NASHVILLE-A proposal to make it more difficult for Tennessee students to obtain lottery scholarships may end up being studied by a task force over the summer, said the measure’s Senate sponsor.
Gov. Bill Haslam, who has made education reform a top priority during his first term, has not included such legislation in his agenda.
Currently, students need a grade point average of 3.0 or a score of 21 on the ACT to qualify for the $4,000 annual scholarship at four-year schools.
Under a bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Harry Brooks, of Knoxville, that’s advancing in the House, those requirements would bump up to a 3.1 GPA or a 22 on the ACT for students graduating from high school after June 30, 2014. And in the following year, the standards would rise to a 3.25 GPA or a 23 on the ACT.
Brooks said one reason for the proposal is that Tennessee, like other states, still is struggling economically and lawmakers are looking for ways to save money.