• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- Senate Republican Leader Russell Olson of Wentworth said Friday he will propose a new state scholarship program that would award money based on students' financial needs, noting that South Dakota is the only state without one.
• The senator said he has not yet worked out the details of the proposal, including how many students might get scholarships. But he said students at universities and technical institutes would be eligible for the financial help.
• The endowment fund for the scholarship program would initially be set up with extra, one-time money from the state budget, with an ongoing appropriation in future years to support the program, Olson said. The schools, through alumni associations or other organizations, would raise money to match the state funding, he said.
• Olson said many students, particularly in technical schools, have trouble paying tuition.
• He said he expects Democrats will join the effort.
• "It's another issue I think we can all get behind," he said.
• House Democratic Leader Bernie Hunhoff of Yankton, who has supported scholarship plans in past years, said he supports the idea because the state needs to help educate young people who are likely to stay and work in South Dakota after school.
• "I think it's pretty critical to workforce development," Hunhoff said.
• South Dakota's main existing program, the Opportunity Scholarship, offers students $5,000 over four years if they take advanced courses in high school, have an adequate score on college entrance tests and go to a college or university in the state. Another program, the Dakota Corps, is financed by donations and provides money to students who pursue careers in critically needed occupations, such as teaching math and science teachers.
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