Joseph Gerth

Opinion Columnist | Louisville Courier Journal

FRANKFORT, Ky. - All students who graduate from Kentucky high schools, home schools or obtain their GEDs in Kentucky will be able to attend community colleges for free under a bill that passed the Kentucky House of Representatives on Thursday.

The bill now moves to the state Senate.

House Bill 626 requires students to apply for available student aid and if so, the state would pay the difference between that and their tuition for up to two years, as long as the student takes 12 credit hours per semester and maintains a 2.0-grade point average.

Called the “Work Ready” scholarship bill, the legislation would pay for up to six semesters in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, for all new students.

House Speaker Greg Stumbo, a Prestonsburg Democrat and the sponsor of the legislation, said the program would cost about $20 million a year. It could help 15,000 to 18,000 students in its first year, Stumbo said.

“It’s a lot of money but think of the bang you get for the dollar,” he said.

Rep. Tommy Thompson, D-Owensboro, praised the measure, saying that the legislation will ultimately mean students will get degrees and ultimately better and higher paying jobs and put more money in state coffers.

“They’re going to start generating economic activity in our state because we invested in them,” Thompson said.

The biggest controversy over the bill was the GPA requirement, which some Republican legislators said should be raised at least to 2.5, the level required to maintain a Kentucky Education Excellence Scholarship (KEES).

“If we have low expectations, our children will rise to where we expect them to,” said Rep. Jim DuPlessis, R-Elizabethtown.

The bill passed on a vote of 86-11, with just a handful of Republicans opposing. They were Lynn Bechler, of Marion; Robert Benvenuti, of Lexington; Joe Fischer, of Fort Thomas; David Floyd, of Bardstown; Thomas Kerr, of Taylor Mill; Adam Koenig, of Erlanger; Stan Lee, of Lexington; Jerry Miller, of Louisville; Phil Moffett, of Louisville; Sal Santoro, of Florence; and Russell Webber, of Shepherdsville.

Reporter Joseph Gerth can be reached at (502) 582-4702 or jgerth@courier-journal.com