Rockefeller’s college bound scholarship signed into law

OLYMPIA – With the stroke of a pen, Washington is on its way to improving college participation rates for low-income students. Today, Gov. Chris Gregoire signed Senate Bill 5098, prime sponsored by Sen. Phil Rockefeller, D-Kitsap County, to create the college bound scholarship for qualified applicants.

“My colleagues and I recognize it is our responsibility to provide more opportunities for low-income students to achieve a higher education,” Rockefeller said. “This new scholarship builds on pre-existing state need-based tuition programs and it allows college to become a reality for many of our students.”

SB 5098 reduces barriers to higher education for low-income students and provides incentives to middle school students and their families to consider college. To be considered for the scholarship, students must pledge, during their seventh- or eighth-grade years, that they will graduate from high school with a C average and not have any felony convictions. Upon graduation, if the student’s family income at that time does not exceed 65 percent of the state median family income, the student will receive a grant worth up to the value of public sector tuition and fees, less any other state aid, plus $500 for books, for a maximum of four years. The first scholarships will be awarded to students graduating in 2012.

Currently, more than 1 million adults in the state hold a high school diploma or less. Research shows that a college education increases an individual’s earning power. According to Rockefeller, “The college bound scholarship is not only a worthwhile investment in our children, it’s a worthwhile investment in producing qualified and trained workers for our state.”

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