HOPE does not spring eternal. We’re in trouble. Lottery cannot keep up with demand for popular college scholarship.
With the demand for HOPE Scholarships outstripping revenues, should we make it harder to regain HOPE? Why are so few HOPE recipients graduating college?
I am at the Gold Dome attending the four-hour hearing on the financial threats to the beloved HOPE Scholarship program; I will update as testimony occurs. (I think we call this live blogging.)
The HOPE hearing at the Legislature began with a caution by state Sen. Seth Harp that hard choices are ahead as the demand for the scholarship outstrips the funds. He warned against using the shortfall to sling mud as no one is to blame for the imbalance. (Here is a news story advancing today’s hearing.)
Now, David Lee of the Georgia Student Finance Commission is testifying. Many posters here contend that HOPE was created to keep the very top students in Georgia, but Lee did not list as one of the original goals. The three goals were to improve high school performance, increase college participation and increase college completion. He cited the retention of top students as a byproduct of HOPE, but not one of the initial goals.
He is showing lots of charts now that show a clear and troubling trend: Expenditures are exceeding revenues. He said the prior changes to preserve fiscal integrity of the program — including cutting books and fees and creating earlier checkpoints to retain the scholarship — will not be enough. Despite those cuts, he said we are back to double digit upward-bound trendlines in HOPE spending.
Now, the president of the Georgia Lottery is speaking. Margaret R. DeFrancisco says, “Everything we do depends on people buying lottery tickets.” She said the players tell the lottery that they play because of HOPE and pre-k.
DeFrancisco emphasized that all sorts of people play the lottery, likely to stave off the criticism that only poor Georgians play and thus underwrite the college education of more affluent Georgians.
She also said, “This organization was set up separate from state government as a public benefit corporation and an entrepreneurial enterprise.”
She then elaborated on the great success of the lottery, which has outperformed most other state lotteries. I assume this was to fend off complaints about the bonuses that she and her team get. Now, she is showing a chart of the 44 state and DC lotteries, again to highlight the success of her program. DeFrancisco noted that Georgia beat out California in sales, even though that state has four times the population. She is outlining new games, including a music-based one, and her hopes to expand where consumers can buy tickets. (Could be coming to Home Depot and Walmart, where Canada already sells lottery tickets, she said.)
She ended cute, thanking the legislators and then saying, “Remember, today could be the day.” (That is the lottery’s latest slogan.)
Questions from legislators: Will lottery sales improve if economy improves?
Citing the fact that Georgia is likely to come out of the recession slower than other states, DeFrancisco said, “Our trend is to strive for more certainly, but I don’t see astronomical increases.”
How about a sales tax on lottery tickets?
“No other lottery in United States has done that because it will not bode well for our sales or profits,” she said.
Now, Tim Connell, president of Georgia Student Finance Commission, is at the podium with his slides, showing a tiny sliver of the lottery pie that goes to programs other than HOPE or pre-k, including the HOPE Teacher scholarship that has since been been eliminated. But HOPE for students attending private colleges in Georgia — recently raised to $4,000 oer year- is still intact. I think that could be one area lawmakers might eliminate, although the private colleges have a lot of sway with the General Assembly.
To get a sense of that sway, Connell noted that the $4,000 for the private college awards began only as a $500 award. He also noted that policy changes over the years — including letting students regain HOPE once they lost it, which was not permitted initially – have increased the pool of HOPE recipients.
In fact, the entire history of HOPE is an expansion by the Georgia General Assembly, including allowing private college students who lost HOPE due to low grades to also get a “second chance” to regain it as given to public college students. (I think we should reconsider these second chances for regaining HOPE.)
The Legislature also expanded HOPE to homeschooled students and to students from unaccredited high schools. The program used to also cut into HOPE going to low-income students in the amount of Pell Grants they received. That was stopped, which led to a sizable tug on HOPE expenditures.
Connell says that the demand owes also to the increased high school graduation rate, which is sending more kids to college. He is now showing another one of those bleak charts that shows the soaring numbers getting HOPE.
