Some of Michigan’s high school graduates could be out up to $500 each in state scholarship aid that they were promised for doing well on state exams in middle school.
Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm, a Democrat, dropped funding for the scholarships, worth up to $500 each, in her proposed $41.2 billion budget for fiscal 2006. She cited the state’s projected $770 million shortfall.
Though she noted that the state did not have a database for tracking who had earned the scholarships, she has since announced that a database will be created for that purpose. The scholarships were to be awarded for the first time this year as part of the 4-year-old Michigan Merit Awards program, which also gives $2,500 scholarships to seniors who pass the state’s high school tests and enroll at a Michigan institution.
Speaker of the House Craig DeRoche, a Republican, has said he wants to see the money restored.
