Jan. 15, 2008
Manchin's 'Stay Put or Pay Up' Scholarship Change Decried
'PROMISE' Was a Promise Says Sobonya
By Tony Seaton
Huntingtonnews.net City Editor
When the West Virginia legislature passed a bill allowing for a limited number of video lottery machines in 2001, a portion of the revenue from them was earmarked to fund West Virginia PROMISE scholarships,(Providing Real Opportunities for Maximizing In-state Student Excellence) as well as tourism, senior citizen programs and other undefined economic development projects around the state.
The West Virginia PROMISE scholarship was defined as a merit-based scholarship program designed to keep qualified students in West Virginia schools by making college tuition-free.
Now Governor Joe Manchin wants to change the rules and make the definition include a requirement that students who get the scholarships be required to work in the state after graduation or have to pay back the scholarship.
Del. Kelli Sobonya, R-Cabell has a problem with that idea.
"If we flash back a few years ago to 2001 when the Promise scholarship was created/funded with the passage of the limited video lottery bill, there was a PROMISE made to every West Virginia student that if they 'worked hard and played by the rules' they would receive a tuition-free higher education," said Sobonya, via email.
To receive a Promise Scholarship, "the rules'' a student originally had to "play by" were only that a high school senior must graduate with a 3.0 grade point average, take all core academic classes and score a 22 or better on the ACT or a combined 1020 on the SAT. College students had to maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA throughout their college career, although first-year students could retain the scholarships if they earned a cumulative 2.75 GPA.
But, says Sobonya, "They keep raising the eligibility requirements on our students and oftentimes in a student's senior year. This is a bait and switch tactic. They continue to pull the rug out from under our young people."
For 2008, one change already in effect is that a student must now take four social sciences classes instead of three, as was required last year.
Sobonya says that the promise of the PROMISE is not being kept if the legislature acquiesces to the governor's proposed change."In my opinion, the promise was made by the Legislature, prior to my election to the House of Delegates, and that original promise should be kept."
The scholarships were sold to the public on the back of the real agenda: allowing video lottery machines, says Sobonya. "The Promise Scholarship was used as the sugar coating for the bitter pill of gambling expansion. Families have put up with slots parlors in exchange for the promise made to them by the legislators who voted for it," she said. "They sold their snake oil in the form of slot parlors promising to give free college tuition in exchange for it. If they are not going to keep the promise that was originally made, then they need to get rid of the video lottery parlors."
Governor Manchin has said that his rationale for the change is to help the West Virginia economy and to retain the talent West Virginia schools put out. A near-universal question being asked, by the legislature and others is, 'what if there aren't jobs available in West Virginia to match the skills the students have acquired?'
Sobonya questions the motive for the change and highlights the reason the scholarships exist. "The Governor points out that there are other scholarships/grants that are paid back, so why not the Promise. He is correct that there are other scholarships that are paid back. However, those other scholarships were not tied to the passage of gambling and promised to the students in order to gain its passage," she wrote to HNN.
Ultimately says Sobonya, a promise is a promise. "It is wrong for us to rely on the poor to gamble away their money to pay for everyone who qualifies' scholarships. However, that is what a previous legislature created, and they must be held accountable to keep their promises made to our young people."
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'PROMISE' Was a Promise Says Sobonya
By Tony Seaton
Huntingtonnews.net City Editor
When the West Virginia legislature passed a bill allowing for a limited number of video lottery machines in 2001, a portion of the revenue from them was earmarked to fund West Virginia PROMISE scholarships,(Providing Real Opportunities for Maximizing In-state Student Excellence) as well as tourism, senior citizen programs and other undefined economic development projects around the state.
The West Virginia PROMISE scholarship was defined as a merit-based scholarship program designed to keep qualified students in West Virginia schools by making college tuition-free.
Now Governor Joe Manchin wants to change the rules and make the definition include a requirement that students who get the scholarships be required to work in the state after graduation or have to pay back the scholarship.
Del. Kelli Sobonya, R-Cabell has a problem with that idea.
"If we flash back a few years ago to 2001 when the Promise scholarship was created/funded with the passage of the limited video lottery bill, there was a PROMISE made to every West Virginia student that if they 'worked hard and played by the rules' they would receive a tuition-free higher education," said Sobonya, via email.
To receive a Promise Scholarship, "the rules'' a student originally had to "play by" were only that a high school senior must graduate with a 3.0 grade point average, take all core academic classes and score a 22 or better on the ACT or a combined 1020 on the SAT. College students had to maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA throughout their college career, although first-year students could retain the scholarships if they earned a cumulative 2.75 GPA.
But, says Sobonya, "They keep raising the eligibility requirements on our students and oftentimes in a student's senior year. This is a bait and switch tactic. They continue to pull the rug out from under our young people."
For 2008, one change already in effect is that a student must now take four social sciences classes instead of three, as was required last year.
Sobonya says that the promise of the PROMISE is not being kept if the legislature acquiesces to the governor's proposed change."In my opinion, the promise was made by the Legislature, prior to my election to the House of Delegates, and that original promise should be kept."
The scholarships were sold to the public on the back of the real agenda: allowing video lottery machines, says Sobonya. "The Promise Scholarship was used as the sugar coating for the bitter pill of gambling expansion. Families have put up with slots parlors in exchange for the promise made to them by the legislators who voted for it," she said. "They sold their snake oil in the form of slot parlors promising to give free college tuition in exchange for it. If they are not going to keep the promise that was originally made, then they need to get rid of the video lottery parlors."
Governor Manchin has said that his rationale for the change is to help the West Virginia economy and to retain the talent West Virginia schools put out. A near-universal question being asked, by the legislature and others is, 'what if there aren't jobs available in West Virginia to match the skills the students have acquired?'
Sobonya questions the motive for the change and highlights the reason the scholarships exist. "The Governor points out that there are other scholarships/grants that are paid back, so why not the Promise. He is correct that there are other scholarships that are paid back. However, those other scholarships were not tied to the passage of gambling and promised to the students in order to gain its passage," she wrote to HNN.
Ultimately says Sobonya, a promise is a promise. "It is wrong for us to rely on the poor to gamble away their money to pay for everyone who qualifies' scholarships. However, that is what a previous legislature created, and they must be held accountable to keep their promises made to our young people."
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