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Waterbury Promise reports program growth, asks board to back state funding request
Summary
A Waterbury Promise representative told the Board the last-dollar scholarship is now up to $5,000 per student, program enrollment has grown and the group will seek $1.5 million in state support; the board was asked to submit written testimony in support.
A Waterbury Promise representative told the Waterbury Board of Education on Feb. 13 that the college access program has expanded its scholar cohort and is seeking state support to sustain and scale services.
The representative said Waterbury Promise offers a last-dollar scholarship now “up to $5,000 a year per student, for the class of 2025 and beyond,” and described growth from an initial 92 scholars to 611 scholars currently enrolled and attending 20 Connecticut colleges. "We have grown so much since," the presenter said.
Why it matters: Waterbury Promise combines scholarship dollars with college-success coaching and emergency funds to increase postsecondary persistence, the presenter told the board. The group reported dispersing more than $700,000 in scholarships to date and said it has a 90% college persistence rate among participants from freshman to sophomore year.
Program details provided to the board included eligibility rules the presenter listed: a 90% attendance rate or better, a 3.0 GPA or better, graduation from Waterbury Public Schools, attendance in Waterbury Public Schools for all four high-school years and enrollment at a two- or four-year Connecticut institution. The presenter said the program also provides wraparound supports — laptops, books and emergency funding — to address non-tuition barriers to persistence.
The representative said Waterbury Promise is pursuing memoranda of understanding and matching partnerships with Connecticut institutions including Post University, University of New Haven, Western Connecticut State University and Southern Connecticut State University, and that the organization is negotiating additional MOUs with Quinnipiac University and the University of Saint Joseph.
The presenter said the group will give testimony at the State Capitol the following week on a proposal asking the state for $1.5 million over two years to support the program, and asked the board for written testimony in support. A board member asked how to donate; the presenter provided a website, stating callers can use the donate button on the program site.
Ending: Board members asked follow-up questions about school-by-school eligibility and enrollment; the presenter agreed to provide school-level eligibility data and a template for written testimony for commissioners to use if they choose to support the state request.
