Custer County agrees to $1,466.50 match for Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative

Custer County commissioners voted unanimously Feb. 11 to provide a $1,466.50 match to the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative, enabling a combined $2,933 scholarship offer when paired with a Rotary match.

Troy Paul, representing the high-school counseling department, told the board the district had been accepted for a leftover allotment of COSI funds but needed local matching commitments within days. "Part of that is meeting tonight," Paul said, outlining the requirement that the county sign a matching commitment and supply a letter of support.

Commissioner [motion-maker] moved to provide $1,466.50 from the community outreach budget as the county match; the motion was seconded and the board recorded unanimous aye votes. The clerk said she would prepare and transmit the required letter with the precise figure.

The scholarship is described in the application as need-based and intended for a high-school senior; the program provides one county-funded award and an equal Rotary match for each recipient. The board did not break the award into multiple smaller awards and said the county's practice has been to fund one matching scholarship per participating year.

Next steps: the clerk will finalize the letter of support and submit the county's commitment to the scholarship administrator so the application can be completed on the district's behalf.