Two bills have been filed in the Missouri General Assembly that would change how state scholarship money is distributed through the Access Missouri program.

Sen. Kurt Shaefer, R-Columbia, is the sponsor of SB 390. Rep. Gayle Kingery, R-Poplar Bluff, has filed HB 792, the companion bill in the House.

Gov. Jay Nixon has proposed balancing the scholarship awards by boosting the levels that students who attend public universities receive and cutting the amount that private university students receive. His office has said that it is only fair that the awards are equitable because the money comes from taxpayers.

Under the current system, eligible students who go to private universities can receive as much as $4,600 a year. Meanwhile, students attending public four-year universities can receive $2,150. The proposed bills would set the maximum award at $2,850 a year for both private and public university students.

One thing of note about Schaefer’s bill is that he suggests that the new scholarship award amount not go into effect until the 2010-11 year and beyond. So current students who receive the awards could count on the same scholarship levels for at least another year before the change would go into effect.

The proposed change has created a firestorm of opposition from private universities, who have formed a coalition to help fight it.

In case there’s any doubt about how passionate both sides feel on this topic, I just received this press release from those fighting the changes. The release, as you can see, does not mince any words.

Representatives of Missouri Independent Colleges and Universities Coalition expressed disappointment that any elected Missouri official would embrace legislation to dismantle the highly successful Access Missouri Financial Aid Program, thereby diminishing the ability of some of our state’s neediest students to achieve their dream of a higher education.

The Coalition, formed by presidents of 25 independent colleges and universities to protect Access Missouri financial aid for students, on Tuesday denounced Senate Bill 390 that is co-sponsored by Sens. Kurt Schaefer, R-Columbia, and David Pearce, R-Warrensburg. Their proposed bill would set the maximum Access Missouri award amount at $2,850 for all students attending a four-year college or university. This would decrease the maximum award for students at four-year independent institutions by 38 percent (from $4,600 to $2,850), while increasing the maximum award for students at four-year public institutions by 25 percent (from $2,150 to $2,850). The companion House Bill 792 was filed by Rep. Gayle Kingery, R-Poplar Bluff.

“Both public and independent institutions provide a public good. However, it is both unfortunate and disheartening to students of independent institutions, constituents of our State Senator, to witness favoritism in his choosing to support the position of one higher education institution in his district over another,” said Gerald T. Brouder, president of Columbia College. “Lowering the amount of funds available to needy but qualified students choosing to be educated at an independent college or university will put a significant hardship on them and squander a great opportunity for the state.”

Access Missouri was developed two year ago with extensive input from the financial aid professionals, the Coordinating Board for Higher Education and the General Assembly. They recognized that financial aid cannot be a “one size fits all” and works best when designed to meet the needs of the individual students it serves. After careful analysis and deliberate research, Access Missouri was created with graduated awards to best meet the needs of students. Thus, the average award was set to cover 22 percent of the tuition and fees at four-year independent institutions, while covering 25 percent at four-year public institutions.

Therefore, average Access Missouri awards for students attending independent institutions actually cover a lower percentage of tuition and fees than for students receiving the average award at a public four-year institution.

Missouri Department of Higher Education data proves Access Missouri is successfully serving students from working and lower-income families. For instance, the average family income of Access Missouri recipients at four-year independent institutions is only $35,600; while it is $37,000 for those enrolled at four-year public institutions.

There is no denying we have a challenge funding public higher education in our state, but Missouri legislators should not balance the budget on the backs of our neediest students,” said Todd Parnell, president of Drury University. “Reducing financial aid awards to financially strapped students attending independent colleges and universities to replace appropriate legislative support for public sector universities will not solve the problem of funding higher education. But it will create an even bigger problem for thousands of students who need Access Missouri to make a college education affordable.”

Students who choose an independent college in Missouri are a good taxpayer investment. They are more likely to receive their bachelor’s degree in four years and enter the workforce than those attending public institutions, thus avoiding a fifth or sixth year of college costs to them and to the state. The cost to the state to accommodate all of the students currently enrolled in the independent sector - using the average operational state appropriation to four-year institutions - would exceed $700 million, to say nothing of the capital costs that would be involved.

“The presidents of independent colleges and universities across Missouri are prepared to stand by our colleagues from the public sector to demand more state funding for public higher education, however we will not do so at the expense of any student of a working or lower-income family,” said Beverley Byers-Pevitts, president of Park University. “Access Missouri works, and lawmakers should leave it alone.”

For more information, please contact members of Missouri Independent Colleges and Universities Coalition. They are: Avila University; Central Methodist University; College of the Ozarks; Columbia College; Cottey College; Culver-Stockton College; Drury University; Fontbonne University; Hannibal-LaGrange College; Kansas City Art Institute; Lindenwood University; Logan University - College of Chiropractic; Maryville University; Missouri Baptist University; Missouri Valley College; Park University; Rockhurst University; Saint Louis University; Southwest Baptist University; Stephens College; Washington University; Webster University; Westminster College; William Jewell College and William Woods University.

The Grade is the St. Louis region’s premier blog on education and child welfare. To read other recent posts, go to www.stltoday.com/thegrade.