A regents committee rejected a proposal by the three state universities to change a free-ride scholarship program for the second time this summer.
Regent Dennis DeConcini said he will work with the universities on another proposal to reduce spending on the growing AIMS scholarship program.
If that plan isn't approved by the full Arizona Board of Regents in August, it will be too late for changes to apply this school year.
Sandy Mitchell, a mother of five in Sahuarita, said she would be disappointed if the regents reduced the AIMS scholarship's value - and so would her high-achieving teenagers.
"Our kids need every opportunity. It seems like there's always a window and then it closes," she said.
She said she and her husband have always encouraged their teens to work hard to meet the scholarship requirements: A and B grades plus high scores on the AIMS tests.
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The award is a scholarship that equals the cost of tuition, renewable for up to four years. This latest plan called for reducing it to a one-time $1,000 award. Tuition at the University of Arizona is about $8,200 a year for an Arizona resident.
ASU provost Betty Capaldi said the scholarships should not be tied to the AIMS test. Students can retake the test several times, and the test was designed to indicate high-school competency, not predict success in college, she told the regents.
The number of students who receive the award has increased and tuition has increased, causing the university to spend more on that program even as it cut spending on other scholarships, Capaldi said.
The three state universities gave $12.5 million in AIMS scholarships to students who otherwise wouldn't have qualified for merit-based awards.
If ASU didn't have to spend that money on AIMS scholarships, it would redirect it to other financial-aid programs that would help a greater number of students, Capaldi said.
University of Arizona leaders have said they would redirect the savings to a financial-aid program for needy students.
The program is not paid for by state tax money, but rather tuition revenue. Arizona ranks 48th among the states for student financial-aid spending, said regents vice chair Fred DuVal.
The Arizona Students' Association urged the regents to ask the Legislature to put the scholarship program in the state budget.
Karen Butterfield, delivering a statement on behalf of state schools superintendent Tom Horne, said tuition hikes are the real problem and referred to the program as the AIMS "high-tuition waiver" scholarship. She said the program should stay connected to AIMS test scores.
"Students rely on this (scholarship). It's why they've been working so hard to do well in high school," said associate superintendent Butterfield.
Regent DeConcini said the universities would have to keep raising tuition to afford the AIMS scholarship program.
Regent Bob McLendon said the universities should keep the scholarship.
Some regents said they have received dozens of e-mails from concerned parents. Find contact information at AZregents.edu
Contact reporter Becky Pallack at bpallack@azstarnet.com or 807-8012.
