Politics Watch — February 15, 2010
Access Missouri changes not supported by Coordinating Board of Higher Education
The Coordinating Board for Higher Education met last week and voted not support two bills in the Missouri Legislature that would require students attending private schools to only receive as much financial aid as those who attend public schools.
Under current law, students attending independent schools can get $4,600 of financial aid, while students going to public schools can get $2,150. Bills SB 784 and HB 1812 seek to equal this discrepancy. The proposed legislation would make the maximum amount $2,850 for both kinds of institutions.
The proposed changes met with mixed reactions from the board. Chairman Lowell Kruse was the sole vote for the legislation. He said conditions have changed since the award amounts were established as part of the Access Missouri program.
Board member Doris Carter said she supports the equalization, but not at the cost of passing the changes without involving all sectors.
Mary Beth Luna Wolf, a board member who helped create Access Missouri, said the legislation can only move forward with everyone on board.
“All sectors – public and private – agreed on these award amounts,” Wolf said. “If we’re going to move forward to improve higher education, we need to do so collectively.”
Board member Greg Upchurch said the public and the private sectors should get together now and make decisions about future award amounts. The Access Missouri program expires in 2013. Upchurch wants to organize something that will take over after it ends, instead of changing things now.
“I know we’re all in favor of higher education, no matter where it takes place," Krause said. "The question is how to proceed deliberately and fairly.”
