Proposed scholarship could be a ‘game-changer’ for Idaho low-income students | Opinion

Gov. Brad Little’s proposed universal scholarship program — dubbed “Idaho Launch” — could be one of the most important education initiatives this legislative session.

Little toured the state this week promoting the program, which would offer an $8,500 scholarship to any graduating high school student who decides to attend an Idaho university or community college. It could prove to be a powerful engine for economic mobility and long-term economic growth.

“It will have a significant impact on our students,” said Rick Aman, president of College of Eastern Idaho in Idaho Falls, after Little’s stop there. “From a community college perspective, that is literally tuition and fees for two years. … They’ll leave with no debt.”

Idaho has a burning-hot job market with unemployment around 3%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Statewide, there are more than two job openings for every unemployed person. But the employment market is especially hot in eastern Idaho. In Idaho Falls, the unemployment rate has hovered around 2% for over a year.

The region has at least two major employment sectors with many more jobs than qualified candidates. Idaho Falls is the health care hub of eastern Idaho, with three hospitals and a large number of related doctor’s offices, physical therapists, cancer clinics, dialysis centers and other facilities. And Idaho Falls is the home of Idaho National Laboratory, which both directly and through secondary businesses provides major job opportunities in the nuclear energy and cybersecurity sectors.

The scholarship would be an important bit of help for students seeking a four-year degree, allowing them to graduate with significantly less debt. But more importantly, it would fully bridge the educational gap between high school and relatively lucrative careers in fields like nursing and cybersecurity, that can be entered with a two-year degree.

Idaho’s economy is limited by the relatively lower level of academic achievement and technical certification among its workforce. Increasing the job skills of a broad portion of society will lead to rising standards of living over time.

“Kids with means, kids whose parents expect them to go on, that’s one thing. But this is going to be a big deal” for kids who aren’t on an obvious college track, Little said.

Research on a substantially similar program in Milwaukee gives reason for optimism. There, a $12,000 scholarship was offered to children at half of the city’s high schools in a randomized controlled trial. At the high schools selected for the program, students learned that money was waiting for them during their freshman year. That led them to work harder in school and be more diligent in applying for financial aid. Most importantly, the program eventually led to a 25% increase in college graduation rates among the students who received aid.

At CEI, Aman expects the Idaho Launch funding stream would be sufficient to immediately begin an expansion in facilities and staff, meaning an immediate injection of funds into the local economy followed by years of higher economic growth due to a more skilled workforce. He projects a new building could be up and full of students in as little as two years.

Aman expects the program would quickly put the college over its existing capacity, so it would be necessary to quickly move forward with a planned expansion — a new “Future Tech” building. According to Jakob Thorington of the Post Register, the Future Tech building is anticipated to be around 90,000 square feet and will serve around 1,000 additional students.

Having a free pipeline for low-income students to earn a credential that allows them to earn a wage that can support a family two years after high school would be, Aman said, a “game-changer” for the region.

Bryan Clark is an opinion writer with the Idaho Statesman.