In fiscal year 2011, HOPE is paying out more due to increased tuition at the public colleges and the Legislature’s decision to raise the private college HOPE Scholarship from $3,500 to the current $4,000. In bad economic times, people go back to school, leading to increases in the HOPE Grants, which go to technical school students.
While book allowances have remained flat and the state has frozen fees that HOPE underwrites, there have been pretty significant increases in tuition at the state’s public institutions. From 2000 to 2011, UGA tuition has increased 192 percent, according to Connell.
Now, Connell is giving the really bad news: In 2011, the lottery will be short $243 million.
By 2012, that goes to $317 million dollars.
(Here’s the bottom line if you have kids as young as mine, who are 11. Start saving more money for college.)
Now, questions are coming from legislators: Why are we paying HOPE to kids who lose their scholarships since they are not outstanding students if they blow their grade point averages? (This refers to the original name for HOPE: Helping Outstanding Students Excel, which hardly anyone uses any more. By the way, I just posted on the news that UGA is the nation’s top partying college based on student reports of alcohol and drug use, hours spent studying and Greek life. See any connection to losing HOPE?
Only 46.2 percent of students who had HOPE when they began University System colleges still retain it at the 3o credit hour checkpoint, Connell said. At 90 hours, only 37.4 percent were still eligible.
Why don’t we get the money back from kids who fail?
Connell: Nothing in the program allows state to recoup money on kids who failed college.
Now, state Sen. Nan Orrock is questioning whether we ought to consider the income of HOPE recipients, given the falling revenues.
“If we are spending loads and loads on families whose students were always going to go to college because their families had the income and then we are getting significant failure rates, what are we really doing? If the money is going in the pockets of well-to-do families — we all hear the anecdotes about the families buying condos in Athens or buying their students cars because they are getting HOPE… And what of our students who are at Auburn or at Florida because they can’t compete with the top HOPE scholars?
They are retiring for a lunch break. Testimony resumes at 12:45. See you back here then.
BACK at 12:45 with Dr. Holly A. Robinson, head of Bright from the Start, Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning.
Pre-k is often the forgotten part of lottery-funded program, but Robinson is telling legislators the benefits of the universal pre-k program for Georgia’s 4-year-olds that began in 1995. (The program – held in public schools and in private child care centers – is open to all kids, but is voluntary so parents do not have to send their children. In some areas, there are waiting lists for state pre-k)
This year, Georgia pre-k served 82,000 children across the state. Of that number, 55 percent were from poor families. This year, the state added slots for 2,000 additional kids. There are 20 students per class, with two teachers in the room. (One is the lead teacher.) Of eligible 4-year-olds in Georgia, 58 percent are in state pre-k. In 68 counties, 70 percent of eligible children or more are enrolled.
Pre-k helps both children below the poverty line who are at greater risk for school failure and children just above the poverty line who move in and out of poverty. Robinson is now citing the 20087 Tulsa study and the Chicago Longitudinal Study, which has followed the impact of early childhood education on students over 20 years.
There were requests for 13,000 more pre-k slots than the state was funding from providers. Looking at actual waiting lists in 2009-2010, there were 9,381 families on waiting lists at the start of the year. At end of the year, there were sill 7,259 names on waiting lists, suggesting many families never found alternative programs for their 4-year-olds.
The state is now paying each school system $4,226 per pre-k student, which is only an increase of $226 since the program began as a pilot 18 years ago. Not too many relevant questions from lawmakers, reflecting the lack of knowledge of the program. One lawmaker talked a long time about how his son’s day care provider felt her curriculum was stronger than what pre-k offered.
Robinson was the last witness, so the floor is now open to legislators for final comments. One lawmaker suggested that the committee compile suggestions, such as funding HOPE at 70 percent. State Rep. Kathy Ashe said lawmakers should be asking the agency heads for their suggestions on how to cope with the money crunch since they deal with the issues every day.
Another hearing may be held in the fall. “I think we all understand the severity of the situation that we are in now with pre-k and HOPE, so we have great deal of work ahead of us,” said state Rep. Len Walker, chairman of the House Higher Ed Committee.
