Tuition funding being sought

By MIKE HINTON, World Capitol Bureau

January 8, 2006

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OKLAHOMA CITY -- A state lawmaker who says a college scholarship was his "ticket out of poverty" is sponsoring a bill to ensure funding for a program that program that provides free tuition to needy Oklahoma students.

Some lawmakers have expressed concern that the program's costs are escalating too quickly. But Rep. Randy Terrill says, "You don't take a wrecking ball to a successful program."

Terrill grew up at Alva in northwestern Oklahoma. His parents were divorced.

"I was raised by a single mom who had two or three jobs," he said. Her day job was as a bookkeeper. "Then she served as a house mom for kids when they ended up in the local shelter."

Terrill often saw his mother working nights doing extra bookkeeping jobs at home to earn more money.

Terrill said several teachers helped him get scholarship aid to go to college. He was the first in his family to earn a college degree and also earned a law degree from the University of Oklahoma with special honors.

Many of those enrolled in the free-tuition program will be the first in their families to get degrees, said Bryce Fair, who runs the program for the regents of higher education.

Regents tagged the program the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP). They have attached a new name to the program, "Oklahoma's Promise -- OHLAP."

There are 12,000 Oklahomans in college who are receiving free tuition through the program, and 27,000 high school students are enrolled.

Almost half come from families whose annual income was below $25,000 annually. Income cutoff for program eligibility is $50,000 at the time of signup.

Costs continue to rise as more students become aware of the program.

The program will cost $27 million this fiscal year and is expected to increase by about $10 million annually for at least the next three years.

In the Tulsa school district, 524 sophomores enrolled in the free tuition program last school year, representing a 51 percent increase over the previous year.

Statistics show that Oklahoma is lagging behind in the number of college graduates, compared to other states. Oklahoma has only 22 percent of its residents over age 25 with a college degree, while the national average is 27 percent, according to a 2004 U.S. Census report.

There is a direct correlation between education and income, Fair said. Oklahoma's medican income was $38,400 in 2004, the U.S. Bureau of Labor reports. Meanwhile, Massachusetts, the state with the highest number of college graduates at 37.4 percent, had a median income of $55,600.

"This program is not a free ride," said Terrill, 36.

State regents estimate that tuition comprises about 30 percent of overall college costs. Other major expenses include a myriad of fees, also room and board.

OHLAP students have to graduate from high school with a 2.5 grade point average; they have to take certain college preparatory classes and have to stay out of trouble, which includes not abusing drugs or skipping school. Students must sign up in the eighth, ninth, or tenth grades.

A year ago, the regents were $4 million short in OHLAP funding, so they had to go back to the Legislature for a supplemental appropriation. This year, they need another $4.6 million due to a shortfall in dedicated revenues from legalized gaming approved by voters more than a year ago.

Fair said the problem has been that there is not a consistent source of funding for the program.

Terrill, R-Moore, is proposing a bill to capture excess oil and gas revenues designated for two higher education funds. State officials are predicting there will be about a $50 million overage in the funds next fiscal year and at least $25 million the following year. The lawmaker wants the Legislature to take that money and earmark it for the Oklahoma's Promise scholarships.

The money would be used for expected increases in costs over the next several years.

In an effort to make the program more palatable to his fellow Republicans, Terrill is proposing that home-schoolers be included in the program. However, that provision could run into trouble in the Senate.

Sen. Johnnie Crutchfield, D-Ardmore, questions how home-schoolers could fulfill one of the key requirements for the program, that they do no commit criminal or delinquent acts.

"OHLAP is a wonderful program, probably one of the best things we've ever done in the Legislature," he said. "But there's no way to know the disciplinary conduct of a child who is being home-schooled.

The senator said whether a student can get along in school is an indicator of what kind of citizen that student will be.

Cheryl Horton, who home-schools her four children, said she thinks it is only fair for the program to be extended to families whose children are taught at home, provided they meet the income guidelines.

The Tulsa woman noted that her oldest son, Nathan, 13, is an exceptional student who is taking some core college courses already. Horton noted that home-schooling is allowed by the state Constitution.

Terrill said his bill would require that home-schoolers score at least a 22 on the ACT test before they would be eligible for free tuition.

Higher ed regents have estimated that adding home-schoolers would cost less than $90,000 in fiscal 2007, but in 2011 increase to about $1 million, which would be a small percentage of the overall cost. 

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