The lottery working group today unveiled a draft of its ideas on lottery scholarships. House Speaker Wills had already indicated a central scholarship program built on the existing Challenge scholarship. A 2.5 or 19 ACT qualification (test score is not necessary; grades are a better indicator of past and future performance).

The draft apparently includes a factor that would penalize school districts with “grade inflation” — a high college remediation rate against average gradepoints. This, however, would not be a school penalty, but a student penalty. It would complicate something that should be simple.

Advertisement

Unresolved question: Will the legislature go forward with the amendment to put the lottery within more conventional legislative appropriation procedures? Under the new amendment, it enjoys an independent status. The Father of the Arkansas Lottery, Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, hopes not. He’s been winning on the broad outlines of the lottery so far. On this issue, who knows? Ernest Dumas, who’s been covering the legislature for 40 years or so, thinks the process should be changed.

UPDATE: Halter comments on details released this afternoon. Robbie Wills posted this before the meeting, now underway.

Advertisement

For now, income limits will remain in place for state scholarship qualification. But once the lottery is functional, the draft bill provides there will be no income limits on qualifying for scholarships. It doesn’t set a specific scholarship amount, but provides for a sliding scale based on coming revenue. That is, $2,500 to $5,500 per year for a four-year school (about half that for a two-year school) depending on revenue.

Arkansas Times: Your voice in the fight

Are you tired of watered-down news and biased reporting? The Arkansas Times has been fighting for truth and justice for 50 years. As an alternative newspaper in Little Rock, we are tough, determined, and unafraid to take on powerful forces. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, we are making a difference. But we can't do it without you. Join the 3,400 paid subscribers who support our great journalism and help us hire more writers. Sign up for a subscription today or make a donation of as little as $1 and help keep the Arkansas Times feisty for years to come.

Previous article IS THAT A GUN IN YOUR POCKET OR ARE YOU JUST GLAD TO SEE ME? Next article M.L. King strife