Lame duck or not, Gov. Perdue wades into HOPE discussion. Limit lottery dollars to HOPE and pre-k.
With a few months remaining, the governor's spokesman wants folks to know that he tried to protect HOPE and pre-k.
HOPE is such a cherished program in Georgia that everyone has something to say about the dire predictions about its solvency. State officials warned this week that the popular college scholarship program must be pared down because of falling revenues.
I am surprised that none of the candidates for governor have jump started a “Save HOPE” campaign as I think this scholarship really matters to many Georgians.
It matters so much that this e-mail just arrived from Gov. Sonny Perdue’s spokesman. I thought was worth sharing:
Hey folks, I wanted to share some historical info that you might find interesting. The projections that HOPE would “run out of money” have been around for a long time. When the Governor first came into office, it was estimated that by 2007 the lines would cross – i.e. lottery revenues would not keep up with demand for HOPE scholarships
We have made a number of changes to the program over the years to stave off this eventuality. For example, we instituted the “True B” where grade point averages are based on core classes instead of non-academic courses to ensure that B students are actually B students.
But perhaps the most significant thing we’ve done is limited expenditures to ONLY HOPE and Pre-K.
Here is a chart showing how much was spent on other expenditures from 1994 to 2003, a grand total of $1.8 billion.
You may remember that the Governor tried for years to get a “HOPE Chest” constitutional amendment passed that would force the state to limit expenditures to HOPE and Pre-K. Even though we were not able to get that approved, we have self-imposed that discipline during the Governor’s administration.
Bert Brantley, director of communications
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45 comments Add your comment
gamom
August 3rd, 2010
7:36 pm
Didn’t I read somewhere that there were large bonuses given out for the lottery folks? If that is true, that WAS a colossal waste of money in which Gov Perdue should have and could have reined in
gamom
August 3rd, 2010
7:37 pm
I can promise you that if there are any cuts to hope proposed by any lawmaker, I will work tirelessly to get them out of office.
We lost our way
August 3rd, 2010
7:48 pm
What were other expenditures? Knowing the way the legislature works, it was probably for buildings and salary increases.I still believe if you hold Hope until 30 semester hours with a 3.0; you will save over 200 million each year.Remember 54% lose Hope the first year in college.Second recommendation is to see why so many lose Hope the first year.Maybe high school teachers are giving A and B because they know this is the only way the student can go to college. I’m sure it happens alot,but is not open discussion about throughout the state.
flipper
August 3rd, 2010
7:49 pm
I don’t mind some cuts if they are necessary, but if they put an income cap on it, they can count on pretty much everyone affected by the cap to work tirelessly to get whoever voted for it out of office. I don’t think legislators want all the folks making more than 100K working tirelessly to get them out of office…. well, those that even remain in the state.
Well?
August 3rd, 2010
7:54 pm
Maureen, is Julia Wallace willing to come on here and state categorically for the record that neither she nor an other of the AJC’s hierarchy has had any conversations with Sam Williams or any other member of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce concerning how the APS cheating scandal needs to be handled in the paper?
HStchr
August 3rd, 2010
7:57 pm
Unfortunately, like many programs, the lotter and Hope come with administrative costs that seem awfully high. I know you get what you pay for, but from what I’ve read, the folks running all of this make an awful lot of money! I’d love to see an actual statement of percentages that go where.
jsmith
August 3rd, 2010
8:02 pm
too many kids in college , the world needs ditch diggers too
Well?
August 3rd, 2010
8:14 pm
Maureen looks like a poster named chillywilly is calling your bluff:
“If you’re interested, I can provide you with documented details of management’s abuse of employees, attendance cheating, deception, and other wrong doings in APS Central Office. Not only will this info make your head spin, but it will probably win your paper a national journalism award and get you a raise. It will also initiate a criminal investigation. You have my email address. Waiting to hear from you.”
Maureen? Maureen?
gamom
August 3rd, 2010
8:14 pm
HStchr – I really would like to see the salaries of all the administrators of the lottery and anyone else who handles that cash. Personally, I believe, there has got to be a tremendous amount of waste, just like anything else the gov’t is involved in -waste and bloat and that’s where the cuts need to be. Why don’t they all take a paycut and furlough THEM?!
Atlanta mom
August 3rd, 2010
8:18 pm
Folks,
I think most of the “other” expenditures that are shown, are technology related. In the early days of HOPE, that was one of the approved areas of spending.
