LINCOLN — After an emotional, four-hour debate that extended into Tuesday night, Nebraska lawmakers gave initial approval to a to attend private schools.

The vote was 31-12 to advance Legislative Bill 1402 from first-round debate, which came after the bare minimum, 33 senators, voted to halt a filibuster against the bill.

Two senators, Myron Dorn of Adams and Teresa Ibach of Sumner, voted for cloture but were “present and not voting” on advancing the actual bill.

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While opponents of the bill called it unconstitutional and a way to block a public vote on school choice, advocates said students who struggle in public schools, especially those in low-income families, deserve the option of a private or parochial school through what amounts to a school voucher.

“Every child should have access to a high-quality education, not by chance, not by privilege, but by right,” said State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha, a former member of the Omaha Public Schools Board.

The main sponsor of LB 1402, Elkhorn Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, said students from low-income families, who get priority for the Opportunity Scholarships, don’t have the same choice of switching to a private or parochial school as do children in a more affluent family.

“Why is it that we in the Legislature don’t feel that kids should have a choice?” Linehan said, pointing out that the $10 million cost of the bill is a tiny fraction of what’s spent on public schools.

‘Blatantly’ unconstitutional

LB 1402 comes up for second-round debate on Wednesday. If it passes, it is expected to be challenged, either by a referendum to put it on the fall ballot or by a legal challenge that it violates on the “appropriation” of public funds to non-public schools.

Lincoln Sen. George Dungan said LB 1402 is more constitutionally suspect than the Opportunity Scholarship Act passed by the Legislature a year ago.

Last year’s law allowed taxpayers to earmark up to half of their state income tax liability to “scholarship granting organizations” that then handed out grants to children to attend private or parochial schools, thus likely not a direct appropriation.

“This is blatantly a (state) appropriation,” Dungan, an attorney, said of the new bill.

Linehan disputed that, citing a 1984 ruling by the Nebraska Supreme Court that upheld a state program that granted scholarships to students who could then choose to attend a public or private college.

‘Straw man’ argument

“The straw man argument that this is unconstitutional doesn’t hold water,” said Dunbar Sen. Julie Slama, who is also a lawyer.

But Dungan, as well as Omaha Sen. Wendy DeBoer, disagreed, saying the money doled out by LB 1402 — unlike the scholarship funds of 1984 — can only be used for private education.

Passage of LB 1402 would nullify a referendum petition drive led by the state teachers’ union that gathered more than 117,000 signatures to place last year’s bill on this year’s November ballot. Just how passage of this year’s bill would play out — whether it would lead to the removal of the referendum from the ballot, for instance — has not yet been determined.

The head of the Nebraska State Education Association called Tuesday’s vote “a slap in the face” to those who signed the petition so that voters would have the final say on school choice.

“It is deeply troubling that Sen. Lou Ann Linehan and her out-of-state billionaires continue to try to deny Nebraskans’ right to vote on this issue,” said Jenni Benson, president of the NSEA and a leader in Support Our Schools, which organized the referendum.

The petition drive was hotly contested, with competing claims of improper tactics to collect signatures and block people from signing. to collect signatures and employ “blockers” to discourage signers.

A group financially backed by charter school proponent Betsy DeVos, a former official in the Trump administration and member of a billionaire family, was a major funder of the school choice forces.

A year ago, the State Legislature’s passage of the Opportunity Scholarship Act ended Nebraska’s status as one of only two states that didn’t offer some type of school choice. North Dakota is the other state.

1,000 scholarships expected

Under that law, more than 1,000 students are expected to receive Opportunity Scholarships averaging $5,000 each to attend a private or parochial school.

This year, however, Linehan introduced a new version, LB 1402, in large part to avoid an expensive campaign battle over the referendum placed on the November ballot to nullify last year’s law.

The new bill also eliminated the income tax break on donations to scholarship granting organizations, which Linehan said was wrongly portrayed as helping the wealthy.

Under the new bill, the state treasurer would set up a program to provide scholarships to eligible students to attend “qualified” schools. That would eliminate the middle man, the scholarship granting organizations, and aim the money directly to students.

Cost dropped to $10 million a year

On Tuesday, the senator offered more amendments intended to expand support for LB 1402. The fiscal impact of the bill was reduced to $10 million a year, instead of $25 million, and an “escalator” clause was dropped that would have allowed spending on private schooling to rise to $100 million a year.

One supporter of LB 1402, Omaha Sen. Christy Armendariz, argued that with math and reading scores suffering in public schools in her district, something needs to be done.

“We’re tripping over ourselves about what school building they’re in? We should be doing everything we can,” Armendariz said.

But opponents of LB 1402 said there were no guarantees students would do better in private schools or avoid bullying there.

Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt said private and parochial schools can discriminate, unlike public schools, by denying entrance or expelling LGBTQ students.

Bellevue Sen. Carol Blood argued that Nebraskans are asking to decide the issue of school choice at the voting booth, just as they decided the issues of capital punishment and Medicaid expansion.

“Then it’s resolved once and for all,” Blood said.

But Wayne said he considers LB 1402 a “pilot project,” that can be rescinded by future legislatures if it doesn’t work out.

Linehan agreed, adding that in other states, the battle over school choice is a “continual fight.”

“It’s not a one and done deal,” she said.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com. Follow Nebraska Examiner on and .

LINCOLN — The author of Nebraska’s new Opportunity Scholarships Act says she knows that the state tax credit for funding students attending private K-12 schools risks being rejected by voters in November.

That’s why State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha and other supporters of the school choice law drafted several bills this year to preserve the heart of the program regardless of the election outcome. Each proposal would offset the cost of a private K-12 education with state tax dollars.

Recently, Linehan settled on Legislative Bill 1402 as this session’s vehicle for the changes. She originally designed the bill to shift the scholarship program created by the Opportunity Scholarships Act to the State Treasurer’s Office and away from nonprofit scholarship-granting groups.

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Her latest amendment to LB 1402 — Amendment 3016 — clarifies that school choice supporters intend to directly allocate state funds for private school scholarships instead of steering them to outside scholarship organizations, essentially eliminating the middlemen.

Public school advocates call Linehan’s push an effort to stifle voters’ voices. The advocates contend Nebraskans don’t want public funds spent on private schools, whether through a tax credit or directly. They say the latest amendment would start a voucher program that could cut into state funding for public schools or other priorities even faster than the Opportunity Scholarships Act.

