I think there are many advantages and disadvantages to go to a tech school. I may be a little biased because I just recently went through a tech school. But I have been a JR now for 2 years and yes at first the deconners knew a little more than me in the field such as: where everything is and what to do, but after working a couple of outages there that really isn't the case anymore. But on the other hand, I know a whole lot more theory than they do. Don't get me wrong me though, because there are plenty of deconners that know there stuff, but the majority don't even compare. As far as deconners knowing more theory than techs that have gone through a tech school, I find that hard to believe.
As far as scholarships went, the NRC paid it. We had to maintain a 3.0 GPA, and enroll into the nuclear work force within 6 months (I think) after graduation. I'm not sure if the NRC still offers this, but they did when I attended school. The classes were ran by a former navy nuke. Classroom policies were very stringent, ex, tardy to class-3 pts off final grade, late-5 points off final grade, no questions asked. With all this being said, I personally think going through a tech school is better than being a deconner first. I also got paid for an internship too ! $10,00 is a lot of money when you're still in school.