Latest news with #Governor'sMeritScholarship
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Would you live in Ohio for 3 years for $20,000 in college aid?
(Stock photo via Getty Images) Ohio Republican state senators are proposing $20,000 to top high school students to stay in state for their higher education — but there's a catch: You have to stay in Ohio for three years after graduating from college. Senior year of high school is all about decisions, ones that 17-year-old Michelle Huang is getting ready to make. 'Everyone around me is working on applying; everyone's thinking about college,' Huang said. 'It's on the top of our minds right now.' And like a lot of students, where she goes could be chosen in part by how much financial aid she gets — which Ohio Statehouse leaders are trying to address. 'We wanted to keep our best and brightest in Ohio,' Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, said. The Governor's Merit Scholarship was passed in the Ohio House budget. Already existing, this language would extend the proposal that gives the top 5% of each graduating high school class $5,000 a year to attend a public or private school in Ohio. But the Ohio Senate made some changes in their proposal, reducing the scholarship to the top 2% of students. McColley explains that now — that money has strings attached. 'If we want to keep them in Ohio, we should actually require them to stay in Ohio post-graduation,' the Senate president said. The scholarship recipients would be required to stay in Ohio after graduation for three years. If they didn't? 'There would be an expectation that that person would have to pay back a portion or all of the aid that they received,' McColley said. Both House GOP and Democratic leaders question how this would be enforceable. 'I assume we're not going to go across the state line to Detroit and try to drag somebody back,' Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman said, noting that it would be nearly 'impossible to implement.' This is also disappointing for Huang, who already had doubts about staying within Ohio. She is only planning to apply to one school in Ohio, she said. 'After Ohio Senate Bill 1, I think a lot of us are really, really considering going out of state for school,' the rising senior said. High school students reconsidering applying to Ohio universities due to new higher education law S.B. 1 was signed into law by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine earlier this year. The new law bans diversity efforts, prohibits faculty strikes, and regulates classroom discussion of 'controversial' topics, among other things. The law applies to public universities and community colleges and is set to take effect this month. The elimination of DEI would mean no diversity offices, trainings or scholarships — including ones that Huang was hoping for. 'There are programs and there are topics that we'd be able to learn about and discuss about in other schools that we would otherwise not be able to here in Ohio,' she said. There are other ways that the state could retain graduates, she added. 'I think that the legislators should make sure that we're protecting the interests of young people by not writing bills that are upending our education system,' the high schooler said. The Ohio Senate passed its version of the state budget on Wednesday. The Ohio House and Senate will need to pass a compromise budget bill by July 1. Click here to learn more about the House's passed budget. Follow WEWS statehouse reporter Morgan Trau on X and Facebook. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers propose residency requirement for Ohio scholarship
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Governor's Merit Scholarship has already helped high-achieving Ohio high schoolers attend college in-state, and Ohio senators want to ensure those students stay after graduation, too. The scholarships give $5,000 per school year to students in the top 5% of their class who agree to attend schools in the Buckeye State. Senators continued funding for the Governor's Merit Scholarship in their state budget draft, but proposed revoking the funds if students move out of state in the three years after graduating. 'Because of this scholarship, this year, an additional 1,700 of our top students have decided to go to college in Ohio and not go to college out of state,' Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said. South-Western City Schools teachers, board clash over contract The scholarship began in 2023 as a way to incentivize high-achieving Ohio high school graduates to stay in state for college, and DeWine said 87% of students offered the scholarship this year accepted it. DeWine said before the scholarship, between 35-40% of Ohio's top high school graduates attended college in another state. He said keeping students in the state is even more pertinent because two-thirds of American students work in the state they graduate from. Now, senators want to ensure students are part of Ohio's workforce. Beginning in 2027, first-time scholarship recipients would have to commit to living in Ohio for the three years after graduation. Under the Senate's proposal, students would have to sign a promissory note that would require them to pay back the scholarships if they don't stay in Ohio. The Senate budget changes would also adjust student eligibility. In the 2025-2026 school year, Senators proposed giving the scholarship to just the top 2% of students at each high school. 