Legislature can’t ignore the HOPE crisis any longer
The cost of graduating a Georgia college will be higher if HOPE is reduced.
With the HOPE scholarship bleeding money, the Legislature only has two choices to save the popular program. It can either slash the number of HOPE recipients or the amount that each student receives.
Neither will be politically popular, which explains why lawmakers long ignored the gathering storm clouds over HOPE until the winds nearly blew off the roof of the Capitol.
As early as 2003, legislators were warned that the Georgia Lottery would have a hard time keeping up with the two education programs it supports, HOPE and universal pre-k. This fiscal year, the lottery will be short $243 million. By 2012, the shortfall grows to $317 million.
Seven years ago, the state assembled a commission that made recommendations for deep cuts to HOPE, but a better-than-expected haul in lottery proceeds convinced lawmakers that the state could afford to wait to eviscerate HOPE.
So while the 2004 Legislature passed a bill that permitted an eventual phaseout of books and fees if the program’s finances deteriorated further, lawmakers also tacked on an amendment opening the scholarship to part-time private college students.
The annual price tag of that addition at the time was $4.5 million — or the cost of 1,000 HOPE scholarships at the University of Georgia.
The private college provision won legislative approval even though legislators knew that the HOPE scholarship would eventually outpace the lottery funds. The entire history of HOPE reflects expansions by the Georgia General Assembly, including allowing private college students who lost HOPE because of low grades to get a “second chance” to regain it, as given to public college students. The Legislature also expanded HOPE to home-schooled students and to students from unaccredited high schools.
The strain on HOPE resources also comes from the increased high school graduation rate, which is sending more Georgia teens to college. And the bleak economy is sending more Georgians back to school, fueling increases in the HOPE grants, which go to technical school students.
Now, Gov.-elect Nathan Deal and leaders of the House and Senate appear sobered by the dire situation and prepared to make significant changes to the scholarship program, which has helped more than 1.4 million Georgians attend college since 1993. To earn HOPE, high school students have to have a 3.0 grade-point average. To keep it once in college, they have to maintain a 3.0 GPA.
Many ideas on how to cut costs — and hopefully irk the fewest number of voters — are under discussion by lawmakers. All have drawbacks and will draw howls of protest.
The simplest idea is to raise the threshold to qualify for HOPE so fewer scholarships are awarded. Perhaps, students would have to have a 3.2 GPA to earn HOPE in high school and keep it in college.
There’s already quibbling from people who contend that the GPA requirement should be calibrated to match the rigor of the major. So, students in engineering or math may only have to keep a 2.75 GPA, while English majors might be held to a 3.5 GPA average. Otherwise, students might shun the science, math and engineering degrees that are desperately needed in Georgia because those majors are often the most grueling.
Another idea is to reduce the HOPE award so it only pays for 80 percent or 75 percent of college costs. That would be politically more palatable, as it wouldn’t entail cutting the number of HOPE recipients.
But it dulls the shine of the scholarship, which flourished on a simple and accessible concept: Graduate with a B average from high school and go to a public college or university for absolutely free.
“Nearly free” or “at a discounted rate” don’t have the same panache.
A prominent DeKalb lawmaker recommends incorporating a minimum SAT/ACT score to qualify for HOPE. State Rep. Fran Millar, R-Dunwoody, said tightening the eligibility will eliminate the number of HOPE scholars in remedial classes.
In the fall of 2009, Millar said 10.4 percent of the University System of Georgia’s incoming freshmen students in remediation were getting HOPE. He argued that low SAT scores are a good indicator that a student will struggle in college. Millar cited state data showing that 3,465 public college freshmen with SAT scores under 1000 arrived on campus with HOPE in 2008. A year later, only 1,982 of these students returned to a Georgia public college.
No one likes my money-saving idea — once students lose HOPE in college, they can’t regain it. Parents tell me about their son’s killer semester at Tech or their daughter’s bad spell at UGA and argue that students deserve a second chance at HOPE.
I counter that students need to learn that sometimes there are no second chances. Otherwise, students may be forced to learn another tough lesson: There are no free lunches or tuition anymore, either.
–By Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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175 comments Add your comment
Not Don Waddell
December 27th, 2010
7:17 pm
There is a very simple explanation to this. If the parents make enough that the cost of yearly tuition + room and board = less than 10% of gross revenue, then they should be ineligible for Hope.
However, there should be a tax incentive for those people, maybe say that parents fully funding their kids’ tuition would not pay any income tax on an equal percentage of their income.
