State cuts painful for Auburn-area families, honors students

Published 4:41 pm Wednesday, August 11, 2010

State cuts to higher education have hurt many families struggling to send their bright, gifted teens off to colleges this fall.

One Auburn household can really feel the financial burden.

The state Legislature’s decision to cut the Washington Scholars (WS) program came as a blow to many high school seniors, including Angeleah Tena.

Tena, who graduated at the top of her class at Auburn Mountainview High School in June, plans to attend Whitman College in Walla Walla, only now without the help of a scholarship she had pursued with the WS program.

The 1981 Legislature enacted the Washington Scholars program to honor the accomplishments of three high school seniors from each of the state’s 49 legislative districts.

High school principals nominated the top 1 percent of their graduating classes on the basis of academic achievement, leadership and community service. A 24-member selection committee, comprised of representatives from public and private high schools, state educational agencies and public and private colleges and universities, then winnowed the list.

Tena was one of the three highest-scoring candidates eligible for scholarship aid in her legislative district. But only one monetary scholarship – awarded to the highest-ranked student – was funded in each district as a result of budget-cutting measures recently enacted by the Legislature.

Tena, who was ranked among the top three students but wasn’t the top choice in the final district rankings, was eligible for program aid originally. That was before the Legislature decided to cut the program.

“Because our Legislature thought it was a good idea to cut the budget for Washington Scholars, our daughter will be attending college knowing that when she graduates she will be in debt,” Mindi Tena said. “If she had received the money she earned as a Washington Scholar, she would not need loans.

“We understand that times are tough, but how do you not fund higher education in your own state, especially when these kids have done their job – and we parents have done our job – and would be attending college in our state?”

Mindi Tena hopes the Legislature will reconsider its decision. She has written to state leaders, including Gov. Chris Gregoire, but to no avail.

“We had some complaints. I’m sure everyone is disappointed,” said John Klacik, director of student financial assistance for the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board. “Exactly what will be done in the next legislative session is anyone’s guess.”

Klacik said those students who did not receive scholarship awards will remain eligible for assistance once money becomes available in the future.

But that doesn’t come as a comfort to Mindi Tena, whose daughter worked hard for a scholarship she thought she earned, only to be turned away. Her daughter turned down several offers to attend school outside Washington because she wanted to stay close to family.

“She earned her spot, she did her job and now they let her down,” Mindi Tena said.