These Numbers Do Not Add Up
WASHINGTON D.C.- In 1996, New Mexico lawmakers created a scholarship fund that made college a possibility for in-state students. One hundred percent of tuition was awarded to eligible scholars for twenty years, but this percentage is dropping as tuition prices rise. The chances of students going to college debt free is much like winning the New Mexico Lottery. This state law requires that thirty percent of New Mexico Lottery proceeds go toward these scholarships. But the dip in lottery revenue in 2017 caused a Republican lawmaker to propose a bill he thinks will be better than the original. Representative Jim Smith of Sandia Park sponsored House Bill 147. This bill eliminates the thirty percent of gross lottery revenues to college scholarships and replaces it with only $38. Two million dollars will be cut due to this change and it will make a huge difference in how much of tuition will be covered with the scholarship. The New Mexico Lottery will hypothetically sell more tickets and have bigger and better prizes with the help of Smith’s proposal. A University of New Mexico student leader by the name of Noah Michelson thinks this change will negatively impact students who rely on these scholarships. Tuition has skyrocketed and dropout rates are high. He says, “this is a total lose-lose (situation) for New Mexico students. The percent of tuition covered by the scholarship dropped from 100 percent to 95 percent in 2014-15. It dropped from 95 percent to 90 percent in 2015-16. Also the liquor tax contribution ended last year, causing the Higher Education Department to decrease the scholarship to 60 percent of tuition expenses. The bill still needs work. Smith says that he would like to include something that will decouple the Lottery scholarship money and tuition costs. Students want to help write this bill because it affects them directly. With more college graduates in New Mexico, the job force will be advancing and the overall well being and success of the state will be ensured for posterity
