The Kentucky School Boards Association and its Educational Foundation annually award thousands of dollars in scholarships and grants to Kentucky high school students. Boone County Schools hope their students can benefit from some of those funds.
“The KSBA scholarships and grants for Kentucky high school students application period is going on,” Boone County School Division 5 Board Member and Chairperson Karen Byrd said during a recent Boone County School board meeting.
Awarded to students who seek to become the first person in their immediate family to complete a postsecondary degree, the First Degree College Scholarship program funds scholarships for eligible Kentucky high school seniors to attend any two or four-year accredited college or university, according to the Kentucky School Boards Association.
“We expanded First Degree (scholarship) to four recipients last year,” Byrd said. “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a Boone County student receive one of these (scholarships).”
First Degree College Scholarship recipients, two males and two females, are awarded $2,500 each, with the Kentucky School Boards Association paying the non-renewable scholarships directly to the student’s college or university upon enrollment confirmation.Â
Additionally, the Kentucky School Boards Association’s Career Technical and Education Student Grant program funds $250 grants for Kentucky public high school students currently pursuing Industry Certifications offered as part of the state Department of Education’s Career and Technical Education Career Pathways/Programs of study.
The Industry Certifications pursuit includes dual credit opportunities resulting in postsecondary degrees and industry-recognized certifications and/or licensures, according to the Kentucky Board of Education.
The grants offset costs associated with the student’s chosen certification – addressing expenditures that include assessment fees, course materials, supplies, gas and other incidentals, officials said.
“Pretty much last year, if a student applied for it, they got it,” Byrd said, adding the scholarship and grant opportunities would be of benefit for all of the school district’s high school students. “There’s no sense to not let these kids get a chance to get that free money. There’s absolutely no reason that we shouldn’t have a lot of students applying for those and bring the money back.”
Division 3 Board Member and Vice Chairperson Jesse Parks echoed Byrd’s sentiments.
“They did it last year…they gave it to every student that applied,” Parks said.
The Kentucky School Boards Association’s Career Technical and Education Student Grant nomination deadline is Nov. 30, officials said. Click here to access the nomination form.