Calhoun County Supervisors are considering alternating their college tuition program to include any community college.
Scotty Collins, accompanied by his daughter Logan, a senior at Bruce High School, asked the board to consider paying students’ tuition to Northeast Community College instead of Northwest.
The county’s current program covers tuition costs after all scholarship and grant monies have been secured for any Calhoun County graduate attending Northwest.
Barney Wade
Collins suggested not as many Calhoun students are attending Northwest anymore and the program would be more frequently used if it included other schools.
Over the past four years, an average of five students per semester have taken advantage of the county program.
Northwest Admissions reported there are currently 38 from Calhoun County attending school on the Senatobia campus, 53 on the Oxford campus and three on the DeSoto campus. Another 21 are in Northwest’s E-Learning program.
According to the most recent survey of community college enrollment, that’s still more Calhoun students than any other community college.
ICC currently has the second most number of students from Calhoun County with Northeast and Holmes third and fourth.
“When this thing started they wanted to keep it in the district and we’re in Northwest’s district, but we have an adequate amount of money there and that’s why we have it to help kids,” Board President Barney Wade said.
Board Attorney Sonny Clanton said he would look into it and the board could make a decision at the April 17 meeting.
“I think the board would be willing to do it as long as we can,” Clanton told Collins.
Other items approved by board:
•Travel for election commissioners Faye Morris, Bernadette Coleman and Jerry Brasher to attend training in Jackson.
•Purchase of truck from Cannon Motors on state contract price for district two.
•Held public hearing with no objections for fire rating district for Big Creek.
•Bid opening for bridge project on CR 273 will be at 10 a.m. Friday.
•Jess Moore to attend training for deputy coroner in Biloxi.
•Purchase of a trailer for district three.
•Courthouse will be closed Friday, April 14 for Good Friday.