A bill that would end a tuition waiver program at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is one step closer to being approved.
Members of the House Education Committee approved today H.B. 1269, which calls for the phasing out of the tuition waiver program, which gives free tuition to any UNC institution to graduates of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. The bill now goes to the Appropriations Committee.
According to the recently-passed House budget, the program gives an average grant of $3,441 to 800 students. The program was included in the Senate budget, without debate, in 2003.
Rep. Paul Luebke, D-Durham, who sponsored the bill along with Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam, R-Wake, said the waiver is a benefit to families who can afford to send their children to school. Also, many of the graduates of the school are eligible for numerous other merit-based scholarships and aid packages.
The bill was amended to include a $25,000 study to create an alternate program for graduates, which would require three years of teaching in a public school in North Carolina in exchange for free tuition. The amendment also asks the school to study why students from low-to-middle income families are less likely to attend the school compared to students from affluent families. The bill describes affluent families as those making more than $70,000.