Options for kids or funding grab?

Linehan and other private school advocates say the scholarships give low-income students and their families more options. One of the largest scholarship-granting organizations, Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska, said Monday it had received 915 applications.

The group said it expects as many as 2,500 applicants by the April 30 deadline. Spokeswoman Lauren Garcia Gage said it had received calls from the families of more than 5,000 interested students, including many from families of students already attending private schools.

Linehan’s 2023 school choice law created a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for donors to scholarship-granting groups that fund tuition help for low-income students to attend private K-12 schools.

Public school advocates, including Stand for Schools Nebraska, have argued the tax credit favors the rich at the cost of the state treasury. Linehan and others say they have worked in recent years to add more funds to state aid to K-12 public schools, adding a new baseline of state aid and proposing additional aid.

Amendment 3016 would create a new program that would stand even if voters reject the original law. It does so by cutting the role of scholarship-granting organizations and donors.

“I’m trying to make sure all parents in Nebraska have school choice,” Linehan said. “Not just wealthy. … Not just those who are lucky enough to have grandparents help them.”

Linehan said she doesn’t have the $10 million she thinks she would need to fight the opposition to the Opportunity Scholarships Act at the ballot box. She pointed to opposition from deep-pocketed donors such as philanthropist Susie Buffett. Linehan said she won’t try to match public school supporters in raising funds.

“I am not going to go around raising $10 million to try and beat that when we’ve got 15 open legislative seats, and if we don’t win, then they’ll come back in and repeal it in the Legislature,” she said.

What the amendment does

Under the amendment, state funds per student would be capped at the cost of education but could not exceed 75% of the statewide average of what the state spends per student in general funds on public K-12 education.

The amendment allocates a baseline of $25 million a year and allows for annual increases of up to 25% a year, based on the total scholarship funding awarded each year, up to an annual cap of $100 million.

Taxpayers would fund the full $25 million from the beginning, at a time when the for other new programs. The Opportunity Scholarships law, by contrast, requires private parties to donate funds in order to receive the state credit.

People familiar with fundraising for scholarship organizations told the Examiner that demand has outstripped donations thus far. Many donors have to be told about the tax credit, organizers said.

Linehan confirmed last week that her amendment would pull private money out of the process and would fund the private school scholarships with an appropriation of public money, like school voucher programs do in other states, including Iowa.

If voters chose to retain the Opportunity Scholarships Act this fall, the state could be on the hook for both programs, the tax credit and a separate allocation of money for scholarships. (A different related bill would sunset the original program if a new version passes.)

Most political observers expect the ballot measure to fail because Nebraskans have rejected voucher programs in the past, and opponents of the new law are planning a campaign that will include heavy rotations of advertising.

Court fight likely

Linehan acknowledged the amendment could make a court fight with Stand for Schools and others more likely. But she said school choice advocates have case law and a conservative U.S. Supreme Court on their side.

Linehan and the school choice advocacy group Keep Kids First have said courts have allowed similar programs in other states that have similar constitutional prohibitions.

Keep Kids First, which advocates for school choice in Nebraska, has ties to the American Federation for Children and Betsy DeVos, a major political donor and former education secretary under then-President Donald Trump.

Anthony Schutz, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln law professor, is one of several legal experts who argued previously that the tax credit program might run afoul of the Nebraska Constitution. He and others said the new amendment might be even more problematic.

“Since last year, we’ve wondered whether or not we have an appropriation to a non-public school,” Schutz said.

Now, he said, “We’ve got a bill that clearly appropriates money.”

Under AM 3016, the State Treasurer’s Office would have the responsibility for overseeing the scholarship program, much like it does with Nebraska’s college savings plans. The office would have the authority under the amendment to hire a private vendor to do so.

The amendment would place the state closer to providing public money to a private school, Schutz said.

‘Shell game’ gone

Dunixi Guereca, a legislative candidate speaking for Stand for Schools, said the legal point of the scholarship-granting organizations was to create a shell game filtering public money to private schools through a third party.

Schutz said courts have thrown out constitutional provisions in other states prohibiting private school funding, ruling that those restrictions encroached on religious freedoms.

Constitutions in those states prohibited state funds from being spent on religious education.

Nebraska’s Constitution, by contrast, prohibits spending on all private schools, he said, including secular schools.

Article VII, Section 11, of the constitution says, “No appropriation or grant of public funds or property shall be made to any educational institution which is not owned and controlled by the state or a governmental subdivision thereof.”

Linehan’s amendment to LB 1402 would allow access to scholarships for families earning up to 300% of the federal poverty level, or up to $93,600 for a family of four.

Families earning less would get first dibs, including families already on means-based scholarships and those earning up to 185% of the poverty level, meaning $57,720 for families of four.

Other students prioritized for scholarships under the amendment include those on individualized education plans (IEPs) and students fleeing bullying or violence in school.

Critics point out that private schools still can refuse to educate students of their choosing, with a handful of exceptions under federal law, including a student’s race or gender.

Stand for Schools, in an internal analysis of the amendment, wrote that tying the measure to this federal law would let private schools discriminate based on a student’s disability or sexual orientation.

Annual reports

AM 3016 would require the Treasurer’s Office to file a report with the governor each  Dec. 1 starting in 2025 that spells out how the scholarships can be pursued.

The report would include the number of students receiving scholarships the previous year, the number of students wait-listed or denied scholarships and the reasons they were denied.

It would also list the demographics of scholarship recipients, including income level, grade level and location.

Observers said that similar reports have been used in other states to justify the expansion of school choice scholarships or voucher programs. It’s a way to gauge demand and popularity.

Stand for Schools says research in school choice states found that more than 70% of those who apply for such scholarships or vouchers already attended private schools or intended to do so.

Linehan and Keep Kids First have argued that means nearly a third of students who accept scholarship funds might not otherwise have been able to attend a private school of their choosing.

The amendment would let the Treasurer’s Office spend up to 7.5% of the appropriated funds on administrative costs, including on internal managers providing oversight to private contractors.

The amendment limits the state’s ability to control or influence the governance of any “qualified” school accepting the money. It cannot force the schools to keep educating scholarship students.

It includes an emergency clause, meaning it would go into effect immediately if passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor.

Who’s applying

Opportunity Scholarships of Nebraska says more than 40% of its early applicants are students of color, more than half are from outside Omaha and Lincoln and 40% are at or below 185% of the poverty level.

