2005-07-18 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Russ Linden, a member of the Charlottesville Community Scholarship Board, explained that Council established the scholarship program five years ago with $250,000, with the condition that an additional $250,000 in matching funds be raised from private sources. The program was to serve low and moderate income students who graduate from City schools and are accepted to an accredited two or four year college, with the intention to come back to the community to work. The Charlottesville-Albemarle Community Foundation administers the scholarship fund. Mr. Linden said that scholarships have been awarded for the past two years. He said that the Board is proposing an expansion of the eligibility requirements. Mr. Julian Taliaferro, representing the Scholarship Board, said that the proposal is to expand the eligibility criteria to include City and School employees as long as they meet other criteria, but without the requirement of having to graduate from City Schools or live in the City. Mr. Taliaferro said it is thought this would help with recruitment and with No Child Left Behind requirements. Mr. Caravati said he understood that teachers aides are now eligible, and Mr. Linden said they are but they have to have come through the City Schools. Mr. Lynch said he generally supports the proposal, but he has some concerns about it overlapping with the City's tuition reimbursement program. Mr. O'Connell said the tuition reimbursement program is limited to available funds. Mr. Linden said that the City has provided $100,000 over the past two years for tuition assistance, typically for one course at a time. Mr. Lynch said if we are running out of tuition assistance funds we may want to address that. He said we might want to put in a minimum time of employment so we do not encourage people to leave. Mr. Schilling asked if any other locality is funding the scholarship program. Mr. Taliaferro said no because it is restricted to City graduates and residents, but it may be easier to raise more funds if we expand the eligibility criteria. Mr. Schilling asked if the Board has had difficulty in finding applicants for the funding, and Mr. Linden said no, they have had 15 or more applicants. Mr. Schilling said that given that we originally targeted Charlottesville High School graduates, could it preclude some of those students from receiving funds without additional funding from other localities if the criteria is expanded. He said he appreciates the program, but he is not sure he wants to see it expanded without more funding. Ms. Hamilton asked if the proposal would take away the focus on kids to the benefit of others and whether the two would be competing. Mr. Linden said that as funds grow he does not think this would happen. Mr. Caravati said the idea before was to grow from within the school system. He said he would support increasing the City's support. Mr. Caravati made a motion to broaden the eligibility criteria as requested. Ms. Hamilton seconded the motion. Dr. Brown said he agrees with Mr. Caravati. He noted that City employee applications would be reviewed with other applications. He said he would support the proposal and thinks it is a good expansion. He said he would rely on the Foundation's judgment in reviewing applications.