HELENA — Students who were awarded a Montana STEM scholarship will have to find another way to pay their tuition this spring as the program that was to be funded by lottery proceeds doesn’t have the funds to pay the awards.
State education officials say the Montana Lottery did not generate enough revenue to pay the scholarships, which were approved by the 2015 Legislature as an incentive for high school students to get degrees in postsecondary fields related to science, technology, engineering, mathematics and health care.
Students already enrolled in the scholarship program have been notified that the program has been halted.
The Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education on Wednesday asked the House Appropriations Committee for $358,000 to cover the scholarships it awarded out of its operating budget believing it would receive reimbursement from the lottery.
Office of Higher Education spokesman Tyler Trevor says the department received only $120,000 from the lottery.