Jeremy Ekeler, the group’s executive director, said the new law “is already giving hope to hundreds of students.”

“We hear every day from families who aren’t eligible but wish they were. Nebraskans are recognizing what the rest of the country has already discovered: Once parents have educational opportunity, their desire for options only increases,” he said.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com. Follow Nebraska Examiner on and .

OKLAHOMA CITY — Lori Wathen always hoped her son would continue his education after high school.

But Reis, 21, has an intellectual disability, and college programs for students with his needs are often cost-prohibitive, Wathen said.

Opportunities for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities are growing in Oklahoma. Four universities in the past five years have created degree- or certificate-granting programs for these students that also assist with independent living on a college campus.

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The price to attend these programs, though, can exceed how much traditional students have to pay.

State lawmakers advanced legislation this week that could make the difference in the Wathen family’s ability to afford a college education for Reis.

The two bills would allow students with intellectual disabilities up to age 26 to access dollars from the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship fund.

Receiving students would have their tuition covered at a public in-state college or CareerTech center that offers a comprehensive transition program designed to support students with intellectual disabilities. The measure wouldn’t apply the typical credit requirements of the Oklahoma’s Promise program.

Both bills unanimously passed committee votes in the and this week. The added scholarships are expected to cost $400,000.

Wathen said the legislation could have a “huge impact” for families like hers and give her son a better chance at future job placement.

“I know personally, for my family, it would honestly be the only way Reis would be able to attend a postsecondary college program is if we had some additional financial support to offset those costs,” she said.

Families earning a household income of $100,000 or less would qualify, should either of the bills become law. The household income limit would increase to up to $200,000 if the student has been adopted.

The cost of therapy and medical needs associated with an intellectual disability often make it difficult for families to save for college, said Julie Lackey, director of the Oklahoma Inclusive Post Secondary Education Alliance.

The alliance worked closely with lawmakers and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to develop the scholarship legislation.

Existing scholarships for these students are limited, usually offering only a few thousand dollars a semester, Lackey said. Meanwhile, the college programs that accommodate intellectual disabilities cost between $23,500 and $30,000 a year.

That’s why an organization Lackey founded — Lead, Learn, Live — is raising funds to help offset the cost of tuition and fees for students who are currently enrolled.

“There is nothing as comprehensive that even touches what this (legislation) could do for students,” Lackey said.

Lead, Learn, Live helped found the comprehensive transition programs at Oklahoma State University and Northeastern State University. Giving access to full-tuition scholarships could be “life changing” for current and future students, Lackey said.

It also could put students on a path toward employment.

Of all students with intellectual disabilities who completed a postsecondary program in the U.S., 59% . That’s higher than the , 34%, for working-age adults with an intellectual disability.

The Senate bill’s author, Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore, said initial estimates indicate the state could cover the cost of her legislation without having to raise Oklahoma’s Promise funding.

Currently, 75 students are enrolled in applicable programs, she said, and they have a better shot at gainful employment once they graduate.

“This is, of course, a feel-good bill, but it also has a really meaningful, good ROI for the state,” Seifried said during a Senate committee hearing Tuesday.

When she filed a similar bill in the House, Rep. Ellyn Hefner, D-Oklahoma City, thought of her son, who has an intellectual disability. Hefner said she’s unsure if college will be right for him, but it is for other families.

Some of her son’s friends are enrolled in OSU’s Orange Opportunity Scholars program, which serves students with disabilities like his. Those students are enjoying the traditional college experience, like and playing intramural sports, along with peers who followed a more typical path.

Hefner said she hopes her bill allows more students that opportunity.

“Let’s open this up so that parents and students can decide where they want to go with the finances that they have,” she said.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on and .

The delayed release of an updated financial aid form has prevented students from knowing if they qualify for new free tuition programs at Arkansas universities.

This fall the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Arkansas State University in Jonesboro and the University of Central Arkansas in Conway each announced last-dollar scholarships, which cover what’s left in tuition and fees after federal and state aid is applied to students’ accounts.

All three institutions require students to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, which is being redesigned and should be available by Dec. 31, according to the .

The form is typically available in October, and the postponement is making Jonathan Coleman “anxious” as UALR’s director of financial aid and scholarships.

“At this point we can’t even tell students who’s eligible for it because we don’t know. The feds don’t even know,” Coleman said. “So hopefully we’ll be able to start communicating with students by mid-February, but that’s just kind of a fingers crossed, let’s hope.”

In the fall of 2024, UALR will offer the program to all freshmen who are Pell Grant-eligible and receive the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship.

Students are not required to live or work on campus or complete an additional form, Coleman said. They simply must apply for admission and the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship and complete the FAFSA form.

The scholarship will be renewable for three years, and officials anticipate awarding it to about 200 freshmen during the inaugural year. The initiative is being supported through a combination of private and institutional funds, Coleman said. This includes a $25 million gift UALR received from an anonymous donor in 2020, $15 million of which was earmarked to establish need-based scholarships.

Coleman said UALR has focused on affordability because the institution has several first-generation and low-income students. Additionally, higher education has increased nationwide and more students are selecting colleges based on affordability rather than an academic program, Coleman said.

According to a 2023 Hanover Research , 46% of surveyed students said they were very or extremely likely to enroll in an institution, but 34% of respondents with higher education doubts cited financial barriers as their primary concern.

“It’s important to give students the opportunity,” Coleman said. “Whether they come or not, it’s up to them, but it’s important that we message that they can if they want to, even if it’s for a semester…some college is better than no college, especially if we’re going to help you pay for it without student loans.”

As a first-generation student, UALR senior Joe Santana said he didn’t know how to apply for scholarships when he started college at a different institution. Because he didn’t receive financial aid, Santana took out student loans.

“My parents, they’re not wealthy,” he said. “They’re immigrants from Mexico and they’ve built everything they have from scratch, so as their first child, they wanted to give opportunities to me and I’m very grateful for them.”

The Dumas native switched to UA-Little Rock his junior year and was pleasantly surprised to receive a scholarship just for transferring. His younger brother enrolled as a freshman at the same time and received the , which offers half-off tuition for eligible students.

That scholarship can be combined with the Trojan Guarantee, Coleman said.

Having learned to navigate college and financial aid on his own, Santana said he feels it’s his duty to assist younger family members, like his cousin who’s graduating high school next year and considering attending UALR.

