HAZEL PARK, Mich. — Hazel Park Schools has joined the list of public school districts seeking to attract new students by offering to pay for their first two years of college, according to the (Royal Oak) Daily Tribune.
The Hazel Park Promise begins with graduates of the class of 2012, according to the Tribune. Students will receive scholarships to any Michigan university, community college or trade school according to a sliding scale based on how long they have been enrolled in the district, the Tribune reported.
Anjanette Stinson enrolled her three children in Hazel Park recently, telling the Tribune, “I’m going to need all the help I can get with tuition.”
School officials would like other parents to follow suit, not just because of the additional state funding that each student brings to the district, but also in hopes that families will move to the city and increase the tax base, they told the Tribune.
A committee raised $180,000 in private contributions to cover the 2012 costs and is now raising funds for 2013, the Tribune reported. In subsequent years, the program is expected to be allowed to capture a share of property tax funding as well, according to the Tribune.
SOURCE:
(Royal Oak) Daily Tribune, “Promise of free college tuition spurs Hazel Park enrollment,” Aug. 12, 2011
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, “The Kalamazoo Promise vs. School Choice,” June 17, 2010
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