Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon championed for the state’s A-Plus program Monday in St. Louis, encouraging lawmakers to pass legislation that would make the program available to students in every school across Missouri.

In his State of the State address last week, Nixon pushed for more funding for the program, which pays for the first two years of community or technical college for those who meet the requirements. His budget proposal included $1 million to expand the program.

“For too long, too many excellent Missouri high school students have been unable to get A-Plus scholarships, through no fault of their own, simply because their schools weren’t designated as A-Plus schools. That’s just not fair. And it needs to change,” Nixon said.