Promise scholarship expanded under new law

It’s very good news for families. It’s very good news for students, and it’s outstanding news for the state of Oklahoma.” Natalie Shirley, secretary of education and workforce development

More students can enroll in Oklahoma’s Promise under a new law that increases the family income limit for eligibility and expands the tuition scholarship to include more CareerTech programs.

Gov. Mary Fallin signed Senate Bill 529 this week.

“It’s very good news for families. It’s very good news for students, and it’s outstanding news for the state of Oklahoma,” said Natalie Shirley, secretary of education and workforce development.

“This is all part of the governor’s effort to increase postsecondary degrees and credentials,” Shirley said.

The scholarship pays the tuition for Oklahoma students who attend a public college or university in state if they meet income and academic requirements and stay out of trouble.

Since 2000, a family’s annual income could be no more than $50,000 when the student enrolls in the program.

The new limit will be $55,000 beginning in 201718 and $60,000 beginning in 2019-20. It could mean 1,000 more students will earn college degrees, said Sen. Jason Smalley, R-Stroud, who authored the bill with Rep. Katie Henke, R-Tulsa.

Higher education Chancellor Glen Johnson thanked the governor for signing the bill and thanked Smalley and Henke for advocating for the program.

“Recognized by many as one of the best college access programs in the nation, Oklahoma’s Promise has helped more than 75,000 Oklahomans achieve the dream of a college education,” Johnson said.

“College graduates who received the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship secure jobs and stay in Oklahoma after college at a higher rate than their peers. This honors the state’s investment in Oklahoma’s Promise as we produce the educated workforce our state needs to compete in today’s global economy,” he said.

The governor’s latest workforce initiative — Launch Oklahoma — calls for producing nearly 600,000 more workers with a college degree or credential in eight years to address the growing gap between the skills workers have and the skills they need to fill jobs.

The goal is for 70 percent of Oklahomans ages 25-64 to have postsecondary education and training by 2025, up from 40 percent now.

Expanding the reach of Oklahoma’s Promise will help, Shirley said.

The revised program not only increases the family income limit, but lets students use the scholarship for any CareerTech program that qualifies for federal financial aid, she said. Previously only programs that were in a cooperative alliance with a college qualified.

“We cannot meet the needs of Oklahoma businesses if we don’t make pathways for Oklahomans to get a postsecondary degree or credential,” Shirley said.