Pittsburgh Public Schools College Scholarships Cut Again

PITTSBURGH, PA - For the second time in a little more than two years, The Pittsburgh Promise scholarship program has reduced the maximum amount of money Pittsburgh Public Schools students can receive in college tuition aid.

The move comes amid significant declining fund balances, according to the nonprofit’s tax records.

Promise officials announced the maximum annual award would drop from $7,500 to $5,000 effective for this year’s graduating class. In June 2015, Promise officials lowered the maximum from $10,000 to $5,000 so the maximum grant effective has been cut in half since then.

When the 2015 cut was made, Promise officials said the move is necessary to sustain the program at least through the class of 2028. In a letter to district students and families, Promise executive director Saleem Ghubril, that remains the organization’s objective.

“Educational equity for students and the sustainability of the Promise will continue to guide our decision making,” he said. “The Pittsburgh Promise remains committed to its goal of raising the required resources to fund students through the class of 2028.”

Ghubril’s letter did not detail how the organization plans to accomplish that goal. Nor did it address the scholarship’s dwindling amount of net assets. The Promise’s fund balance dipped in the 2014-16 fiscal years, federal tax records indicate.

The Promise’s net assets dipped from $115 million to $104 million between 2014 and 2015 and then dropped to $92 million as of June 2016, the most recent filing that was available Tuesday.

Launched in 2006, the Promise scholarship was intended to stymie the area’s population decline, foster high school completion and college readiness among city students and prepare a capable workforce for the city.

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