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In its first year, the LA GATOR scholarship program has proven to be a hit – maybe a little too much of a hit. So much so that it’s unlikely that the state can accommodate all applicants. Barry Erwin, the chief policy officer for Leaders for a Better Louisiana, says 40,000 students registered for the program during the now-closed registration period.
“The numbers are higher than maybe they had anticipated, so it’s a lot of students and also, potentially, a lot of expense to the state in the future, depending on what happens,” Erwin said.
Erwin says while the LA GATOR program expands eligibility from the previous program, it’s unlikely that anyone outside those who the previous program was targeted for will be able to secure one of those scholarships.
“The top priorities are students with disabilities of some type, and families with students that are at 250% of the poverty level,” Erwin explained.
Erwin says furthermore, the state may need to scramble to come up with the money it had previously allotted to the program when it passed it last year.
“It’s $50 million dollars in new money that a lot of legislators are saying ‘Hey, we don’t really have that right now,’” Erwin said.
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