After the Assurance Scholarship Program was unveiled by The Hormel Foundation, school officials acknowledged that their work is far from over.

During the Austin School Board’s study session on Monday night, district officials lauded the news that, starting in fall 2019, graduating seniors from Austin Public Schools and Pacelli Catholic Schools could essentially attend Riverland Community College for free.

“We’ve been working on this since three to four years ago,” Superintendent David Krenz shared with the school board. “This is a wonderful venture, and we need to work more now than before as we begin to let families know about this opportunity, and motivate students. It’s not about road blocks, it’s about breaking down those barriers.”

Krenz noted that the program is set to launch in fall 2019, but that there was still the matter of hammering out the remaining details and concerns that may be raised over who would qualify for the scholarship moving forward. He noted that while initial conversations took place in formulating the Assurance Scholarship Program, officials had referred to similar programs in the country such as the Kalamazoo Promise in Michigan, and then applying specific criteria that better fit The Hormel Foundation’s bylaws.

One of those requirements would be that in order to qualify for the scholarship, families must live in Austin and that open-enrollment doesn’t make someone eligible unless they live inside city limits.

“You can’t just move in the last semester of senior year and expect to be awarded a full scholarship,” Krenz cautioned.

There was also discussion about minimum GPA, required volunteer hours and possible test scores.

However, it was emphasized that there were “multiple pathways” in obtaining the Assurance Scholarship.

Krenz stated that it would take some time before the program is implemented to have a specific set of requirements that makes a student eligible.

“We’ll see what happens,” he added. “We’re going to keep you informed as we go.”