grants can be used at any Ohio public or private not-for-profit college or university approved by the Board of Regents.
The money to fund these scholarships would, by Constitutional amendment, come from restricted gaming in the form of slot machines at Ohio's seven racetracks and at two downtown locations in Cleveland.
Click here to learn more about Ohio Learn and Earn
Disclaimer: I am working as the Online Communications Director for Ohio Learn and Earn|
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