I am putting my sneakers on to run across downtown to the Atlanta Public Schools meeting where the cheating report will be released. Check back soon for that blog.
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308 comments Add your comment
Private School Dad
August 2nd, 2010
1:37 pm
@Shannon
I can’t say how many people are influenced by the $4K but I have to believe that many are in a similar situation as us. Looking at the bottom line after academic scholarships and everything added up, how much does it cost to go to one school or another. We have, as I assume many people do, a budget based upon how much we have saved and what we can afford. In our case the $4000 made it affordable for her to go to Berry within our budget.
The argument I still make is that it is cheaper for the state to give her the $4K for Berry than it is for them to give her or someone else the cost to go to UGA. From an economic standpoint it is a winner for them and us. She earned the scholarship just like every other student earns it by her hard work in high school.
Sorry for the earlier attack. It was wrong but I get frustrated by direction of this country and this discussion illustrates it. Everyone wants to talk about benefits being “need based” as opposed benefits being earned.
Kelley
August 2nd, 2010
1:38 pm
I work my butt off to get HOPE and it helps tremendously since we’re a one income family.
RIF
August 2nd, 2010
1:38 pm
Yes, by all means take the one scholarship offered to the middle class. Let’s base it on “need” like every other grant. We get taxed more than rich people, and we do not qualify for the grants, aid, insurance etc etc of lower income families. So our choice is to either be super rich or stop working.
HOPErecipient
August 2nd, 2010
1:40 pm
I totally agree Private School Dad
HOPErecipient
August 2nd, 2010
1:42 pm
Right on RIF!!!!!!!
Sting Em
August 2nd, 2010
1:44 pm
There should be different requirements per college. I know that statement sounds biased, but Calculus 2 at Georgia Tech is a lot harder to get a good grade in than Chocolate Science at UGA (yes that is a real class). Also, it’s unfair to say there should be an income cap… just because your parents can afford to send you to college doesn’t mean they necessarily will.
As for tuition costs, some of it is inflation, but some of it is also growth. One of the biggest things about HOPE is the amount of students able to go to college now and that the universities and colleges can’t handle it so they’re growing at a really fast rate and have make sure the facilities are keeping up… HOPE has to change somehow, but I’m glad it is not my responsibility to decide or brainstorm how that will happen.
Gail
August 2nd, 2010
1:44 pm
bdd – I would be happy to give up the deduction for my 2 college students (they make about $2 -3,000 a year) if the Federal programs would recognize them independent of my income. But the FAFSA does not give the option of using only the student’s income. I am sure any needs based HOPE requirement would be the same way.
Tweets that mention HOPE does not spring eternal. We’re in trouble. Lottery cannot keep up with demand for popular college scholarship. | Get Schooled -- Topsy.com
August 2nd, 2010
1:45 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Samantha Davis, Maureen Downey. Maureen Downey said: HOPE does not spring eternal. We’re in trouble. Lottery cannot keep up with demand for popular college scholarship. http://bit.ly/95Qo3g [...]
KC
August 2nd, 2010
1:49 pm
UGA may be a party school but it regularly performs well in both undergraduate and graduate program rankings in such publications as U.S. News & World Report and BusinessWeek, as well as studies ranking top journalism schools. It has also been recognized as one of three Southern Public Ivies.
The University has seen its academic reputation rise markedly since Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship program was started in 1993. The school has grown both in size and reputation. The merit-based scholarship allows any resident of the state of Georgia to attend any public college in the state without paying tuition, provided they maintain a 3.0 GPA. The average SAT for incoming freshmen in 2008 was 1253, and national rankings for the school have risen consistently.
If you don’t believe you can both work and have fun then move to Salt Lake City and attend Brigham Young.
Montel
August 2nd, 2010
1:49 pm
They should restrict the hope scholarship to lower income people. Minorities who have less money should get more money than all the rich white people who have all the money they need for college.