Santana said it’s important for colleges to advertise financial aid opportunities, especially to first-generation students, and he’s grateful assistance is available.

“I didn’t know how to apply for scholarships and I feel like that is one reason I really couldn’t have any,” Santana said. “UALR having the new scholarships, I hear almost every year it’s something new, it makes me happy because students who have a passion for school like me and didn’t have a lot of money can get a chance at school.”

Arkansas State University

Arkansas State University has launched a statewide advertising campaign promoting its new last-dollar scholarship, A-State Promise Plus.

In addition to announcing the initiative during a , the university has pushed out advertising on social media and billboards around Arkansas, including in places where people aren’t used to seeing an ASU presence, Interim Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Todd Clark said.

“We’ve got a new attitude as an institution,” Clark said. “We’re going to plant our flag in the state as well, and there are a lot of reasons why now is a good time for A-State. Now’s the time. We’ve got a lot of momentum.”

is for students whose households make less than $70,000. The “plus” part of the scholarship, Clark said, is additional funding for on-campus housing.

First-year students receive a $2,500 housing scholarship that increases to $4,500 a year for students who continue to live on campus for their sophomore through senior years.

As everyone awaits the release of the revised FAFSA form, Clark said Arkansas State is encouraging students to apply for admission and submit a .

“If students are willing to submit the CSS Profile, then we are able to determine their eligibility and can start the groundwork for putting together an award package for them, basically an estimate of what we think the Promise Plus will be for them,” Clark said. “Once we get a completed FAFSA, once it gets released, then we’ll be able to lock in their specific award package.”

University of Central Arkansas

The UCA Commitment is open to incoming freshmen at the University of Central Arkansas who are Pell-eligible or whose households make less than $100,000 annually.

Courtney Bryant, associate vice president for enrollment management and UCA commitment director, said there’s a mistrust from some students about the new program because it seems “too good to be true.” Bryant said the FAFSA delay is making it difficult to dispel those concerns.

“This time last year half of our freshman applicants had already submitted their FAFSA, while now we have zero,” she said. “And so we have this wonderful opportunity and we can direct students on what they can be doing…but we can’t definitively say you are eligible for the UCA Commitment because we don’t have all the data points.”

UCA President Houston Davis and a $10 million gift from the Windgate Foundation in September. the donation closed out the school’s capital campaign and supports UCA Commitment. He said $5 million will support an endowment for UCA Commitment and $5 million will support scholarship operations.

Bryant said the university anticipates 40% of incoming freshmen will be eligible, roughly 750-800 students. A unique component of the scholarship is its service requirement of 10 hours per semester.

While finances can be a barrier for college students, Bryant said engagement and belonging are also challenges. Research shows engaged students are more likely to be retained, so the service requirement is a way to invest in students, she said.

“The overall goal is to get them to that degree, so just the retention component is huge as far as the purpose and drive for what we’re trying to do,” she said.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com. Follow Arkansas Advocate on and .

Missouri University of Science and Technology will grant K-12 scholarships through the state’s tax-credit-based program MOScholars beginning in the 2024-2025 school year.

A nonprofit within Missouri S&T will become the seventh educational assistance organization, or EAO, in the MOScholars program. EAOs receive donations through a process overseen by the state treasurer and remit the money into scholarships for private-school and homeschool expenses.

According to emails obtained by The Independent in an open records request, Stephen Roberts, vice chancellor of strategic initiatives for Missouri S&T, shared information about the program with other administrators as early as May, describing MOScholars as a “philanthropy opportunity/vehicle.”

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He told The Independent on Wednesday that the program’s objectives align with the goals of the university and its partnered nonprofit, the Kummer Institute Foundation.

“Missouri S&T is a public land grant university, and as such has a responsibility to provide broad access to educational opportunities in the K-12 community,” he said in a statement. “The aims of the Missouri Scholars program have strong overlap with these objectives.”

Roberts wrote in a May 10 email that students could potentially use MOScholars’s $6,500 funding to pay for Missouri S&T camps or dual-enrollment programs.

Andrew Careaga, who leads the university’s communications, had the same impression in May after talking to the treasurer.

“State Treasurer Vivek Malek describes this program as an opportunity for individuals to earn tax credits by designating funds to scholarships for our summer camps if we were to become designated as an EAO,” he wrote in an email.

Roberts told The Independent that the K-12 scholarships only cover costs administered by a student’s school.

“The rules prohibit award of scholarships so that students can access educational programs offered directly by the EAO,” he said. “For a student to be awarded a scholarship, the educational programs must be offered directly by the eligible schools.”

But the idea of participating in MOScholars wasn’t enthusiastically received by all administrators.

Missouri S&T is a public higher education institution with public K-12 partnerships, such as — a program with STEM courses for high school students offering college credit. Beth Kania-Gosche, chair of the university’s department of teacher education and certification, wrote in an October email that she had a “PR concern” about participating in MOScholars.

“The other EAOs are all religious organizations,” she wrote. “We have to submit a fundraising plan as part of the application, and I have concerns about publicly connecting the STEM Center to fundraising for a controversial topic like school vouchers.”

“We partner with public schools on all of our programming,” she continued, “and if they have the perception we are raising funds for school vouchers, it’s problematic. “

Facilitators of the MOScholars program shy from the term “vouchers” because Missouri’s K-12 scholarships are not a direct state appropriation, although the program  does affect state finance. Donations made to the program, because they receive a 1:1 tax credit, come out of the state’s general fund.

Colin Potts, Missouri S&T’s provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, replied to address Kania-Gosche’s fears, but it is unclear if any resolution was reached.

“Beth, I know that you had some concerns about the wisdom of being seen to be supporting schools that have a less than rigorous approach to STEM and that this could undermine your relationships with public schools,” he wrote. “We’ll do what we can to avoid any issues of this kind.”

The application listed 11 schools the university is willing to issue scholarships to, with the disclaimer that the “list may not be inclusive.” All but one of these schools are religious.

Roberts told The Independent the program allows EAOs to grant scholarships to students with expenses in any public or private school, not just those listed on the application.

“Our intent would be to award as broadly as possible under these rules,” he said.

The university will accept applicants from Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau County, Jefferson City, Cole County,
Springfield, Greene County,
St. Louis and St. Louis County.

Missouri S&T also plans to support homeschooled students, according to the application.

