Questions about Halter’s promise

It seemed like a good time and place for Democratic candidate Bill Halter, the “sparkplug promoter” behind the Arkansas Lottery for Scholarships, to inform this local crowd of his gubernatorial campaign plank, the “Arkansas Promise.”

But in front of a favorable collection of Senior Democrats from all over Northwest Arkansas, Halter and his plan came under some sharp questioning and challenging criticism.

It seemed, at first, to rattle the North Little Rock native, who is a Truman Scholar from Stanford and a Rhodes Scholar from Oxford. The “Arkansas Plan,” you see, is the crown jewel, if you will, of his 2014 run to become the state’s next Governor.

He was asked about any studies which might show the success rates of  any student with just a 2.5 GPA (Grade Point Average) who would graduate with a college degree?

Halter, at a loss for such academic studies, could offer none.

At first, he seemed shocked to find doubters in these friendly confines of his sweeping program. After all, this was the Senior Democrats of Northwest Arkansas, a moderate to liberal wing of the state Party. On hand were several retired college professors, many with advanced academic degrees. This was not the place he imagined getting this plan called to the carpet.

But it did.

When asked if he viewed the 2.5 GPA as a predictor for college graduation, Halter, at first, seemed dumbfounded, but quickly recovered.

“I do see GPA as a better predictor than the SAT or ACT scores for continued academic success.”

Halter explained to the questioners than the 2.5 GPA would be an attainable goal, well within in reach for most Arkansans in high school.

“Not everyone will go to a four-year college right out of high school,” Halter explained.

That was the point some were trying to make to Halter. Some of his audience even helped him with comments that “… some students were better suited for two-year degrees or even Vocational Training certificate courses.”

Halter, reluctantly, agreed.

He maintains Arkansas ranks 49th out of 50 states in the percentage of our workforce with college degrees – behind Mississippi and ahead of only West Virginia.  We’re not just competing with other states, he said.

Then he threw out  international statistics.

Within 20 years, he said, “China will have 200 million college graduates. That’s more than the entire U.S. workforce. Within the next ten years, India will produce four times as many college graduates as the United States. We must meet this challenge. It is time to give every Arkansas high school student the opportunity to attend college if they earn it.”

The “Arkansas Promise,” as Halter calls this program is: “If you go to high school in Arkansas, qualify for a lottery scholarship, maintain a 2.5 GPA and plan to attend college in the state, we promise to pay your college tuition.”

He continued: “The overall scholarship level would be set at the tuition level of the highest cost four-year public university in Arkansas. And we will pay for this investment without raising taxes, by combining the Lottery Scholarship, federal grant aid, philanthropic support, and additional Arkansas scholarship funds.”

Halter reminded the audience that the overwhelming support (across the political landscape) for the Lottery passed voters’ approval as proceeds were promised for additional college scholarships.

And that has happened.
Halter did say that more funding for college and universities is also within this plan – about $50 million a year. He called that “a moderate amount $50 million out of a $5 billion budget with projected growth.”

That’s why it is called “The Arkansas Promise.”