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 Smart
Kid? Skip High School
MIRS, April 23, 2004
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It's always been
assumed that dropping out of high school is a bad thing, but a
West Michigan lawmaker has a new twist on the drop out situation
with the state picking up the tab.
Rep. Jack Hoogendyk (R-Portage) is finalizing legislation that
would allow advanced students to end their high school career
after their sophomore year and enter community college or a
four-year university with the state paying for the first two
yeas of that higher education.
"If you have a motivated son or daughter at home and they want
to get moving with their lives and high school is not that
important to them, they certainly will have that opportunity,"
he said.
Funding for this unique program would come by shifting K-12
funds that would go for the 11th and 12th grades and using it
pay for kid's college tuition, books and fees. Hoogendyk said
that will actually save money for the state because, in most
cases, the foundation grant is higher than the tuition in a J.C.
or four-year school.
Plus he argues the concept fits in with the Granholm
administration's goal of training more students for jobs of the
future.
"What will this do for Michigan? I believe it will get more kids
in college quicker and will help the governor meet her goals of
getting more of children through college and ready for the work
force," he contends.
Hoogendyk is calling his bill the Michigan Accelerated College
Education Act (MI-ACE) and is eligible to any 15-to 19-year-old
who has completed two years of high school or earned high scores
on the ACT or SAT.
HB 5791 has been referred to the House Higher Education
Committee for review and consideration.
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