LANSING – State Representative Gino H. Polidori (D-Dearborn) and the Michigan House Democrats won a major victory in passing the new Michigan Merit Scholarship today. The award grants Michigan students $4,000, up from the current $2,500, after completing two years of community college, university or vocational training. Students would be required to maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.5 to receive the award.
"Our state needs this plan in order for all of our students to have access to higher education," Polidori said. "This plan will prepare our students for the jobs of the 21st century and it will build a stronger and smarter workforce."
Democrats fought hard for years to pass a strengthened merit scholarship. In an April 2004 report, The Brookings Institution warns that America will not be able to hold onto the highest paying jobs in the world if the number of college graduates with degrees in physical sciences, math and engineering continue on a downward trend.
The graduating class of 2007 will be the first group eligible for the new Merit Scholarship. The new Merit Scholarship would not prevent students from receiving other federal or state awards.
"All of our children, regardless of their financial status, should have a right to earn a college degree and our plan gives them that right," Polidori said. "Our children depend on us to give them the opportunity to earn the necessary skills required for the jobs of the future. In turn, we will one day depend on them in helping Michigan's economy grow stronger."