The Grants Pass School District and Rogue Community College Foundation are partnering to expand educational opportunities for local students.
District 7 is transferring approximately 350 acres of land on Stringer Gap Road that is valued at more than $1 million to the RCC Foundation.
In return, the RCC Foundation will provide scholarships that will cover the cost of RCC college classes for Grants Pass students for years to come. The agreement was approved by both governing boards last week.
Under the partnership, the RCC Foundation plans to sell the donated land and establish an endowment to fund tuition scholarships for District 7 students. This endowment will grow over time, ensuring that tuition scholarships for Grants Pass students are available in perpetuity.
Starting this fall, the RCC Foundation will award $20,000 in annual tuition scholarships for D7 students, with the annual scholarship amount increasing in the 2029-30 academic year as the endowment matures.
Currently, the Grants Pass School District covers the cost of college-level courses for its students from the general fund. In the 2023-24 academic year alone, D7 students earned 1,810 college credits through RCC.
D7 Superintendent Tim Sweeney and RCC President Randy Weber both agree that this initiative will enable more students to earn college credits while still in high school, with the hope that many of them will continue their education at RCC after graduation.
