For Immediate Release
Office of the Governor
October 12, 2001
Contact:  Terri Giltner or Rusty Cheuvront (502) 564-2611

Governor Patton Urges Parents of Freshmen to Key in on KEES Scholarship

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Lexington – “The letters are in the mail,” Governor Paul E. Patton announced today to Lexington’s Dunbar High School students during an assembly of 400 students.  He was referring to letters that started being mailed out today to parents of all Kentucky’s freshman explaining the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) program.

Speaking to a mixed audience of ninth through twelfth grade students, Patton said, “All of you are extremely fortunate because you will be the first students to receive all four years of the KEES scholarship funding.”

Governor Patton and the 1998 General Assembly passed legislation to fund the KEES merit-based program using net lottery proceeds.  The program was introduced into Kentucky high schools during the 1998/99 school year and began applying the scholarship monies to grades at that time.  Grades earned before this school year are not eligible for funds.  Now that the program is in it’s fourth year, members of the Class of 2002 will be the first to receive the maximum four-year benefit of the program.

During the 2000/2001 year, $21,600,000 in KEES scholarship funding was distributed to 31,650 students enrolled in Kentucky universities and colleges.  “This is a big financial commitment for the state but it is an investment in our future,” said Patton.  “We must invest in our children to ensure they build meaningful lives and the Commonwealth reaches its full potential.”

The Governor hopes parents of high school freshmen will encourage their teens to begin planning now for their educational future.  “Please take some time to discuss with your child how good education pays both now and later in life,” stated Patton.

Under the KEES program, high school students can earn awards for each school year in which their grade point average is 2.5 or higher.  Scholarships earned during high school presently range from $125 to $500 each year.  Students can also earn a bonus award if they score 15 or higher on the ACT.  The total of their annual awards plus their bonus award can be applied each year to college expenses at an eligible Kentucky post secondary institution.  The maximum annual award for which this year’s high school seniors can qualify for is $2,500, which equates to a total benefit of $10,000.

“My goal as Governor is to raise the median family income in the state of Kentucky to the national average in 20 years,” said Patton.  “Education is the key to achieving this goal, but it will only happen if higher education is affordable to everyone.  The KEES scholarship program is a critical element in making this possible.”

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