DeKalb Parent
August 2nd, 2010
1:52 pm
Make it easier to buy lottery tickets – like on-line with PayPal or credit cards.
cobbikaze
August 2nd, 2010
1:52 pm
Keep the HOPE’s original design in place. Govenor Perdue created this as a merit program for Public Georgia Colleges. The legislature keeps expanding what HOPE money is used for – private college tuition and the ability to regain the HOPE after dropping below a 3.0 GPA.
The idea was to keep Georgia’s brightest prospects here in Georgia to attend school – not to send them out of state. HOPE wasn’t intended as another entitlement program. It surely should not be used by students who are not here legally.
HOPErecipient
August 2nd, 2010
1:52 pm
Montel….I’m black btw…..you’re just here to stir up trouble. You bring nothing of substance to this discussion and need to remove yourself. You’re an ignorant, jerk.
PS. I’m black and do not agree with that ridiculopus statement!
Just Sayin'
August 2nd, 2010
1:56 pm
Ridiculopus – now there’s a word I like!
Just Sayin'
August 2nd, 2010
1:57 pm
“NOPE” Scholarship for illegals – now, I don’t care who you are – that’s funny!
Cobb Mom
August 2nd, 2010
1:57 pm
>From 2000 to 2011, UGA tuition has increased 192 percent, according to Connell.< This is a HUGE factor in the shortfall, IMHO!
If the 40+% of all students (the ones who lose HOPE after the 1st 30 hours) weren't allowed to regain it; and we keep the lid on the massive tuition increases (not allowing increases to outpace inflation)…what would the numbers look like then?
Dr NO
August 2nd, 2010
1:58 pm
Do away with HOPE altogether and use the left over funds for Highway Improvements.
Keep the NOPE scholarship for illegals in place.
HOPErecipient
August 2nd, 2010
1:59 pm
Clearly that was a typing error: r-i-d-i-c-u-l-o-u-s
Momof2collegestudents
August 2nd, 2010
1:59 pm
Hi…..my 2 kids depend on HOPE to go to college. If not for it, they wouldn’t be able to go. Both of my students worked really hard through high school & both scored very well on both the SAT & the ACT. My oldest graduated from Etowah in 2008 & the other one graduated in 2010. My oldest is having to go to Tech school now to work on his core subjects, because he had to hold off on college for almost 2 years due to 3 knee surgeries his Senior year of high school. So, he’s having to re-qualify for HOPE. He missed a year & half on homebound instruction from high school taking HONORS classes & still graduated in the top 3% of his class with an overall 97.5 GPA. And, his sister graduated in the top 5% of her class as well. Both graduated with both HONORS & DISTINCTION. They deserve to have HOPE…..they worked their tails off all their lives in school and never made below a 93 on any subject. Without HOPE they couldn’t go to college, because we just don’t have the funds to do it. They would be so far in debt that they couldn’t breathe. We are poor…but I do my part by buying a few lottery tickets here and there to help boost lottery sales. My son finished his 1st quarter with a 4.0 GPA and is working on the same for his 2nd quarter. My daughter leaves in 2 weeks for college to become a teacher…and, no doubt in my mind that she will continue to excell & be deserving of the HOPE scholarship.
Ridiculopolous Collegiensis
August 2nd, 2010
2:00 pm
I like parties.
Message to Margaret
August 2nd, 2010
2:02 pm
If you think I’m gonna buy a lottery ticket so you and your staff can pay yourselves enormous bonuses you are dumber than dumb.
Just Sayin'
August 2nd, 2010
2:02 pm
Party on, R.C.! And get off my lawn!
Non Trad Student
August 2nd, 2010
2:02 pm
Crooked officials said it best. Income can easily be hidden or inflated depending on what someone is trying to do. Just because a family makes over 80K a year does not mean that they can afford a college education for thier children. As a non-trad student with a husband who makes over 80k, I don’t qualify for any grants, need based scholarships or even most student loans. I have very hefty medical bills that takes a great deal of my extra income. I have worked hard at maintaining my GPA and encourage my children to do the same. Lower income families already get reduced lunches, healthcare, food, and benefits. Why punish us who pay taxes into the system to help those poorer families.
tb
August 2nd, 2010
2:02 pm
I knew this would happen. Taking money out of what it was supposed to be used for. GA politicians you should be ashamed of yourselves for putting this into disgrace. Same old game still from the poor to fatten the pockets of the rich.