The 11 schools listed on the application are: Calgary Lutheran High School, Helias Catholic High School, Immaculate Conception, Nerinx Hall, Notre Dame Regional High School, Notre Dame High School,
St. Louis University High School, St. Peter Interparish School, St. Joseph Cathedral School,
Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School and Webster County Parochial #1.

Email records show coordination between the university and the treasurer.

Mehrzad Boroujerdi, the university’s vice provost and dean of the College of Arts, Sciences and Education, wrote Oct. 30 Malek told the Missouri S&T to submit its application as though it was a nonprofit organization.

The university submitted its application Oct. 31, the day it was due, writing that a nonprofit within Missouri S&T called the will serve as the required 501c3.

Kummer Institute leaders were included in early conversations about the program, but the decision to use the nonprofit as the EAO vehicle seems to occur the day the application is submitted.

“Let’s submit the application under the Kummer Foundation which is a 501c3,” Alysha O’Neil, vice chancellor for finance and operations, wrote the morning the application was submitted.

Missouri S&T and the Kummer Institute Foundation requested $1million in tax credits for the 2024-2025 school year and plans to serve 136 students.

“I am thrilled to see the number of educational assistance organizations participating in MOScholars is growing,” State Treasurer Vivek Malek said in a statement. “We welcome the Kummer Institute Foundation and commend them for their interest in providing educational opportunities as an EAO.”

The MOScholars program is currently as it faces a lag between the school year and donations, prompting some EAOs to loan their own money and increase fundraising.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com. Follow Missouri Independent on and .

The programs, in which students are promised free college tuition if they graduate high school, have long been considered a silver bullet against the soaring tuition and loan debt blocking many young people, particularly those who are low-income, from earning degrees and finding fulfilling careers.

But in the last few years, college promise programs from Kalamazoo to New Haven, Buffalo, Detroit and Columbus, Ohio, have realized that paying tuition alone doesn’t always achieve the ultimate goal of making lives better. So they have added staff and built partnerships with business to start internship, mentorship and apprentice programs that give “promise scholars” a start on career paths.

Further highlighting the shift, college promise advocates nationally will hold their fourth Nov. 8 and 9 at the University of Tennessee. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and First Lady Jill Biden will speak at the event, whose major topics include “Empowering Career Exploration and Pathway Discovery” and “Building the Promise Pipeline of Workers.”

“We’re quick to say ‘Go to college, get your degree,’ but you don’t have that follow up piece of what do you do after that?” said Jade Scott, who works with the Detroit Promise through the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce Foundation. “So many students get lost in the shuffle, like ‘I’m done with my degree, what do I do now? And this is where we really come in.”

“Now, we’re talking about how we get them employed,” Scott added. “What are we doing to support you, as you make that journey from these college classes into an actual career that you genuinely enjoy, or that’s making you money, or that’s offering you a sustaining lifestyle?” 

Detroit Promise, with the help of the chamber, gave 450 students work experiences such as internships or job shadowing in the 2022-23 school year, Scott said.

The Kalamazoo Promise, perhaps the best-known promise program in the nation, considers the internship program it launched in 2022 so important it calls it “Higher Promise.”&�Բ�����;

Cetera DiGiovanni, Higher Promise coordinator, said parents previously kept asking if Promise officials knew of open jobs while businesses repeatedly asked the program for help finding talent.

“We know that kids are graduating and no one has jobs,” DiGiovanni said. “We thought we would be the mediator to bring them together.”

David Rust, executive director of Say Yes Buffalo, said the evolution is natural. Say Yes Buffalo, which started as a scholarship program in 2011, placed 25 students in apprenticeships in the fall of 2022 and another 25 this year.

“It stands to reason that there will be refinements, expansion of features, because we know a lot more now about what scholars and students need,” he said.

College promise programs began in the 1990s with individual philanthropists adopting single schools and pledging to cover college tuition for any student that graduated from high school and enrolled in college. Anonymous donors in Kalamazoo started a citywide promise program in 2005, then other promise programs like Say Yes to Education expanded from single schools in the 1990s to the cities of Syracuse and Buffalo, New York, Greensboro County, North Carolina, and finally Cleveland in 2019.

States like Tennessee have also added statewide promise programs as the ranks have swelled to more than 400 programs nationally. The programs differ in what colleges they pay for, with some covering only the local community college, some only in-state public colleges and others including private universities that choose to be partners with them.

But once lauded for wiping out the worries of tuition debt, promise programs have found that students, particularly low-income students, also need chances to test drive careers they think they might like. They need mentors in their field. They need workplace experience before graduating and seeking a full-time job.

Sometimes students simply need a paycheck while they are in school to pay for rent, commuting to class and meals, which promise programs rarely cover. Or they skip college altogether because class time takes away earning time they need to help their families.

“Free college can be too expensive for students,” said Rust. “A lot of our scholars, over 50 percent, have combined family income below $40,000. So, we’ve seen this more so than ever throughout the pandemic, you (students) do what you have to do, not necessarily what you want to do.”

There’s also benefit to the regional economy when students find careers that keep them in the city after college. 

In Columbus, Ohio, where a pilot promise program pays for Columbus school district graduates to attend Columbus State Community College, companies such as Nationwide Insurance and gas and electricity supplier IGS Energy are eager to take on promise students in college as paid interns.

John Wharton, 19, a second year finance student at Columbus State, started work at IGS this fall helping manage and audit customer accounts for $18 an hour. Because he has an interest in marketing too, his supervisors are also trying to find chances to work in that department.

“It gives you a sense of feeling for what the real world is,” said Wharton, who had never had a job before the internship. “This gives people a platform to gain insight, whether or not they actually want to do what they’re studying.”

Abdallahi Thiaw, 20, also a Columbus Promise student, also just started as an intern this fall with the Workforce Development Board of Central Ohio for $20 an hour for 20 hours a week. Since he is earning an associates degree in interactive media, developing apps and programs that can be used on mobile devices, the board has him developing a chat program for its website that lets users find out what services the nonprofit provides.

“It’s a big opportunity for students like me, because a lot of job fields will tell you that once you graduate, you need experience,” said Thiaw. “But the main issue is nobody’s offering experience, so how are you going to get that experience? But with this program, it offers students like me experience and on top of that, you get paid great wages, which really helps us in focusing on school.”

David Campbell, director of communications for the board, said matching students with work that fits their interest, like is happening with Thiaw, is ideal.