'While no final language has been approved, our office appreciates the Ohio General Assembly's support of the Governor's Merit Scholarships,' a governor's office spokesperson said. 'We will continue to work with the General Assembly through the budget process.' Students from public schools, homeschooled, recovery dropout programs or chartered nonpublic high schools are eligible for the scholarship, which does not require an application. Instead, schools are given a specific number of scholarships to award to the top 5% of the graduating class by Nov. 1 of their graduating year. Students must actively accept the scholarships by March 1. Senate Bill 1 cosponsor calls Ohio State's Juneteenth guidelines an 'intentional overreaction' In the 2023-2024 school year, Ohio's most recently available data, there were just under 1.6 million students enrolled in eligible high schools. Although class sizes and circumstances vary, that would mean around 400,000 students graduate annually. In 2026, the top 5% of students would amount to 20,000 possible scholarship awardees. By switching to the top 2% of students, just 8,000 students would qualify in fiscal year 2027. The Senate budget allocates $47 million for fiscal year 2026 and $56,410,000 for 2027. This would allow 9,400 students to receive the full scholarship amount in 2026 and allow 11,282 students to receive the full amount in 2027. The scholarship gives 'up to $5,000' in case more students are eligible and nominated, which would lead to a prorated award. The Senate did not keep a change to the scholarship program included in the House budget draft that would let private, for-profit universities accept Governor's Merit Scholars if they signed a commitment to comply with Senate Bill 1. S.B. 1 is a sweeping anti-DEI higher education bill that goes into effect for public colleges at the end of June, but the Senate removed this provision. What potential fallout awaits when Ohio State sexual abuse documentary debuts Both the Senate and the House included provisions requiring all state institutions to accept students who graduated in the top 10% of their class, and any student in the top 5% of their class must be accepted to the main campus. Both the House and Senate followed a DeWine recommendation to guarantee high-performing high schoolers admission to state schools. The Senate budget requires all public universities to accept Ohio residents who graduated in the top 10% of their class. If students are in the top 5%, they must be accepted to the university's main campus. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ohio Senate budget alters the Governor's Merit Scholarship, ties funds to Senate Bill 1 compliance
College students graduating. Getty Images. The Ohio Senate's version of the state's two-year budget would reduce the number of students who would be eligible to receive the Governor's Merit Scholarship and it would come with strings attached. The Governor's Merit Scholarship currently awards the top 5% of each high school graduating class a $5,000 scholarship each year to attend an Ohio college or university. The Senate's version of the budget would reduce it to the top 2% of each high school starting with the 2027 fiscal year. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Senate also added a provision requiring students who receive the scholarship to stay in Ohio for three years immediately after graduation. Students attending graduate school would be an exception, but the expectation would remain that they would come back to Ohio for three years after graduate school, said Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, R-Napoleon. 'Part of the reasoning for that is we want to keep our best and brightest in Ohio,' McColley said. 'It stands to reason that if we want to keep them in Ohio, we should actually require them to stay in Ohio post-graduation.' If a student who received the Governor's Merit Scholarship moved out of the state within those three years after graduating, they would have to pay back a portion of the aid they received, McColley said. 'We do want some teeth to that,' he said. Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said the three-year requirement would be almost impossible to implement. 'I think it would be extraordinarily difficult to police saying you must stay in Ohio for three years,' Huffman said. 'I suppose we can try to penalize them and all that.' Todd Jones, president and general counsel of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio (AICUO), said he is open to the state's three year retention after graduation. 'We're very sympathetic to the need of the state to help retain people in Ohio who are getting financial assistance,' he said. 