HOPErecipient
August 2nd, 2010
2:02 pm
@Dr No
Since u love higways so much, there’s a structure called Spaghetti Junction…….I want you to find it’s highest point AND dive off head first and tell us how long it takes to reach the ground…….
ska
August 2nd, 2010
2:03 pm
By the way, HOPE does not stand for Helping Outstanding Students Excel (that would be HOSE), but for Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (see HSFA web site).
nobody
August 2nd, 2010
2:03 pm
Enter your comments here
middler and so tired of all the rhetoric :
August 2nd, 2010
2:03 pm
How about cutting the silly and exhorbitant bonuses for lottery staff as a first measure, you know like the cuts the schools have been forced to make and the students’ educations impacted by the terrible economy! DeFrancisco emphasized hers was not a government organization. That’s fine. But recent news told us that lottery sales were up so I am waiting for the bonus announcements. I am not sure that what her staff does influences the sales in any way, certainly not to the tune of possibly 6 figure bonuses. Also, please do not repeat that the staff will walk if not given these kinds of bonuses. Let them walk. If there are that many lotteries looking for employees, more power to them. Georgia has a tremendous number of experienced managers hit by the economy who will be happy to take their places, without a bonus, just a salary and maybe some benefits. Organizations like this were meant to operate very efficiently and administer funds to assist specific groups of citizens. If the students and schools continue to be impacted let’s share the hit with this staff too!
Former HOPE recipient
August 2nd, 2010
2:05 pm
I was a former recipient of HOPE and it would have been very difficult fo me to fund my college education without it. For what it’s worth, I was able to maintain eligibility throughout my undergrad years. I have always thought the standard should just be raised. I think going from a 3.0 GPA cutoff — which honestly should not be difficult to achieve — to a 3.2 or 3.25 makes a lot of sense. The additional effort required to go from a “B student” to a “B student with some A’s” is just too much to ask of some students, but it shouldn’t. The bar needs to be raised. Those that want to apply themselves that much more for HOPE eligibility will be rewarded appropriately, and those that want to coast by with a B average will no longer be HOPE eligible and save some much needed funds.
HOPErecipient
August 2nd, 2010
2:05 pm
im just sayin….you’re a knucklehead…..just sayin
middler and so tired of all the rhetoric :
August 2nd, 2010
2:05 pm
Was that illegal alien in school at Kennesaw on Hope?
Nancy
August 2nd, 2010
2:06 pm
Someone might have already pointed this out- lots of comments to navigate. But undocumented/ illegal residents of Georgia cannot get HOPE. You might have a SSN and tax forms to receive any and all federal and state aid. Most of the time, they are considered international/out of state, and are charged tuition/room and board/other fees accordingly.
student
August 2nd, 2010
2:06 pm
I am finding all these comments quite interesting. I will be attending college for the first time in a couple weeks. In high school I took 14 AP classes and graduated with a 3.7 GPA from my high school. I do not qualify for HOPE because of the way the GPA is computed. My HOPE GPA is 2.98. However, because of my scores on the AP tests, I will be a sophomore when I begin. I’m pretty sure that I will be prepared for college unlike some students who took just basic college prep classes but I will have to wait til my junior year to earn HOPE. I’m sure that a good portion of those students who lose HOPE are the same ones who took the easy way out by just taking college prep classes.
As the child of middle class parents, I do not receive Pell or any other financial aid except for student and parent loans. I can only hope to get HOPE next year. Instead of income cap or requiring an A avg, the HOPE should judge a student’s rigor of curriculum like a lot of the colleges are. Quit subsidizing the kids who have a good high school GPA only because they took easy classes.
Terri
August 2nd, 2010
2:07 pm
My question would be is the lottery funding enough toward the HOPE or would it help to reduce the large lottery winnings and put more of that money into HOPE?