“That idea is the genesis of this program, that they need to work, they need to have some money, but it needs to be earned and still learn, right?” Campbell said. “It has to combine with their degree, so they get someplace at the end of it.”

LINCOLN — Spending to rescind a new school choice law in Nebraska, along with expenditures to retain it, have topped $2 million, according to the most recent state campaign spending reports.

The bulk of the money came from two sources: teachers unions that oppose school-choice laws; and an organization backed by former Trump administration official Betsy DeVos that promotes use of state funds for private and parochial education.

The reports, which covered up to July 26, indicated that Support Our Schools, on the Opportunity Scholarships Act on the 2024 ballot, had raised over $1.3 million and spent more than $1.2 million.

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The referendum drive has set a goal of collecting 90,000 signatures of registered voters in Nebraska. It must submit about 61,000 valid signatures by a deadline of Aug. 30.

“We are not there yet, but we are well on our way,” said Karen Kilgarin, a spokeswoman for the Nebraska State Education Association, the state teachers’ union, which is spearheading the referendum effort.

Meanwhile, an organization called Keep Kids First that is urging Nebraskans to , reported raising $746,665 through late July to oppose the signature drive. It reported spending of about $582,000.

Some of the funds are being spent to employ “blockers” who shadow the Support Our Schools petition circulators and attempt to discourage people from signing.

“We do need to be where they are because they are not being honest when they ask people to sign,” said State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, the chief sponsor of the Opportunity Scholarships Act.

Scholarships for private and parochial schools

The act, Legislative Bill 753, allows taxpayers to direct half of their state income tax payment, up to $100,000, to organizations that provide scholarships for students to attend private and parochial schools.

The goal of the bill is to provide low-income families the same option to attend a private or parochial school as more well-heeled families. The program is capped initially at costing $25 million a year, though it could rise to $100 million a year after 10 years if the tax break is fully utilized.

Opponents of the act say that by diverting funds from the state, less money will be available for public education and other state priorities.

They also maintain that LB 753 offers an unusually generous tax break compared to donations to other charities, and that in other states, such school choice programs have grown exponentially, gobbling up more and more state funds.

Nebraska was one of two states that didn’t offer any kind of school choice program before Gov. Jim Pillen signed the Opportunity Scholarships Act into law.

The spending reports indicated that 85% of the funds raised by the Support Our Schools group came from two teachers unions: the National Education Association (which gave $800,000) and the Nebraska State Education Association ($316,340).

The primary funder for the Keep Kids First group was the American Federation for Children, whose leading backer is DeVos, a former U.S. education secretary in the Trump administration and a national advocate for school choice. The Federation for Children contributed $583,268, or 78% of the funds raised by Keep Kids First.

Kilgarin, of the NSEA, said that Support Our Schools had more than 700 individual contributors to its referendum drive and that supporters are holding multiple events, each day, to collect more signatures.

‘Our foot is on the gas’

“Our foot is on the gas and we’re going to get as many signatures as we can,” Kilgarin said.

Among the major contributors to Support Our Schools is the OpenSky Policy Institute, a Lincoln-based think tank that opposes LB 753 and contributed $101,099 in support for petition gathering.

As a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization, OpenSky is banned from contributing to political candidates but can spend funds on lobbying and petition drives if that spending is less than 20% of its total expenditures.

The organization’s 2021 tax report indicated it spent about $91,000 on lobbing activities and had an overall budget of about $1 million.

Rebecca Firestone, OpenSky’s executive director, said “good accountants” will help ensure that the organization stays below the 20% limit.

She said the Opportunity Scholarships law is not only bad tax policy, but that in other states, such school choice programs grow larger and larger.

In a report Wednesday, OpenSky said that in Arizona — the first state to provide tax credits for private school scholarships — spending on school choice programs had increased from an initial $4.5 million in 1997 to an anticipated $900 million this year.

Among the contributors to the Support Our Schools effort is former Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle and philanthropist Rhonda Seacrest. They gave $500 and $5,000, respectively.

Some Nebraska business leaders recently contributed to the Keep Kids First drive. They include former Kiewit Corp. CEO Ken Stinson, Omaha beef producer Jim Timmerman and Mike McCarthy, founder of the McCarthy Group. They contributed $25,000 each.

The Sherwood Foundation, founded by prominent Omaha philanthropist Susie Buffett, provided about half of the funding for OpenSky in 2021, according to tax records.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Cate Folsom for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com. Follow Nebraska Examiner on and .

A majority of a panel of Ohio economists thinks the state could keep many of its most talented students at home if the state offered scholarships to students who graduate in the top 5% of their class, according to a survey published this week.

In doing so, the economists are effectively siding with Gov. Mike DeWine in a dispute with the Republican-controlled Ohio House of Representatives. DeWine, who is also a Republican, put $18 million a year in his proposed budget to fund scholarships for top students to attend Ohio universities, but in the budget it passed earlier this month. The House, Senate, and governor have to hammer out a spending plan by June 30.

As part of its monthly survey of Ohio economists, Scioto Analysis asked 17 economists if scholarships to attend Ohio universities for students in the top 5% of their class would combat brain drain. Thirteen said yes and the other four said they were uncertain.

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In the comment section of the survey, some economists qualified their agreement, for example saying that there might be better approaches to keeping the best students here.

“Research shows that getting students to attend college in a region leads to positive spillovers that stay in the region, but I don’t know if the payoff would be worth the cost,” wrote Jonathan Andreas of Bluffton University. “It would probably be more effective to spend the money on loan forgiveness for students to remain as Ohio residents after graduation, but that would be best announced in advance so it doesn’t just pay students who had already decided to stay in state without any additional incentive. Ideally, the loans should be sold to incoming students as grants that are only converted to loans if students leave the state to work within a set period of time.”

The reports that “college enrollment is strongly correlated with the , as more populous and geographically large states have more institutional capacity to enroll more students.” And, with 75.6% of its students staying here for college, Ohio is in the top half of states by that measure, the group reports.

Statistics about where the best students land after college are tough to come by. But in 2019, Forbes reported on a survey finding that burdened with heavy student debt and other factors, half of millennials are literally returning home after college — .

In the Scioto Analysis survey, economist Curtis Reynolds of Kent State said that financial considerations might dictate the behavior of top high school students as well. Many will go where the scholarship money is, he said.

