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Pueblo County expands marijuana-excise scholarship eligibility to include private, charter, home-school and long-term residents
Summary
The Board of County Commissioners approved a resolution broadening who can apply for scholarships funded by Pueblo County's marijuana excise tax, allowing graduates of private, charter, accredited online and home-based Pueblo County schools and long-term county residents to qualify for local college and vocational scholarships.
Pueblo County commissioners on May 20 approved a resolution expanding eligibility for scholarships funded by the county's marijuana excise tax to include students from private, charter and accredited online or home-based schools in Pueblo County and to allow long-term residents to apply.
The change updates earlier county rules (Resolution 19-186 and Resolution 15-203) that previously limited eligibility to graduates of Pueblo County public high schools or GED holders. County staff said the revised criteria also permit scholarships to be used for fall or spring semesters and require proof of 24 months of continuous County residence for long-term resident applicants.
County staff presented the measure to the Board of County Commissioners, noting the update was developed after discussions with local institutions and stakeholders including Colorado State University Pueblo, Pueblo Community College and the Pueblo Hispanic Education Foundation. The staff recommendation added private, charter and accredited online/home-school graduates in Pueblo County to the eligible pool and clarified acceptable proofs of residency: a lease agreement, rent receipts, proof of homeownership in the county or a notarized statement from a landlord.
Commissioners voiced support for the change as a way to reach nontraditional students and those who established residency in Pueblo County but did not follow a traditional straight-from-high-school pipeline. One commissioner said the change would help "nontraditional" students; another noted the fund amount remains limited but supported the policy revision.
The board voted to adopt the resolution; the motion carried unanimously. The resolution rescinds Resolution 19-186 and implements the expanded eligibility language described at the meeting.
The measure does not change the source of scholarship funding (marijuana excise tax) and does not increase the scholarship fund's dollar amount. Details on application processes, award amounts and the timeline for disbursing awards were not specified during the meeting.