Timing
August 3rd, 2010
8:30 pm
4 blogs in 10 hours? A conscious attempt to deflect attention from the questions that were raised about APS cheating scandal?
William Casey
August 3rd, 2010
8:37 pm
WE LOST OUR WAY nailed it. As a parent of a son at Georgia Southern who still has the HOPE Scholarship (because he’s a scholar in MATH), if anyone cuts HOPE money, nobody will WANT to be the next governor of Georgia. I paid $8,300+ in college expenses last year in addition to HOPE. I’m a retired teacher and can ill afford a cut in HOPE. I’ll have a real bad attitude if WE LOST OUR WAY’S idea isn’t implemented and HOPE money is wasted on thousands of partiers and people who haven’t proven themselves to be scholars.
Mizz
August 3rd, 2010
8:39 pm
The lottery employees have received hugh bonuses in the past because, supposedly, they were the reason that the lottery was earning so much money. I guess now they will be working for free.
All said and done, I really like the Governor’s spokesman.
williev2000
August 3rd, 2010
8:47 pm
Curious, are Lottery employees government employees for the state of Georgia? I understood that they were not.
bootney farnsworth
August 3rd, 2010
8:47 pm
maybe if Sonny had spent some time addressing how education is
funded in Georiga, we might not have this issue,
but this guy is the same gov. who did nothing while the legislature
deliberately underfunded and underpaid the BOR bills.
catlady
August 3rd, 2010
8:48 pm
Folks, folks, they won’t pare down HOPE for the upper income kids. THESE ARE THE PARENTS WHO VOTE! Poor parents are much less likely to vote; those kids are fair game.
No cuts to HOPe at all until the Lottery puts the percentage in that it is supposed to. Then, cut out all bonuses for people who are MERELY DOING THEIR JOBS. THEN adjust HOPE.
Purdue has nothing to lose. In fact, he can exercise his rather Puckish sense of humor.
catlady
August 3rd, 2010
8:50 pm
filter again about 8:47
catlady
August 3rd, 2010
8:54 pm
And all the money that is owed to HOPE over the years has to be restored from the Lottery. That will be a great deal of money.
We should also vote out all legislators who have been complicit with this theft. The legislature is supposed to be overseeing this program.
We lost our way
August 3rd, 2010
9:01 pm
@William Casey—Thanks for the comment.Since I have sent five children to college on Hope.I know about the cost and the parties that the freshmen go to.Away from home and let the good times roll. If only the legislature sees that the first year is where they are losing the funds.It is almost funny that this plan has not already been put in place.Oh well we know how they work and think!!
bootney farnsworth
August 3rd, 2010
9:03 pm
two sadly convergent issues come to play here.
1) HOPE, for several reasons, is nearly broke
2) the very fools entrusted to shepard it can’t be trusted
bootney farnsworth
August 3rd, 2010
9:09 pm
I’m curious if there have been any studies on just how
effective the Pre-K efforts are.
bootney farnsworth
August 3rd, 2010
9:13 pm
isn’t Obama gonna save us?
We lost our way
August 3rd, 2010
9:16 pm
@bootney fansworth-You know that a state employee or department will not ask for a performance audit on their program. It would be like asking to be put out of business.Believe me it called cover your a–!
gamom
August 3rd, 2010
10:15 pm
Well I can say this – my son never went to any state f unded pre-k program and he was ahead of the curve by the time he went to school. I did the job before he went to kindergarten and that’s the way it should be. I worked nights, so I can be home with him and teach him what he needed to learn prior to kindergarten. I am not a really big fan of the state run pre-k program anyway…. too many people rely on it as just another baby sitting service.
Is Maureen Scared To Shoot Dat Ball?
August 3rd, 2010
10:29 pm
Is Maureen Scared To Shoot Dat Ball?
I think that the previous poster is correct…when it comes to the Atlanta Board of Education, Beverly Hall, Edu-PAC, the Altanta Chamber of Commerce, and the AJC Political-Financial Agenda, Maureen Downey is indeed scared to shoot dat ball.
GA Teacher
August 3rd, 2010
10:36 pm
Jsmith- the ditch diggers I know make more money than my husband and I. My husband has an MBA and I have my masters in education. We often look at each other and stated that I parents said we must do well in school- did not want us to be a ditch diggers.
Maureen?
August 3rd, 2010
11:06 pm
Maureen? Maureen?