MrHughes
August 2nd, 2010
2:07 pm
Cutting Pre-K is a bad idea. Pre-K allows kids to not be behind the 8-ball when they start school. I personally know someone who runs a pre-K program in ViHi and have tons of educators in my family. There are measurable benefits for those who start early! Pre-K is arugably just as important as reading to your kids every night.
I like the fact that kids who achieved in high school are able to get some money from HOPE should they choose to attend a private school. Those schools aren’t cheap and I’d rather see a student use that money than taking out a loan provided they keep up their end of the bargain.
Also, I like the fact that students can earn HOPE provided they have a successful sophmore year. Freshman year can be very tough and most kids haven’t hit their stride in terms of their major. Making HOPE draconian can force kids away from tougher classes/majors because they might lose their scholorship. Higher learning should be about scholorship and challenging one’s self versus taking the easy way out to make sure the checks keep coming.
Tying HOPE to SAT scores is another bad idea. We are talking about a test that students take in their sophmore or junior year. Those tests already determine where you get into school. It’s a bad idea to also allow that test influence whether one gets financial aid. Some people have mentioned ethnic minorties. What about students in rural areas? Their SAT performance is just as problematic as students in the inner city. We are also ignoring the fact that some students don’t test well despite being very bright. Honestly, SAT scores should not be used to measure anything in Georgia as our SAT performance as a state is not something to be proud of when. Georgia is not doing an adequate job preparing its young people for college! Most kids in college today don’t have the abilty to write a simple 5 paragraph essay and grammar is abysmal. I went to one of the best high schools in Atlanta and went on to one of the most selective colleges in this country. I was behind when compared to the other kids in my classes despite a plethora of honors and AP classes. And, I was one of the top students at my highschool and in this state. I can only imagine what that transition is like for other students.
The income cap isn’t about penalizing wealthy parents. It’s about making higher education more accessible to disadvantaged students and eliminating barriers for middle-income families who want to ensure that their children receive excellent educations. The truth is that someone making $100K per year should have the funds to pay for their child’s education at UGA. That’s a nobrainer! Wealthy families are already getting a benefit via in state tuition. Moreover, there are still plenty of academic scholarships available to those who don’t demontrate financial need. HOPE should be about helping those with legitamate financial need rather, who could not afford to send kids to college otherwise, than families with $800 car payments, 20,000 square foot homes, and ensuring your children graduate debt free. Lastly, a child who’s parents refuse to pay for college has different circumstances under HOPE than one recieving help from their parents and would hopefully be treated accordingly.
HOPErecipient
August 2nd, 2010
2:09 pm
@ Nancy
They shouldn’t be allowed to attend school anyhow
nobody
August 2nd, 2010
2:09 pm
Our Financial Aid system is almost a complete failure. HOPE is the only fair system yet. You have to be under the poverty line to recieve need based assistance. The real problem is the Universities. Most schools average 20k a year or more. That’s the real problem. The reason HOPE is extended because for many children they either reach the HOPE requirments and get the scholarship or not get to attend college because the prices are so astronomical.
Fred
August 2nd, 2010
2:10 pm
Dear Terri,
You are nuts.
If you cut back on the winnings…people stop playing the lottery.
nobody
August 2nd, 2010
2:14 pm
Fred: To be honest if we shrink the big payout from 50 million to 25 million people will still play
parent and professor
August 2nd, 2010
2:14 pm
Maureen-
How about suggesting to the legislators that we balance HOPE by refusing to pay for LEARNING SUPPORT. Students graduate from HS with a 3.0 and then come to college a few months later and suddenly they can’t read, write or do basic math at even an 8th grade level. Quit paying for that and I figure the high schools will fix their own problems quick and HOPE will have plenty of $$.
As for my family – my son left the state because they gave him a good scholarship and it was cheaper to send him out of state than it was to send him to UGA. UGA has no scholarship program of its own anymore except for athletes. So – the top scholars are still leaving!