'We wouldn't oppose it not being there, but it's certainly a judgment call for the legislature to make on that, and we're sympathetic to their desire to keep folks in Ohio.' The Senate's version of the budget eliminated provisions the Ohio House added regarding additional requirements for private colleges to continue to participate in the Governor's Merit Scholarship. The House had added language to the budget that would have required private colleges to comply with parts of Senate Bill 1 — Ohio's new higher education law that bans diversity and inclusion efforts and regulates classroom discussion, among other things. Jones was happy that was nixed from the budget. 'It's important that we retain students in Ohio and keep our best and brightest here,' Jones said. The Senate decided to take that language out of the budget after hearing concerns from many private universities, McColley said. The Governor's Merit Scholarship was enacted through the last state budget two years ago and 76% of the state's 6,250 eligible students from the class of 2024 accepted the scholarship. Eighty-seven percent of Ohio students accepted the scholarship in its second year and 11 rural counties had a 100% acceptance rate. The Senate's version of the budget trims how much money is allocated to the scholarships. It keeps it at $47 million for fiscal year 2026, but reduces it to $56.4 million in fiscal year 2027. Gov. Mike DeWine's and the House's version of the budget allocated $70 million for fiscal year 2027. The Senate's version of the budget ties a portion of the State Share of Instruction to compliance with Senate Bill 1. 'We wanted to make sure that everybody at the university level was following through with the conditions and regulations in Senate Bill 1,' said Ohio Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland. 'We have the ability to decide how we're going to fund things. … If they are viewed as in compliance, nothing will be withheld from their SSI share, which would be their normal proportion of the SSI dollars.' Huffman said he supports tying a portion of the State Share of Instruction to compliance with S.B. 1. 'If the universities aren't going to apply state law then there needs to be some incentive to make sure that they do,' he said. House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, is against tying State Share of Instruction to compliance with S.B. 1. 'I firmly oppose S.B. 1, so tying more compliance to S.B. 1, which I think is an extremely flawed piece of legislation, obviously we oppose that portion,' she said. Senate Minority Leader Nickie J. Antonio, D-Lakewood, said she thinks the provision is outrageous. 'It's also following the pattern that we're seeing at the national level of intimidation and bullying, frankly, telling people that if you don't comply with what we say, then we'll just punish you and we'll withhold money,' she said. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio private college presidents ask to get rid of proposed changes to Governor's Merit Scholarship
Getty Images. Ohio private college presidents slammed proposed requirements for participating in the Governor's Merit Scholarship that were added to the House's version of the two-year operating budget during testimony in the Senate Higher Education Committee. The committee had four hearings on the budget, which Senate lawmakers are currently working on. The Ohio House passed the budget last month and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine must sign the budget by June 30. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Todd Jones, president and general counsel of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio (AICUO), spoke out against provisions the Ohio House added to the budget regarding new requirements for private colleges if they want to continue to participate in the Governor's Merit Scholarship, which gives the top 5% of each high school graduating class a $5,000 scholarship each year to go to an Ohio college or university. Under the new changes made in the House, private colleges would also have to accept the top 10% of Ohio's graduating class and comply with parts of Senate Bill 1 — Ohio's new higher education law that bans diversity and inclusion efforts and regulates classroom discussion, among other things. 'I want to be clear that our concerns are not about DEI and SB 1,' Jones said. 'Our concerns are about the very nature of our institutions and what it means to be a private, nonprofit institution. … When the state dictates our missions, board structures, curriculum, hiring practices, workloads, and public engagement, the autonomy that defines nonprofit institutions disappears.' Tiffin University President Lillian Schumacher said the S.B. 1 mandates would increase operational costs without improving educational outcomes. 'For many institutions, these new burdens could lead to closures, reduced financial aid, higher tuition, and a reduction in critical educational services for students,' she said in her testimony. Forcing private colleges and universities to accept the top 10% of Ohio's graduating class would create challenges for those institutions, Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education Mike Duffey said. 'Public universities have the infrastructure with branch campuses, large-scale facilities, and state funding to absorb enrollment increases,' Jones said. 'Independent institutions operate on much smaller scales.' Eight AICUO institutions function out of a single academic building, he said. 