McHenry County Blog

No one can accuse Ron Parish of thinking small.

On Tuesday night he presented a plan for the Friends of McHenry County College Foundation to pay the tuition of any high school graduate who could not afford to attend.

It’s not for the foreseeable future as is being done in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but it’s along the same idea.

It would emulate what is being done for Peoria high school graduates with paying Illinois Central College tuition, except on a larger scale. 182,328 people were estimated to live in the City of Peoria by the U.S. Census Bureau.

$4 million in contributions is needed to start the program plus $200,000 a year would mean 4,100 students would be able to get an MCC education “who aren’t to get it without it,” Parish told the board.

Any high school graduate would be eligible, but they would have to attend full-time and apply for state and federal scholarships.

Parish told of a conversation with a teen from a West Virginia area that provided similar access to college:

Dad and Mom found out I could go to college and they made me study.

The board was enthusiastic about the effort, which would result in “2,600 new graduates we wouldn’t have otherwise,” Parish said. He expects there to be 6,000 additional students because of the program within 3-4 years.

Parish pointed out that “10% of high school students won’t graduate,” that 11% come from homes with less than $25,000 in household income.

“They just can’t afford it,” he stated. “We’d like to see them all have that opportunity.”

“Our foundation is trying very hard to fill that gap.”

Asked by telephone board meeting attendee Carol Larson,

Did he talk about where the money would come from?

Parish replied,

It would be all private support.

Labels: Friends of McHenry County College Foundation, Kalamazoo, McHenry County College, McHenry County Promise, Ron Parish