Del Papa rips Guinn scholarship plan

CARSON CITY -- Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa today criticized Gov. Kenny Guinn's plan for scholarships for all Nevada students with a B grade or better, noting that the tobacco settlement money he plans to use to pay for the scholarships was intended to be used for public health.

In his State of the State message Monday night, Guinn was interrupted three times with applause, including a standing ovation when he unveiled his "Millennium Scholarship" program. The governor wants one-half of the expected $48 million in annual tobacco money to finance scholarships to Nevada's universities and community colleges for high school students with B grades or better.

Del Papa said she was surprised the governor committed that money to education. It was the intent of the state's lawsuit and the subsequent settlement, she said, to use the money for public health needs.

She said that while she supports education, scholarship money doesn't fit into the category of public health.

"Everybody supports education and I'm proud of his (Guinn's) commitment to education," she said. "But on the other hand, there are very strong and real health needs in this state." While the language in the legal settlement with the tobacco companies on use of the money is broad, "I don't think that it can translate into scholarship money."

The attorney general sent a letter Friday to Guinn and legislators advising them not to spend the money for the next two years because of a possible move by the federal government to claim up to half of it. She said that issue should be resolved before any distribution is approved.

But Guinn didn't follow the advice of the attorney general.

Del Papa said the governor had previously committed to using the money for public health purposes.

Guinn said details of the scholarship program will be released in the next few days. But he said in his speech that the $48 million a year is "not guaranteed, and in my opinion it would be foolish to use these funds in our general budget or for ongoing programs."

He wants to use $7.5 million in 2000 and then up to $25 million in subsequent years to fund the scholarship program. "By using only half of the settlement for the Millennium Scholarship, we will in turn leave millions of dollars for worthy and innovative health-care programs to preserve the integrity of the settlement and educate our children on the risks associated with smoking."

There's a tug of war in other states over use of the tobacco money. In Louisiana, for example, the governor wants to sell off the state's share of the settlement payments and use the money to pay off state debt, freeing up money for teacher salaries. In Alabama, the Legislature approved use of the money for youth programs, new detention centers and added probation officers.

College officials praised Guinn's program, but Democrats in the Legislature expressed reservations.

"What this scholarship program does is changes the landscape for Nevada students," Richard Jarvis, chancellor of the University and Community College System of Nevada, said.

"They know now there is a place for them financially, and there is no need to keep taking this attitude that 'I don't have to go to college' or 'I don't need to."

Nevada ranks last in the nation in percentage of high school students who pursue higher education.

But Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, and Assembly Majority Leader Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, questioned the mechanics of the scholarship program.

Guinn's budget on one hand accommodates enrollment growth of only 2 percent per year in the university and community college system, compared with the 6 percent annual estimate provided by the university. On the other hand, Perkins noted, Guinn is encouraging Nevada students to enter higher education with the scholarships.

"How are we going to allow all these kids to go to school when we won't have the teachers to teach them?" Perkins asked.

Titus said consideration of the scholarship money should not be based only on grades but also on need. And Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-Las Vegas, said he thinks part of the money should go to remedial education. That way, children can raise their grades to qualify for the scholarship money.

Ken Lange, executive director of the Nevada State Education Association, said a similar scholarship program has worked well in Georgia. But he wants to see more details.

"The fundamental problem that he began to address is we have to fund the schools for the state," said Lange, whose union includes more than 90 percent of the teachers in the state.

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