E Pluribus Unum
August 4th, 2010
2:46 am
The HOPE program provides a great benefit for families seeking assistance
in paying for college, but if the revenues are not available from the lottery
and the funding is not provided as part of the state budget, the only option
left is to reduce scholarship awards or limit scholarships. I would like to
see more students eligible to receive the Hope scholarships, but ultimately
funding a child’s college education is the responsibility of the family/student.
ScienceTeacher671
August 4th, 2010
5:52 am
Are they paying the full percentage to education yet? I haven’t seen the answer to this in any of the recent discussions, but maybe I missed it?
high school teacher
August 4th, 2010
5:53 am
I remember the parent requests that I received when I taught seniors: “please, can you give Jeremy an extra credit asignment to pull his average up to a B? We don’t want him to lost HOPE. Can Michelle re-take your test so that she can still keep HOPE?” And here’s the rub with that: teachers are expected to do whatever it takes to bring failing kids up to passing, so if I allow one student to re-take the test, I can’t exactly tell another one that he can’t.
Really amazed
August 4th, 2010
10:30 am
High school teacher, thank you for being willing to TELL THE TRUTH!!!! Hard for me to believe all of my neighbor’s kids are true honor students!!! All in GIFTED etc. My child was in public school as well. This is when we thought he needed more of a challenge. He still does well in a very well known private, however much more true challenging curr. and pulled a few B’s freshman year, but also know this is much more rig. curr. than any honors class at public. They won’t even let freshman take honor classes until 10th grade do to rigious basic classes as freshman. He will take honors and ap this coming year and I can admit a little nervous for him but also know that the colleges do know about the grade inflation that is taking place at most high schools here in GA because of HOPE. Our school will come right out and tell you no extra credit. I still saw one of the students parents go in and somehow get it for their precious son so he could bring his B up to A because this was the only B he was getting. I told those parents my son will except his B because I don’t plan on attending college with him and he needs to learn NOW! I admit… it kinda bothered me too because it was an 89 one point away but they need to learn somehow. I hope I didn’t kill his chances into a better college because of the B however am hoping the colleges will look at is a non-grade inflated. Was also a little put out by the teacher for allowing the student the extra credit. I do think if they are going to allow it, they need to let everyone the extra credit. The truly keep that one hush hush. This is one of the MAIN reasons that I feel that the ones that have truly earned it on their own merit should receive HOPE, not based on income. This is true discrimination and is telling our students that you don’t have to work hard just get by and the gov’t will do the rest for you. The less you work and more minority you are the better off you are. This is nuts. Does being minority or coming from a household with low income automatically make you non-intelligent?? I would be truly affended. I would want to prove myself based on my merit. You are not teaching these kids anything but keep learning how to milk the system. I do believe that more and more people will move out of state if this one happens. The colleges will have much less high achievers. The ones that are truly high achievers that will have to pay will go to much better ones out of state. Why go to the #1 party school when you can go to a better one that has #1 education! That #1 party school will then also turn into the #1 pregnancy school and drug school as well.
Really amazed
August 4th, 2010
10:35 am
I am REALLY AMAZED that this blog about the HOPE hasn’t gotten more attention. Are we the only ones that care about this whole HOPE issue??? I bet it is because we are all disgusted with the whole thing!!! Not really shocking since the whole world is turning to socialized everything! No one will need college when we can all just stand in line for free hand outs!! I have been trying to come up with ways to help stop this HOPE nonsense. Do you think if we all go VOTE for it not to pass that would help a little????
Really amazed
August 4th, 2010
10:36 am
My first blog is stuck in the filter. Let’s see if it gets posted.
Maureen Downey
August 4th, 2010
10:48 am
@Really Amazed. Read earlier blogs on HOPE. There have been several this week alone. I wrote a blog during the HOPE hearing and there are more than 300 comments on that. People do care about this. We talk about it a lot here.
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2010/08/02/hope-does-not-spring-eternal-were-in-trouble-lottery-cannot-keep-up-with-demand-for-popular-college-scholarship/
Really amazed
August 4th, 2010
11:06 am
Yes, Maureen, I have been reading the Hope blogs all week long!!! That is why I was stunned to see so few this time! We will see just how much people care about this. I hope we all do something about it, instead of just complaining!!
AJinCobb
August 4th, 2010
11:27 am
Lots of complaints about grade inflation. My rising junior, a public high school A student, took two AP classes as a sophomore and got a 5.0 score on both AP exams. So, are my kid’s As “grade inflation”?
Some say that AP exams have degraded in recent years. However, if that’s so, then that doesn’t leave any objective basis that I can see, for claiming that Georgia has worse grade inflation than any other state.
