Education is always a popular topic of discussion in government. As it should be. It’s essential to the overall well-being of our society, and you can’t begin to put a value on it. It’s important that we’re always working to make our education system the best it can be. One of the ways we’ve been improving education in Missouri is through the A+ Scholarship Program.

Created under the Outstanding Schools Act of 1993, the A+ program was designed to provide Missouri’s students with a higher-quality education by way of awarding grants to high schools that commit to meeting the program’s high academic performance standards. In addition, students who meet the program’s requirements, and graduate from an A+ school, are then eligible to receive two free years of community college.

For the last 20 years, the program has been working. It’s expected that approximately 14,000 Missouri students will take advantage of the A+ program during the 2014-2015 academic year. Unfortunately, what started as a way to improve the quality of our schools, has become, in the eyes of many, nothing more than a scholarship program.

Last September, the Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE) voted to approve a rule change that if a student qualifies for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, they would be eligible for the A+ Scholarship. Consequently, the rule opened the door for any Missouri student who meets the requirements to apply for the A+ program, regardless of whether their high school is A+ certified. Gaining accreditation is no small task. Participating schools in the 20th District, and across the state, have jumped through many hoops to achieve their A+ certification.

What’s important to note here, is that in September, right around the time the change in eligibility requirements was announced, MDHE also announced they wouldn’t likely have enough money to fully fund the program—meaning students would have to pay for up to four credit hours for the Spring 2015 semester.

The funding shortfall was due to increased tuition costs, more students participating in the program and decreased state funding levels. In December, the governor released $2 million in A+ funds that he had previously restricted. This allowed MDHE to ultimately fund all but one credit hour for students.

If current trends continue, each year will mean more participants, and I don’t think anyone believes tuition prices are going anywhere but up. That’s not even touching on future state funding issues we may face. And now, on top of all of this, MDHE wants to further open up access by allowing immigrant students to participate.

Meanwhile, in separate yet related education news, during his 2015 State of the Union address, the president said he would be sending a plan to Congress, granting eligible students across the country two free years of community college. Sound familiar?

On the surface, this sounds like a great idea. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s fiscally irresponsible to establish a program of this magnitude without having the money to fund it. The program is estimated to cost $60 billion in federal funding, plus $20 billion from states over 10 years. Will taxpayers again be asked to foot the bill? And where in Missouri’s budget will that money come from?

The fact is that we can open the gates of higher education as wide as they’ll go, but it’s only beneficial if we have the necessary resources to support it. In the 20th District, as in much of the rest of the state, the A+ program works well. I believe we’ve found a good balance between dreaming big for our children and remaining practical about our budget limitations.

We must maintain the integrity of the program we already have, so that it remains worthwhile for our students to pursue. Our schools have taken a huge step in the right direction with A+. Let’s not take two steps back by spreading our resources so thin that the program no longer benefits Missouri students the way they deserve.

If you have any questions or comments about this or any other matter regarding your state government, please feel free to contact me at (573) 751-1503; you are also welcome to e-mail me at jay.wasson@senate.mo.gov.