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With Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s recent signing of the new state budget comes the authorization of a Community College “Guarantee” for residents who graduate from high school in 2023 and after. The Guarantee will provide “last-dollar” tuition funding for full-time, in-district students who attend community college within 15 months of high school graduation. As a “last-dollar” scholarship, the state designed the Guarantee to be applied to tuition cost only after Promise Zone funds are used. For students who qualify for the Mason County Promise, the Promise scholarship will cover tuition and fees for approved scholars at our partner college, WSCC. The state-authorized Guarantee, which was designed to support the financial burden of college tuition and fees, will be most impactful for recent graduates who reside outside of a Promise Zone.
Shortly after approving the changes that made the Michigan Guarantee possible, Gov. Whitmer signed Senate Bills 350 and 555 into law. The bills modify the state’s Promise Zone Authority Act, allowing Promise Zones the option to fund student expenses beyond tuition, mandatory fees, and qualified educational supplies, up to the total cost of attendance at a Michigan college or university. The bills also clarified residency requirements for Promise Zone board members.
“This type of financial flexibility helps to increase post-secondary access, persistence, and graduation rates for students, which in turn helps us meet future labor market demands,” said Ryan Fewins-Bliss, executive director of Michigan College Access Network.
The newly enacted bills do not mandate that a Promise Zone change its scholarship offerings. Instead, if a local Promise Zone Board has the financial resources to offer funding beyond tuition, that Zone now has the option to request these additions to its scholarship development plan, a process that usually takes three months or more. Promise Zones are legally required to provide tuition funding for at least one pathway to an associate degree at one partner college in Michigan.
“We expect that the tuition and fees costs for Mason County Promise scholars who attend WSCC to remain the same,” said Jody Maloney, Mason County Promise Zone director and College Access Network specialist, “However, we now have the opportunity to examine if our Zone can offer financial and educational support beyond tuition and fees, which was not an option prior to recent legislation.”
The Mason County Promise Zone also supports approved scholars in part-time college attendance and provides flexible eligibility for up to six years after high school, including for graduates from 2019-2022. The Guarantee does not fund tuition for part-time attendance or for graduates prior to 2023.
“For students who qualify, there’s no real downside to having the Guarantee or a Promise; tuition-free community college is a win for Mason County’s students, families, and communities,” said Maloney.
The Mason County Promise Zone Board has been discussing growth opportunities since mid-2023. The board’s most recent growth initiative includes providing post-secondary success coaching to high school students in the Zone, so that more students have more support to develop concrete plans about next steps after graduation. Starting in fall 2024, two post-secondary advisors, funded by the Promise Zone, will be available to coach high school juniors and seniors on planning for life beyond high school, at Ludington, Mason County Central, and Mason County Eastern high schools. Advisors will also provide support upon request to any Mason County Promise eligible student or approved scholar from Gateway to Success Academy or ASM Tech, and to who achieved a GED.
“The local board continually seeks ways to support Mason County resident students on their path to success,” said Monica Jewell, Promise board chair. “We are encouraged by the state’s actions as it expands our opportunities to support students. Based on those changes, we will look to see how we can continue to grow and offer additional scholarships or supports.”
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