I don’t disbelieve that there’s some grade inflation going on,and that HOPE pressure contributes to it. That seems very plausible. However, I’m tired of posts claiming that all Georgia public high school students are poorly educated by national standards. The only objective evidence I see indicates to me that my kid is getting a good education.
Really amazed
August 4th, 2010
11:58 am
AJinCobb, I can assure you that if your children took the ap exams and got a 5 that wasn’t grade inflation. If the students in the ap classes that receive 5 on exams and still have an A in class, that alone should show any college that wasn’t grade inflation. Now if they were to have received an A in class and didn’t pass the exam even with a 3 than what would that tell them???? Never said ALL GA school. Said Most!!!!
Really amazed
August 4th, 2010
12:04 pm
@AJincobb, won’t you be a little ticked if your child is suppose to qualify for the HOPE and little Johnnie down the other side receives it instead? Remember your child is more qualified and prepared/scored better. Johnnie receives it instead because parents make combined income under that $66,000 mark!
An advocate for public education change & choice
August 4th, 2010
3:05 pm
@ We Lost Our Way 8/3 7:48 & Catlady 8/3 8:48: Your collective observations absolutely hit the nail on the head. The former pushes us back toward the original intent of the program (simply shifting when the award get issued) and latter addresses the legislative reluctance to bring meaningful change to the program. Catlady’s point is really where the rubber meets the road and its those voices that are driving the policy discussions at present.
@ Really Amazed : Refer to the aforementioned Catlady post. Fact the program was intially established on the principle you outlined and guess what, THE VOTERS OF THIS STATE ADOPTED IT !
That says to me the collective believed the concept that deserving students who are coming from economically depressed family backgrounds deserve a helping hand and should get one. In the wake of the removal of the income cap we have all this uproar from people who have benfited from a program that by designed wasnt intended to serve them.
So we are where we are. The question now becomes what next? The no income cap approach doesn’t work (evidence the pending insolvancy). Adjusting the GPA calulation has help the program to limp along. There is only so much tinkering with academic eligibility requirements are going to shave off the bottom line. The REAL DISCUSSION about the question of some form of family income means testing as a factor of how the award is distributed can no longer be sidestepped. Yes, its going to have an impact but we got to be real with ourselves and accept that fact. I would love to see a breakdown of family income level for those awarded HOPE before and after the income cap removal. Would equally be interesting to the % of students losing hope broken out by family income level as well. Maybe there is a story there maybe its not. But what we certainly need is actual facts to feed some hard descision making.
An advocate for public education change & choice
August 4th, 2010
3:05 pm
Rescue me from the filter @ 3:05 please ???
GailV
August 5th, 2010
7:47 am
The proposed $66K income limit for recipients of HOPE is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. So many families whose income is above that will not be able to afford to send their kids to college. That is way too low. It will turn HOPE into another welfare program instead of helping everyone. Wise up.
GailV
August 5th, 2010
7:53 am
I am outraged at a $66K income limit for HOPE. If funding is in trouble, pass an amendment that the net funds go only to HOPE instead of being used for other things. In today’s world, $66K is a pretty low income. HOPE makes the difference to be able to go to college. Don’t pull the rug out from under so many kids whose lives could be so different with a college education!
GailV
August 5th, 2010
7:59 am
flipper, you are right on…if a $66K cap to qualify for HOPE gets passed, I will work tirelessly to get all who voted for it out of office!
GailV
August 5th, 2010
9:08 am
@Really Amazed, Putting a limit at $66K for HOPE is way too low and unfair. Families above that income level are still struggling and HOPE makes such a difference in being able to attend college. Find another way to cut costs like stop using the funds for other things!
Really amazed
August 6th, 2010
1:15 am
@GailV, I totally agree!!!! I don’t even think it should be based on income level. I think it should soley go to the students of ANY income level that truly qualified for it based on merit of how hard one worked for it!!! There’s a concept! Doesn’t seem like this is how it is going to be anymore in the great country of ours. Less work, less effort more free loading. This is teaching our youth well!!! Don’t work or earn anything, it will just be given to ya! This isn’t an income or a minority thing it is a earned thing. Plus we are now the new minority, so isn’t this true discrimanation against people that have busted their behinds??? Plus my son has busted his behind for his gpa while managing extra curr. community service work and working to buy his own car etc. never free loaded for anything! Grants for low income now HOPE only to low income to. Why work and try to get ahead for anything, this is all this message is sending to all of America. Thanks OBAMA!!