Tuition for out-of-state foster students advances through Senate

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(The Center Square) - State legislators have conceived of creative ways to address the state’s population problems with incentives to move here.

The latest to move in the Senate would expand Pennsylvania’s existing tuition waiver program for students coming out of the foster care system to those from out of state.

“This initiative will not only create opportunities for these young individuals but also strengthen the commonwealth by attracting talented students to our universities, ultimately filling in-demand jobs and turning around our stagnant population growth,” said Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, R-Red Hill.

Children who were adopted are also eligible for the program, which waives tuition and fees at schools within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, or PASSHE.

“This measure builds on 2024’s GROW PA plan aimed at improving Pennsylvania’s competitiveness by attracting and retaining students to pursue college degrees, as well as certificate and job-training programs, ensuring a stronger and more skilled workforce for the future,” said Pennycuick.

Staffing shortages have already begun to put a strain on the state. In the coming decade, conditions are expected to worsen as a huge contingent of the workforce comprised of the Baby Boomer generation moves on and out of their careers.

Younger groups don’t have the numbers to replace them. This is part of a nationwide issue caused by declining birth rates. In the state, however, population egress is also occurring with young people seeking out opportunities elsewhere. What population growth the state has seen can be attributed to immigration.

Members of the legislature have advocated for a variety of approaches including tuition reimbursement, tax incentives for businesses and increasing the minimum wage.

Graduates from within the commonwealth are more likely to settle down here, but the state has to compete with neighbors like New York, New Jersey and Maryland for talent. Hit hardest are rural areas with aging populations and limited industries. Investments in agriculture, recreation, biotechnology and energy have all aimed to fill in the gaps.

The state has also placed an emphasis on particular industries in which labor shortages are already having disastrous effects. Health care workers and teaching staff suffering stretched thin suffer from burnout, causing attrition that only adds to the problem. Similarly, the state expects infrastructural challenges without an influx of workers with career and technical education backgrounds.

To that end, the Grow PA Scholarship Grant program offers students $5,000 grants to pursue education in in-demand professions.