POSTED: Thursday, Feb. 04, 2010

Cuts could eliminate promised college scholarships

Ever since her freshman year at White River High School, Victoria Marsh had had her eye on the WAVE.

That's the scholarship awarded to 147 students each year providing two years of college tuition. Short for the Washington Award for Vocational Excellence, the award goes to three top high school, skills center and vocational-technical college students from each legislative district.

"I always knew I would apply for the WAVE," Marsh said. It was the one way she could attend a four-year college right away where she hoped to study psychology and political science.

After submitting her application during her senior year, Marsh said she checked the Workforce Training Board Web site each day to see if she won. When she did, she called it a dream-come-true moment. At the awards dinners last May, Marsh was chosen to speak and said how proud she was of her state for investing in its youth.

Marsh put off enrolling at Washington State University to spend this school year as a statewide officer for the FFA, traveling the state working with local chapters on leadership development. She'd been on the road and said she had had a rough week when she got back home to Carbonado and opened the letter from the state.

"The governor proposed a Supplemental Budget that would suspend WAVE funding for all recipients during the period of July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011," the form letter stated. "This suspension impacts new WAVE recipients and all those with remaining eligibility."

Marsh said she was crushed. And she's just one of nearly 1,000 college-age students who got the same lousy news.

"My future career and dreams of paying for college were pretty much out the window," she said.

Paul Marsh said the letter was especially disappointing because his daughter had put so much faith in her state government.

"She looks at government and says 'You promised me this and then you take it away,'" Paul Marsh said.

Since WAVE began in 1985, around 3,600 students have received scholarships, said Tim Sweeney of the Workforce Training Board. The suspension would affect 548 current students.

Sweeney said students like Victoria would maintain their eligibility and might still be able to use the scholarship later in their college years. But 63 students who must use their scholarships by next summer may lose out.

The same cuts will affect 430 students who were named Washington Scholars. That's a four-year award to three students from each legislative district based on academic achievement and leadership. Those who use the award in private colleges get a matching amount from those schools. More than 3,000 students have benefited from the scholarship since it was created during the 1981-82 recession.

By suspending the scholarships, Gov. Chris Gregoire would save $4.7 million as part of an attempt to fill a $2.6 billion budget gap. Gregoire has said she would work with the Legislature to come up with around $750 million in new revenue to "buy back" some of her proposed cuts.

But while Gregoire wants to restore her earlier proposed cuts to need-based financial aid, these two scholarships - the only state-run college programs awarded on merit rather than financial need - are not among the items she would restore.

Gary Larson, a spokesman for the Higher Education Coordinating Board that runs the scholars program, said the board hopes the programs are retained but said students were told when they received the prizes that they were "contingent on funding."

"It isn't an absolute grant to the student," Larson said. "I appreciate the disappointment that could result, but it's important to be clear what the actual language was."

Larson said he was not aware of any suspensions of awards during earlier recessions. Sweeney said WAVE has never been interrupted by budget shortfalls. Both programs are taking applications in case the program continues.

Sen. Derek Kilmer is chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee and is responsible for looking at how proposed cuts would affect the colleges and universities. He also has a special relationship with WAVE and Washington Scholars.

It was Kilmer who presented Marsh and 11 other Pierce County students with their awards last May. And he and two of his brothers were Washington Scholars, though Kilmer attended college out of state and didn't use the scholarship.

"People have made family and life decisions based on receiving these scholarships," the Gig Harbor Democrat said. "Clearly we have difficult budget challenges, but this is one we need to reconsider."

Kilmer said it's one thing to suspend the program and not award new scholarships. That would save about a quarter of the $4.7 million.

But he said he opposes breaking promises to students who planned their college attendance based on the state's commitment.

"Tell (Victoria) not to give up hope quite yet," Kilmer said.

Peter Callaghan writes for The News Tribune in Tacoma. E-mail him: peter.callaghan@thenewstribune.com