Nick
August 2nd, 2010
2:17 pm
Here’s an idea – Instead of paying out $120 million, or whatever, we pay out a lower pct of money collected to the big winner, thereby having more money for the alleged intended purpose of the program. I am a simple man with simple ideas. But come on. Even without the changes mentioned in the article, i.e. kids regaining after losing, etc, we live in a state with an expanding population. It could not go on forever. Also, I would like to know how much the budget for admin fees has grown over the years, and how many employees have been added.
HOPErecipient
August 2nd, 2010
2:19 pm
@ Nobody
You’re right, but ppl love bigger payouts and will play more if they see someone actually hit the bigger payment.
Pro Greek
August 2nd, 2010
2:21 pm
Do you have any evidence supporting your contention that Greek life should be lumped in with drinking and partying? Have you investigated the GPAs of Greeks versus the rest of the student body? How about their job placement rates upon graduation? Do your homework and stop assuming all Greeks are comparable to Animal House.
GCSU Student
August 2nd, 2010
2:23 pm
Tell the Board of Regents to stop raising tuition and there would not be a problem. They keep raising it every year while they are cutting teaching jobs in college. Then they turn around and let schools buy more land and do more unneeded construction!!!!
Ga Teacher
August 2nd, 2010
2:24 pm
HOPE scholarship recipients are usually students whose parents are in the higher income bracket and socioeconomic levels. Most of these students upon graduating do not even stay in Georgia, because the job market here is very limited. HOPE needs to be revamped and ensure that our tax dollars are reinvested back into the state. Just like teachers who receive HOPE scholarships for advanced degrees have to commit to a certain amount of years of teaching in Ga schools, and if they don’t, they have to repay the money. HOPE students who lose their award due to a low GPA need to repay the money also.
Marlboro Man
August 2nd, 2010
2:26 pm
College is not for everyone, only the well heeled. Accept your lot in life, get a job and become a wage slave. The idea that everyone can better themselves through education was a 50’s thing that just don’t ring true today. Reality sucks.
Shannon
August 2nd, 2010
2:29 pm
@student–kudos to you for seeking to actually learn something, and I agree wholeheartedly that rigor of coursework ought to be weighed at least as heavily as GPA. I remember the “valedictorian” of my high school took three sections of chorus a year (!!) because the chorus teacher gave everyone a 100, and valedictorian was calculated by numeric average (rather than letter grade). There were many people far more deserving than she was–it was sad.
@private school parent–This is definitely an emotional issue for many people. I’m frustrated as a college instructor (I’m a Ph.D. student at Georgia State and teach some intro courses) that people seem to want to target the most vulnerable students–those who grew up with literally nothing in urban settings where the schools did not adequately prepare them for college. Some of these are VERY bright students. (Last year, I taught a “freshman learning community” of urban youth. They were some of the hardest working young men I’ve ever encountered, but there’s no question that some of them had not had adequate academic support prior to college).
I am frustrated that folks don’t want to include need in the equation. Need is not just about dollar signs; it’s about opportunity. Too often those of us who have been privileged *and* who have worked hard focus on the fact that we have worked hard and ignore the fact that we have been privileged. No, we don’t achieve success without hard work; however, hard work alone will not achieve success. It’s very easy for people to point the finger at the poor and blame them for their poverty… but that ignores the systemic factors that keep poverty in place.
ed
August 2nd, 2010
2:29 pm
Excuse me. At the risk of my life let me tell you that the average college grad I meet from in state and elsewhere is just plain dumb. And I get around so I meet quite a few.
Ga Teacher
August 2nd, 2010
2:35 pm
Well said Marboloro man, college is not for everyone and we all need to accept that reality. How I wish they bring back the days of vocational/trade schools!
lwa
August 2nd, 2010
2:36 pm
Let’s not forget that the HOPE scholarship provides hope to those who would not otherwise be able to attend college.
College should be open to everyone and not those whose parents can afford it.
The HOPE GPA is calculated from a students core classes: math, science, english and social studies only. Gym classes do not count towards HOPE and it shouldn’t. So HOPE eligibility has changed.
I am confused. If the lottery has posted record profits and HOPE has changed the eligibility of the students, where is the money going?