“I am not sure how much this would actually keep high-performing students in state for college,” he wrote. “Out-of-state tuition is much higher so some will stay in state anyways, but these are all high-performing students who may get scholarships anyway. Furthermore, it is not clear that they would stay AFTER college.”

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Ohio Capital Journal maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor David DeWitt for questions: info@ohiocapitaljournal.com. Follow Ohio Capital Journal on and .

As Democrats argue Gov. Kim Reynolds’ private school scholarship program would take away funding from Iowa’s public schools, Republicans are pointing to the governor’s proposed budget as proof that support for Iowa’s K-12 system remains strong.

Reynolds is proposing a budget of nearly $8.5 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, an increase over the current year of roughly $300 million. More than half of the state spending proposed is for education.

Over the next four years, the education savings account (ESA) program would cost $918 million, according to estimates by the governor’s office. Democrats and public school advocates say that is nearly $1 billion in state funds being diverted from public schools, but Republicans argue that it is new, unrelated spending.

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In the same four year period, the state is estimated to spend $15.2 billion on public education, with expectations of increasing K-12 spending by roughly 2.5% each year. But Democrats said that Iowa has underfunded education for years, and that the money put toward the governor’s plan should go toward filling funding gaps in public schools.

Margaret Buckton, a lobbyist with the Urban Education Network and the Rural School Advocates of Iowa, told legislators Wednesday that Iowa’s education spending has lagged inflation for both per-pupil costs and the cost of “doing the business of school” in the past decade.

“Our major concern is a program like this, that phases in over four years with hundreds of millions of dollars of obligation on part of the state, that hits the balance sheet exactly when the historic tax cuts of last year reduce state revenues by 1.8 billion, means that our school districts are concerned there will never be increases in the state cost per-pupil adequate to provide the programs that our students in public schools need,” Buckton said.

Grassley said no matter how much money the Legislature designates for state supplemental aid to public schools, Democrats will always say its not enough.

“That’s a consistent argument that we’ve always faced,” Grassley said. “We’re spending more money on public education now than we ever have in the history of this state. … Clearly we’ve made it a priority as part of our budgets, I don’t see (ESAs) being one of those things that is a drain on that.”

Other priorities for 2023

While her private school scholarship program is a central focus this year, Reynolds has also announced plans to restructure Iowa’s system of government agencies and departments as well as enacting policies she said will help rural health care systems, from funding obstetrics fellowships to tort reform.

Here are some takeaways in the governor’s proposed budget for fiscal 2024, which begins July 1, 2023:

Overall spending: Reynolds is recommending Iowa increase its net spending from an estimated $8.2 billion in 2023 to nearly $8.5 billion in FY 2024. That 3.3% growth is greater than the previous year’s estimated growth of less than 1%. The rise was higher than in previous years because of increased federal aid disbursements, but the state government will still leave nearly $2 billion unspent from Iowa’s general fund budget.

Property taxes: A notable omission from Reynolds’ Condition of the State address and proposed budget was changes to Iowa’s property tax code, which legislative Republicans have highlighted as their tax policy focus in 2023. Replacements for property tax revenue were not included in Reynolds’ budget proposal this year, but Grassley said tax policy changes are typically one of the areas that take the most time for the Legislature to work through.

“I hope we didn’t build a false expectation of tax policy that it’s done immediately in every session that we did last year,” Grassley said. “… I think you’re gonna see us hopefully fund some bills sooner than later as well, that are going to begin that conversation around property tax.”

Reynolds did say she hopes to improve the “affordability of child care through property tax parity” for both commercial and in-home care providers, but did not mention other potential property tax reforms.

Education: More than half, 56.4%, of Reynolds’ proposed budget is appropriated to education.

Private school scholarships: The private school scholarship proposal Reynolds laid out as her top priority for this year’s session is built into her budget. She has allocated $106.9 million for the education savings accounts, or ESA, program, in its first year. The governor’s office calculated that amount using data on how many Iowa kindergarteners are enrolled in private schools and how many current private school students are under 300% of the federal poverty line. The governor’s office based its estimate on the assumption that about 1% of public school students in grades 1-12 are likely to transfer.

State aid:  The budget overall includes a 2.5% increase in funding for K-12 public schools. That includes an $82 million increase for the State Foundation School Aid and over $700,000 more for the transportation equity fund, but no other changes in PK-12 spending from the current fiscal year.

Higher education: The Iowa Board of Regents asked the Legislature to for the state’s three public universities, but Reynolds’ proposal would allocate less than half that amount, granting a $12.5 million increase. That’s more than the Regents received in previous years, but board members said they this year to both keep up with inflation and make up for underfunding in previous appropriations cycles.

Agency consolidation: The governor also said she plans to take on a major internal project for Iowa’s government: restructuring the state’s system of agencies, with a planned consolidation from 37 to 16 cabinet-level departments. While she said this would not result in loss of funding or services, she said the government would save money through combining offices, selling land and cutting full-time equivalent positions that are currently vacant. The governor’s office estimates its reorganization will save Iowa more than $214 million in the course of four years, with an estimated $73.5 million in savings in  year one.

Rural health care: As the state continues to struggle with workforce shortages, Reynolds proposed expanding Iowa’s existing apprenticeship programs for in-demand fields that require training. A large focus was on the state’s Iowa Health Careers Registered Apprenticeship Program, which said will expand to cover more nursing programs, EMR, EMT, and paramedic and direct care professional certification, as well as behavioral health training. This expansion would be met with an increase in funding from $3 million to $15 million, the governor proposed.

Iowa also faces a shortage of OB-GYN health care providers specifically. The governor announced her plans to use $560,000 to fund four obstetrics fellowships for family medicine physicians, who would be required to commit to practicing in rural and underserved communities for five years following the fellowship.

Additionally, Reynolds called for the creation of two new regional “Centers of Excellence,” health care providers in rural Iowa that provide specialized services from cancer treatment, maternal health programs and surgery. Her budget would provide $575,000 to fund the new centers.

Abortion alternatives: While Reynolds and Republican leadership have said they plan to hold off on further abortion legislation until the Iowa Supreme Court makes a decision in the state’s law banning the procedure after six weeks, Reynolds did say she plans to increase funding available for abortion alternative organizations this year. Reynolds called for growing the “More Options for Maternal Support,” or MOMS program funding from $500,000 to $2 million.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on and .

