By Edna Horton/managing editor

The Birdville Independent School District and Tarrant County College have partnered to offer graduating seniors from any Birdville high school financial assistance to TCC.

Donna Layer, Birdville ISD counseling services coordinator, said the money will be available for the fall 2010 semester.

All graduating seniors at Richland, Haltom and Birdville high schools and the Shannon Learning Center can receive the award as long as they meet certain requirements. Students must be enrolled in a BISD high school for their junior and senior years, enroll at TCC for a minimum of six hours per semester within the year following graduation and have completed their Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2010-2011 school year.

Layer said students who receive the award go through a three-step process to determine the amount of the scholarship, up to $750 per semester.

Layer said students must apply for FAFSA and list TCC as one of the schools to which they are applying. If FAFSA funds are not available, then BISD will pay for the costs at the institution for up to one year.

The scholarship will cover a student’s spring semester as long as the student maintains a minimum GPA of 2.5 in the fall semester.

Scholarships have not yet been awarded to the students of BISD. Layer said after the students have filled out the appropriate applications, TCC will notify the students.

Layer said money for the scholarship was allotted through endowments from Barnett Shale gas leases. This is the first year Birdville students have been offered the scholarships. Layer said at the end of each year, the district will review the funds and determine if more scholarships will be available for the next graduating class.

“The bottom line for this is for kids who might not have had the opportunity to go to college. Now, they can,” she said.