Poll: Local Scholarship Concept To REACH State

junior Daphanie Johnson called GateKey her “ticket out” of sorts, and now students across Georgia who have the skills for college but can’t afford it could get tuition help.

Gov. Nathan Deal yesterday announced a new, statewide needs-based college scholarship program—the REACH Scholarship, or Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen—which is based on ’ GateKey scholarship program.

Similar to GateKey, REACH scholars will be selected in middle school and sign a contract to maintain a certain grade average; agree to remain free of crime, drugs and behavioral issues; and commit to meet with a volunteer mentor until they graduate from high school.

While parents also contract to support their children in their education pursuits, students who complete requirements get a renewable, yearly tuition scholarship of $2,500 to be used at any HOPE eligible institution. The amount would cover the average gap between other needs-based scholarships, such as Pell, and the full cost of attendance, the governor's press release said.

Local education officials will identify students and award scholarship money, but for now Douglas, Rabun and Bulloch County schools are the first to pilot REACH, with additional partner districts to come on board each year.

With a $250,000 donation, AT&T is REACH's first corporate sponsor. In yesterday's announcement, Deal—who recognized Cartersville Schools Superintendent Howard Hinesley—began an "aggressive" fundraising campaign to raise more money for the program. 

Hinesley brought the , after he began the concept as a superintendent in Florida and that state scaled a similar program.

Along with Hinesley, School Board President Linda Benton and Cartersville Schools Foundation President Lisa Bell were on hand at the Georgia Tech announcement ceremony, accompanied by Johnson, who spoke at the event, reported.

While Georgia was the only southeastern state without a needs-based scholarship program, some question the state's ability to raise money for REACH and say it diverts attention from the HOPE scholarship, the lottery-funded scholarship program running out of money, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The REACH Scholarship is part of Deal’s Complete College Georgia initiative.