Committee approves revival of Bradford Scholarship; district to award 100 $1,100 grants

The Finance Committee approved the district's recommendation to distribute Bradford scholarships after staff described the trust fund's reactivation and the planned awards schedule.

Gina Sylvia, senior director (title as stated) for the district, said the Edward Jackson Bradford Scholarship Trust Fund had been unused for about a decade and that the district resumed awards in 2017. For the current cycle the district plans to award 100 scholarships of $1,100 each across the nine high schools; staff described the distribution by school and said the awards were allocated based on the percentage of seniors at each school and rubric scoring by counseling and teaching-and-learning staff.

Committee members asked about competitiveness and eligibility. Sylvia said 74 eligible students were not awarded this year and clarified that students who cannot complete the FAFSA may still be considered. She also said recipients may reapply and receive the scholarship up to two times.

The committee approved item 4.3 by voice vote. Staff will proceed with award notifications and outreach to students through principals and counselors.