“If we don’t do that, I’m going to come back next year,” Reynolds said. “I believe so strongly in giving every parent this opportunity.”

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This is the second year Reynolds has pushed the Legislature to create a private school scholarship program for public school students. Under this year’s proposal, the state would allow up to 10,000 students to use part of their per-pupil allocation for private school tuition. 

“I don’t believe that a parent, because of the income that they make, should be the only one to have that opportunity (to send a child to private school),” Reynolds told reporters. “I fundamentally disagree with that.”

Will lawmakers pass private school scholarships this year?

The Senate passed Reynolds’ . The legislation would also require schools to share all class material with parents, and schools would need written parental consent before using “sexually explicit material” in class.

But the House has yet to take up the legislation. Melissa Deatsch, spokesperson for the House Republicans, said conversations are ongoing between the caucus and Reynolds.

“Members have been able to express their constituents’ concerns as well as discuss the advantages to the proposal,” Deatsch said in an email. “Ultimately, our members are working hard to represent their district well. They will continue listening to their constituents on this and all other proposals remaining this session.”

The House killed a different version of the scholarships proposal last year, .

The scholarships are one of several major issues awaiting action at the Capitol. Republican leaders are still stalled on legislation about unemployment, education transparency and the state budget.

The 100th day of the legislative session is Tuesday. After that, lawmakers may continue to meet but they cannot collect their per diem pay.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on and .

The nation’s largest group of K-12 charter schools said last week that the will provide four years of mentoring, summer internship assistance, financial literacy training, networking advice and funding to defray college costs — supports valued at $60,000 per student. The grant covers 50 students a year, up to 250 students over five years.

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For KIPP students such as Harlem-raised Airam Cruz, who landed a spot in a prestigious high school as a result of attending a KIPP middle school, and then entered Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, these networking-assist scholarships mean everything.

Cruz, who was chosen for a similar (which inspired the Rales) got a summer internship at a computer gaming company as a result of meeting the company’s chief executive officer at a 2018 Silicon Valley dinner hosted at the house of Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg Goldberg is her late husband.

Also as part of that Goldberg scholarship program: Cruz, now 21, had his own mentor for four years of college, former Samsung Chief Innovation Officer David Eun. “I texted him almost any day about anything. Life advice, school advice.”

What’s truly newsworthy about the Goldberg and Rales scholarship programs is why they are needed in the first place.

Two decades ago, KIPP and other top-performing charter networks started out with a simple promise to parents: Send your sons and daughters to our schools and we will get them enrolled in college. As years passed, however, every charter network found out that enrolling in college wasn’t the same as graduating.

As early as 2009, KIPP leaders realized their college-going students were falling short on actually graduating, and in April 2011 released a starkly worded revealing that only 33 percent of its KIPP middle school students were graduating from four-year colleges within six years.

While that rate was three times the national graduation rate for low-income, minority students, it was far below what KIPP had predicted: a graduation success rate of 75 percent. That was a wake-up call for KIPP, which launched aggressive changes including expanding its network to opening elementary and high schools to give students more time on task with KIPP teachers and counselors.

While those changes, and similar ones at other college-focused charter networks around the country, succeeded in boosting college graduation rates, KIPP and others soon discovered yet another unpleasant reality: simply earning a college degree wasn’t enough. Too often, their graduates settled for jobs that fell short of the kinds of professional opportunities landed by white and Asian college graduates.

That amounts to underemployment, explains Tevera Stith, senior director for National Alumni Impact at KIPP.

“We see more and more students not having access to proper networking who then struggle to get the kind of work experience needed to land the perfect first job that will propel their career,” said Stith For college students coming from middle- and upper-income families, those internships and first-job connections often come from family connections.

A 2016 survey of KIPP college graduates revealed that roughly half felt they were underemployed. The most common reason is having to pass on unpaid internships during their college years.

“When they can get a paid job at a local supermarket they are absolutely going to take that supermarket job,” said Stith.

Programs such as Rales offer students salaries for summer internships that don’t pay.

Underemployment is what I saw first hand when reporting the book, , which documented the first graduating class at KIPP’s Gaston College Prep, a school in rural North Carolina located in a town where college graduation is not an expectation. But in this class, 61 percent of the graduating seniors earned four-year degrees within six years, a rate that exceeds the degree attainment rates for middle-class students.

While that success rate was impressive, it soon became clear that a fair number of those alumni didn’t consider themselves successes in life, at least not when compared to middle-class college graduates. While they were all employed, their jobs often fell into the category of underemployment, such as a finance major working as a bank teller.

These latest iterations in the learning curve around what it takes to get low-income minority students into college, through college and into a job commensurate with their skills, explains the multiple name changes for KIPP’s college promotion programs. It began in 1998 as Kipp To College, then in 2008 became KIPP Through College. In 2021 it became which acknowledges both the need to help students with non-college careers and that even college graduates need ongoing assistance.

Other charter networks make similar efforts. The New York City-based Success Academy schools, for example, have their .

The Northeast-based , which usually turns in the top college graduation rates, rivaling the success rates for middle-class students, also recognizes the need for follow-up support. Uncommon is building a network to link all its alums and connect them to outside organizations for career support.

Chicago-based Noble Network of Charter Schools offers one-on-one career counseling and networking events as well as employer programs like .

Aide Acosta, Noble’s chief college officer, said a 2016 survey of their alums showed that six months after earning college degrees only 41 percent had full-time employment or were in graduate school. Compared to middle-class college graduates, she said, “our students were having different career exposures.” After launching Noble’s coaching/job placement efforts, that number is now up to 80 percent.

Some students get exposed to multiple programs. Kourtney Buckner, for example, attended a KIPP middle school in Atlanta. KIPP then helped her win acceptance at George Washington University. Buckner, a junior who plans on being a lawyer, has a KIPP college adviser who checks on her and the network helped her land a KIPP-supported summer internship at a Washington-based nonprofit.

At the same time, Buckner is also a scholar, a program that ensures first-generation students find a network of similar students to support them in college. “Having a Posse cohort here has made all the difference,” said Buckner. “I have nine other (Posse scholars) here and I also have a Posse mentor.”

Applications for the Rales Scholars Program opened Oct. 1 to KIPP high school seniors or KIPP middle school alumni now in their senior year. The first group of Rales scholars will join the program in May 2022.

Disclosure: Walton Family Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York provide financial support to KIPP and The 74.