Feb 14, 2003 By M. Bradford Grabowski Harrisburg Correspondent 2 min read

HARRISBURG – An Allegheny County lawmaker is proposing to help college students by using the new revenue generated by coin slot machines, if the General Assembly votes to expand gambling in the state. Under legislation proposed by state Sen. Jack Wagner, slot machines would be allowed at Pennsylvania’s four racetracks, and the state would take 25 percent of the revenue.

Most of the estimated $430 million the slots are expected to generate would be used to establish the Helping Our Pupils to Excellence scholarship program. The funds would cover tuition costs for up to 60,000 Pennsylvanians, who could use the scholarship at any community college or private or state-run college or university in the state. The scholarships could be renewed each year, as long as the student maintained at least a B average.

“A well educated, academically and vocationally prepared population is essential for Pennsylvania to meet the challenges ahead,” Wagner said. “Too often, our brightest, most promising young people choose to pursue their education and their careers in other states. That needs to change.”

Wagner noted that tuition at Pennsylvania’s state universities is the third highest in the nation, with annual tuition increases nearly double the rate of inflation. Over the last decade, about 20,000 of Pennsylvania’s best educated young people have left the state.

Wagner said a program in Georgia similar to the one he’s proposed has been “enormously successful” at keeping Georgia’s top students in the state, Wagner said.

A portion of the slot revenues, an estimated $25 million, also would be used to expand Head Start, an early education program.

Pennsylvania is one of only 10 states in the nation without a state-funded preschool program, said Wagner, a longtime advocate of Head Start expansion.

“There are approximately 30,000 children in Pennsylvania who qualify for the federally funded Head Start program but are unable to secure a spot,” he said. “Head Start is one of the most successful educational programs in our nation’s history, and there’s not a more worthwhile investment we could make.”

But Wagner’s plan may just be a pipe dream.

With the state facing a $2 billion deficit, most lawmakers agree that now is not the time for new initiatives. Many lawmakers support slot machines, but they think the revenues should be used either to help seniors or give more state aid to local school districts, thereby lowering property taxes.