School system sets deadline for scholarship use

A couple of times each year Richmond County school officials say a student approved for a scholarship overseen by the system doesn't take advantage of the funds by not attending college. And occasionally, no students qualify for a scholarship, meaning the money collects interest for an entire year.

Officials are implementing a a deadline for scholarships to be used. After that time, the money goes to a second-place qualifier.

"That was to assure that we are addressing and making sure someone receives it and it's applied every year," said Dr. Carol Rountree, the director of Richmond County student services. "Occasionally a student has a change in plans, and they are unable to or choose not to go to college."

Dr. Rountree said she's seen cases where a student decides to wait on college because of a death in the family.

"Now we're going to start setting up backups," said system spokesman Louis Svehla, adding that some scholarships with more stringent requirements could have their qualifying factors adjusted, making them more likely to be granted.

Dr. Rountree said the school system's first choice named around May will now have to use the money by the end of October. If not claimed after that, the runner-up would have until February to use the money.

If the funds still aren't claimed by February, a new selection process would be started.

The procedure was recently presented to school board members and applies only to those scholarships that the school system oversees. Such scholarships -- a total of nine -- were created as the result of individual donations to the school system with the intent of establishing a scholarship fund.

Each scholarship awards between $500 and $1,000 to a student annually, school system officials said.

The nine scholarships equal $103,390 to be dolled out over many years, according to school records.

Reach Preston Sparks at (706) 828-3851 or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com.