But Casey argues that it is actually cheaper in the long run for Massachusetts to provide scholarships to private schools than to pay for students to attend public universities since the state must eventually pay for all of the costs associated with public education, instead of just paying for students' tuition at private schools.

Education Lobbyists

If Massachusetts private schools are to keep their endangered scholarship money, they will have to rely heavily on the efforts of lobbying groups such as the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Massachusetts (AICUM), an umbrella group of most of the private colleges and universities in the state.

"We oppose cutting scholarships because it hurts students," says Clare Cotton, president of AICUM. "They [scholarships] are the most effective investment a taxpayer can make."

And legislators on Beacon Hill, caught between education lobbyists and a constricting economy, remain ambiguous in their support of public funding for private colleges and universities.

"[I] will try to do everything that I can--it all depends on funding," says state representative Al Thompson (D-Cambridge). "I would support it to a point."