Tougher standards eyed for Millennium Scholarships

Thursday, Feb. 13, 2003 | 11:12 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- In an effort to stretch the money available for state Millennium Scholarships, state leaders are proposing tougher standards for students who attend Nevada colleges under the program.

State Treasurer Brian Krolicki proposed Wednesday that Millennium Scholarship students should be required to maintain a 2.5 grade-point average in college in order to continue receiving the money. The current requirement is a 2.0 GPA.

Krolicki also told the Senate Finance Committee the students should be required to complete their education in five years; currently, they are allowed up to eight years.

The $10,000 Millennium Scholarships are awarded to graduates of Nevada high schools with at least a B average who go on to attend a Nevada college.

The scholarship program, launched in 1999, is funded by the landmark financial settlement between the big tobacco companies and the state.

Members of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee said this week, however, the fund could run short of money by 2006, and it would be up to the state to pick up the slack from other sources.

Krolicki said his proposal would allow the tobacco money to finance the Millennium Scholarships until 2011, or possibly longer.

The suggested changes would not affect current scholarship holders, but would apply to those who start next semester.

Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, approved of Krolicki's suggestions.

"We have to demand a higher performance," Coffin said.

Coffin also said that perhaps high school graduates should be required to have a 3.2 GPA rather than a 3.0, or B average, to qualify for a Millennium Scholarship.

"It's just a thought," he said. "It's something I've been thinking about."

More than 12,000 students are currently receiving Millennium Scholarships, with an estimated $19.5 million expected to be paid out by the state this year, said Krolicki, who administers the program.

The state projects that 15,867 students will earn the scholarships next year to the tune of $25.4 million, and that 18,176 will earn them the following year at a cost of $31.4 million.

Krolicki said he would meet with the fiscal staff of the Legislature to iron out the figures and reach a consensus on their impacts on the state. He said the legislative staff, in its assessment, did not take into account such factors as some students dropping out and some eligible high school graduates not taking the scholarships.

Jeff Horn, assistant principal of Green Valley High School, said asking Millennium scholarship recipients to maintain a 2.5 GPA wasn't unreasonable.

"You need a 3.0 just to qualify (for the scholarship)," Horn said. "Research has shown if you maintain a certain GPA in high school you're likely to perform similarly in college."

Green Valley has 669 seniors with 365 of them currently maintaining the B average or better required for the scholarship, Horn said. Despite its reputation as a wealthy enclave, Green Valley has students from "all walks of life and socio-economic backgrounds," Horn said.

"We definitely have kids who will be relying on the Millennium money," Horn said.