'Imposing this mandate without providing financial or logistical support places an impractical burden on private colleges,' Jones said. Being able to welcome an additional influx of students depends on various factors including the students' major, housing and financial needs, University of Findlay President Kathy Fell said. 'I know we all agree that students will not benefit from this opportunity if approbate supports and resources for success are not available,' she said in her testimony. Aultman College President Jean Paddock said the 10% acceptance mandate would not be possible in healthcare programs that are limited to a capped number of seats. 'With a nursing shortage well documented, sending our best and brightest who want to enter the healthcare field to other states is the opposite of what we want,' Paddock said in her testimony. The Governor's Merit Scholarship was enacted through the last state budget two years ago and 76% of the state's 6,250 eligible students from the class of 2024 accepted the scholarship. The acceptance rate was 100% in Hocking, Holmes, Putnam, Adams, Monroe, Noble, and Vinton counties, Duffey said. In the second year of the scholarship, 87% of Ohio students accepted the scholarship and 11 rural counties had a 100% acceptance rate, Duffey said. Ohio Sen. Jane Timken, R-Jackson Township, said she has received several inquiries from private colleges and universities with concerns about the Governor's Merit Scholarship requirements being linked to compliance with parts of S.B. 1. 'Clearly we would lose some students if they weren't able to access those funds,' Duffey said. The budget currently allocates $47 million for fiscal year 2026 and $70 million for fiscal year 2027 for the Governor's Merit Scholarship. Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio House budget requires private colleges comply with diversity ban to be eligible for scholarship
(Stock photo via Getty Images) The Ohio House's version of the two-year state operating budget added new requirements for private colleges if they want to continue to participate in the Governor's Merit Scholarship, including complying with Ohio's new higher education ban on diversity and inclusion efforts. According to language from the House's version of the budget, private colleges must automatically accept the top 10% of all high school graduates and comply with parts of Senate Bill 1 — Ohio's massive new higher education law that is set to take effect in June and only applies to public universities and community colleges. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX C. Todd Jones, president and general counsel of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio (AICUO), questioned the motive behind the bill. 'It's clearly intended to have a bigger effect and push students to public colleges or out-of-state,' he said. 'Our state needs a better workforce and there is simply no way that the public colleges alone have the capacity with the ability to attract all of the students who want to seek those degrees,' he said. The Governor's Merit Scholarship gives the top 5% of each high school graduating class a $5,000 scholarship each year to go to an Ohio college or university. It was enacted through the last state budget two years ago and 76% of the state's 6,250 eligible students from the class of 2024 accepted the scholarship. About 20% of the students who received the Governor's Merit Scholarship attend a private Ohio college, Jones said. The Ohio House kept the funds for the Governor's Merit Scholarship the same in the budget as Gov. Mike DeWine's original proposal — $47 million for fiscal year 2026 and $70 million for fiscal year 2027, according to the House's version of the budget. The House passed the budget Wednesday with a 60-39 vote and it now moves to the Ohio Senate. DeWine must sign the budget by June 30. Automatically absorbing the top 10% would be tough for private colleges since they don't have branch campuses like most public universities in Ohio, Jones said. 'Many of our colleges lack the ability to take this kind of a surge in a given year,' he said. 'They don't even have the capacity to have larger classes. They simply are physically unable to do this.' The requirements for the Governor's Merit Scholarship in the House's version of the budget includes some of Senate Bill 1's many provisions for private colleges including banning diversity efforts, creating post-tenure reviews, and requiring students to take an American history course, among other things. But some private colleges don't have any tenured faculty or may only have a handful of tenured faculty, Jones said. 'It is really about creating such burdens on private colleges, on nonprofit private colleges, that there would be no interest left in participating in the (Governor's Merit Scholarship),' Jones said. 'Why does Ohio — a state that has a desperate workforce need, that has a population problem where people are not moving here and our young people are moving away — why in the world are we quibbling for a few $1,000 to students that can get to stay here and provide for our workforce that leads to jobs?' Follow Capital Journal Reporter Megan Henry on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
