How Indiana’s college commitment will crunch education funding - Stephanie Wang, Indianapolis Star

As state lawmakers begin to divvy up dollars among a lengthy wish list for education funding, a long-standing commitment to college scholarships for low-income students likely will consume up to an additional $93 million. More than 27,000 students graduating from high school this year are in the program, according to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. Compare that with past average 21st Century Scholars class sizes of 12,000. The rise of 21st Century Scholars, projected from 2013 through 2017, comes at a time when college enrollment overall has remained stagnant. It could have been caused by more low-income families who struggled in the economic downturn, said Teresa Lubbers, state commissioner for higher education. It also could have resulted from a statewide push encouraging more Hoosiers to go to college. http://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2014/12/30/indianas-college-commitment-will-crunch-education-funding/20831925/