Encouraging current students to graduate should be prioritized.
The Alamo Promise program pledges to cover Bexar County high school seniors’ tuition for two years if they apply for financial aid in fall 2020. The minimum GPA required is 2.0.
This program is unfair to students already enrolled at this college.
The most students at this college can get is two free summer classes if they take 18-24 credit hours during the spring and fall semesters.
This policy ignores students who can’t take 18-24 credit hours because of work and family. Students are working to pay for classes that have become more expensive after tuition rose from $86 per credit hour in fall 2018 to $99 in spring 2019.
This is not the same opportunity Alamo Promise gives to untested high school students.
There is unfair treatment between incoming high school seniors and existing students in this college.
It’s a roll of the dice if students should invest in going to college, paying for books that are overpriced and will only be used once, or focus on getting a job that pays well.
If all a student has to do is get a 2.0 GPA and meet financial aid requirements for Alamo Promise, what encourages them to do any better in college?
The requirement should be raised to 3.0.
Instead of two years, Alamo Promise for high school seniors should only cover the first semester, so new students can get a taste of what college is like.
Then, the program should incrementally cover more of already enrolled students’ tuition as they continue their classes over the two-year period.
This would reward students who are dedicated to progressing in their education.
What about the existing students enrolled? Is there not something more this college can do to encourage the students already here to complete?
This college could invest the money allotted for incoming high school students and instead help pay for the last semester for students who are at the end and need those last few classes to top off their journey here.
That would be a fair use of district and community funding.
