Governor Romney's MCAS scholarship plan is starting to seem as cynical as President Bush's No Child Left Behind act. Again, it's a lot of lofty-sounding rhetoric that doesn't really help the students who need it most. If all the eligible students took advantage of the scholarship and went to a Massachusetts public college or university, the program would cost more than $30 million. However, as the Lowell Sun pointed out yesterday, the governor has budgeted only $12.5 million for the plan. Clearly, the governor expects most of the students who do well on MCAS not to choose a public college and so not to take advantage of the money. At a time when the state has cut MCAS tutoring programs and aide to schools across the board, why does the governor want to throw money into such a half-hearted program? Couldn't that $12.5 million be put to better use? It all seems like a crude public relations scam.

Meanwhile, to see Lowell students shine, check out the Kathryn Stoklosa Middle School Knowledge Bowl TONIGHT at Lowell High. It starts at 7 p.m., or watch it live on Channel 22.