Mayor announces college scholarship program

Kentucky.com

March 25, 2008

The 'Lexington First Fund' would provide four-year scholarships to any public or private Lexington high school graduate who wants to major in certain fields, Mayor Jim Newberry announced Tuesday.

Scholarship recipients would be required to major in science, technology, engineering or math, or plan to teach one of those subjects. They also would have to attend a college within an hour's drive of Lexington.

There are no income restrictions for the taxpayer-subsidized program.

The scholarships would be an economic-development tool to strengthen the work force and attract businesses, Newberry said.

We want employers to know Lexington ... values these types of careers,' Newberry said.

The Urban County Council will be asked to approve the scholarship program as part of the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

It's unclear how much the program would cost. That depends on the number of students who choose one of those subjects and decide to attend a local college or university, Newberry said. Money for the program would be raised from city dollars and donations.

The scholarship announcement was made despite a projected $25 million to $30 million budget shortfall for the next fiscal year. The program was a major part of Newberry's campaign platform when he ran for mayor, but funding for it didn't make it into Newberry's first budget.

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