Montana not able to pay STEM scholarship winners for their awards

HELENA – Students who were awarded a Montana STEM scholarship will have to find another way to pay their tuition this spring as the Legislature doesn’t have the funds to pay the awards.

State education officials say the Montana Lottery did not generate enough revenue to pay the scholarships, which were approved by the 2015 Legislature as an incentive for high school students to get degrees in postsecondary fields related to science, technology, engineering, mathematics and health care.

Students already enrolled in the scholarship program have been notified that the program has been halted.

The Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education has requested $358,000 for scholarships from the House Appropriations Committee.

Office of Higher Education spokesman Tyler Trevor says the department received $120,000 from the lottery.