Don Paden

Don Paden
Hello Friends and Neighbors. Educating our youth is a crucial issue for our future and providing opportunities for higher education is essential. High school graduation around District 36 was very exciting for our youth this week. I hope every student who wanted to attend college or a trade school had that option available regardless of family financial abilities. Presently Oklahoma has a scholarship program called Oklahoma's Promise. Oklahoma’s Promise allows students whose families earn $60,000 or less annually, and who meet academic and conduct requirements to earn a college tuition scholarship.
Created in 1992 by the Legislature to help more Oklahoma families send their children to college, Students have to have a GPA of 2.5 to qualify for the program. Based on the last report from the Oklahoma Regents for Higher Education which oversees the program the success rate for the Graduation is about 60%. If elected I would restructure the program to allow families' yearly income to up $100,000, Students Minimum GPA is 3.0 this is a merit-based program. The new program would apply to Trade schools and Homeschooled students based on their SAT or ACT test scores. The average student debt after graduation is about $28,000 per student. There are other details that need to be worked out this is a starting point Oklahoma's Promise is outdated and needs to be revised. This would help District 36 because the median income is $75,000 a year. Every student in District 36 who worked to maintain a 3,0 GPA and whose family income is less than 100k a year can qualify for a Scholarship (books and tuition), Working for District 36. Comments are welcome Please like the page and share it with your friends. God Bless. votedonpaden.com