Wolf takes budget case to NEPA students

By Bill O’Boyle boboyle@timesleader.com

TAYLOR — Gavin Beck, a senior at Riverside High School, Thursday told Gov. Tom Wolf that all students deserve an equal opportunity to make an impact on the world.

Beck was one of several Riverside students who met with Wolf to hear about the governor’s historic scholarship proposal that would help thousands of lower- and middle-class students attend one of the 14 universities in the state system.

Unveiled during Wolf’s budget address Tuesday, the $204 million Nellie Bly Scholarship Program would close the gap after a student’s Pell Grant and other state grants to enroll in a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) university, allowing more students to graduate on time with less student loan debt.

“The student debt crisis is a burden on young people and their families that can last for years and holds them back from buying cars and homes and saving for retirement,” Wolf said. “The Nellie Bly Scholarship is an investment in young people so they can get an affordable world-class education at a PASSHE university and provides an incentive to stay in Pennsylvania and build rewarding lives here.”

Beck and his fellow students said they support Wolf in this effort, noting that every little bit helps when it comes to paying for college costs.

“We’re all highly concerned about what path we will be able to take,” said Grace Spisso, a junior at Riverside. “I was raised by a single mom who started from zero. We want to be able to afford the school that best suits our career goals.”

Racing funds diverted

To be eligible for the program, Wolf said students must enroll full-time in a PASSHE undergraduate program and qualify for a federal subsidized student loan. He said students must commit to live in Pennsylvania after graduation for the same number of years they received the scholarship. If a student leaves the state early, they must repay the money. The program will be funded by diverting revenues from the Horse Racing Development Fund.

“Pennsylvania must be a place where students can pursue their dream of a college degree,” Wolf said. “The Nellie Bly Scholarship Program will help thousands of students to go to college, get a degree and start a career in Pennsylvania. It’s also the perfect next step to strengthen our workforce after expanding apprenticeships and hands-on job training for those who don’t want to go to college.”

The scholarship is named in honor of Nellie Bly, an Armstrong County native born in 1864. Bly attended the Indiana Normal School, now the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, but left due to the cost. Bly became a pioneering journalist who helped to force reforms to the mental health care system in the early 20th century.

Wolf said the student loan debt for Pennsylvania residents is $68 billion, among the highest in the nation, averaging more than $37,000 per student.

Reactions to plan

Sen. John Yudichak, I-Swoyersville, didn’t attend then presentation, but he offered his thoughts on Wolf’s plan.

“While I share the governor’s goal of expanding college tuition assistance in Pennsylvania, I am concerned the administration is shifting funds from a program that has created thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania,” Yudichak said. “Instead of using a one-time funding shift, we should work to build a comprehensive plan to make college more affordable for all Pennsylvania students.”

Pete Peterson, executive director of the Pennsylvania Equine Coalition — an organization representing the six Thoroughbred and Standard-bred horsemen and breeder associations in the state — said if Wolf’s plan is approved by the legislature, it would result in the end of horse racing in Pennsylvania.

“This would eviscerate the primary funding source for the purses and breeder incentives that serve as the lifeblood of the industry,” Peterson said in a statement. “This scheme would destroy an industry that provides a $1.6 billion economic impact and supports an estimated 16,000 to 23,000 jobs in the agriculture, manufacturing, construction, retail and hospitality industries here in Pennsylvania.”

Many throughout Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry reacted with alarm today to Wolf’s proposal.

“Race horse owners and breeders whose operations preserve 100,000 acres of open space in Pennsylvania would be put out of business,” Peterson said.

Wolf responded to the concern by stating, “Let’s bet on our kids instead of bankrolling race horse owners and ensure the viability of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.”