Education has become fool’s gold anyway. Poor people keep sending their kids to school with Hope as a red herring, the kids finish, often without graduating, and usually have a substantial amount of loan debt. I would think that the economy would be making more kids stay home and begin working at 18. Some folks just aren’t cut out for college. It is not a right.
Realist
December 27th, 2010
7:23 pm
Solution is to eliminate the pre-K dollars and private school money.
abacus2
December 27th, 2010
7:35 pm
Hope could pay for 50% up front and reimburse the remainder upon successful completion of classes. Also, no payment for remediation classes. I’m tired of watching students party for a year using Hope money and then drop put when they lose the scholarship. The money should have to be paid back if they leave school without a degree.
catlady
December 27th, 2010
7:37 pm
Ms. Downey, what percentage of high school graduates in 1990 had a 3.0 average vs now? I would guess that at some high schools, the percent has doubled. Now, of course, grade inflation is not the sole cause of this. Some schools have been redistricted and have better students. And, of course, one of the goals of HOPE was to encourage the best. There are certainly more AP courses available at most schools. So you would need to link these gpas with SAT scores. Even that isn’t ideal, because I think a higher percentage of students are taking the SAT now than did 20 years ago.
Part of the problem is that, unless it has changed recently, the state has not opened the data to research by those who don’t have a horse in the race, so to speak. The state has also commissioned very simplistic research on HOPE and its results.
So, other than anecdotal evidence, we may not know much about how it is working and how it has changed the college-going or college-destination question–not nearly as much as we should, or as much as legislators need to know (not that they would pay attention) to make important decisions regarding HOPE.
Dr. Craig Spinks /Augusta
December 27th, 2010
7:39 pm
What are the several most powerful student-related predictors of graduation from institutions in the USG? Let the HOPE administrators employ these USG-generated predictors in granting scholarships.
Jen4839234
December 27th, 2010
7:40 pm
Get rid of the Georgia Pre-K Hope funded program. It is glorified babysitting. I would rather send a kid to college than a toddler to pre-K.
catlady
December 27th, 2010
7:46 pm
zinc, the lottery is a state-chartered MONOPOLY. It is protected by the government. As such, it functions under the auspices of the state.
rick
December 27th, 2010
7:48 pm
Here is the answer on pell grants. Under Governor Miller the original program deducted Pell grants first, and then HOPE picked up the remainder. The idea was why use state resources replacing fed funds already in place. In addition, by not replacing pell grants it gave u even more HOPE money to help even more students. Governor Barnes changed this because of minority pressure. THAT was the HOPE money buster. Change it back and u can easily save HOPE.
ScienceTeacher671
December 27th, 2010
8:09 pm
On the college level, I agree with not paying for private colleges, adding an SAT/ACT minimum score for eligibility, not funding remedial courses, and/or making HOPE into a reimbursement program for those who make the grades or low-interest loan program for those who don’t.
For Pre-K, I think a sliding-scale tuition should be charged. The program was originally designed as a catch-up program for underprivileged youngsters, not as free daycare for all.
Remedial College Classes
December 27th, 2010
8:15 pm
There is absolutely no reason at all for HOPE scholarship funds to be used for remedial courses. AND, the schools that are sending kids to college who qualify for HOPE based on their high school GPA but require remedial courses need to be looked at very closely!! My daughter graduated from one of the top ranked high schools in Georgia. With the changes to the way honors and AP courses were weighted for HOPE graduates after 2006, she barely missed out on qualifying for HOPE out of high school with a 2.9. One of her college friends was “home schooled” through a private Christian school and was taking all remedial, non credit classes for the first full year of college, all paid for on the HOPE scholarship.
jd
December 27th, 2010
8:22 pm
Start HOPE after the first semester — use the college GPA to qualify. Would eliminate dependence upon grade inflated K12 gpas… more than a third of students lose HOPE their freshman year — huge savings. Restrict HOPE Grants to 3.0 students pursuing an AA degree at technical colleges. HOPE should not be a job training program.
oldtimer
December 27th, 2010
8:32 pm
TN requires minimum scores on ACT. Also, Home Schooled students need ACT-SAT scores and must successfully complete 1 year of college. Unaccredited HS grades should not count. The students who need remedial work should go to two year colleges. In fact, I think community colleges should be the way for most for at least the first year. In the county I now live in in TN….If you graduate from the local HS you can attend the local community college at no cost..except for books….
dcb
December 27th, 2010
8:41 pm
I’m never sure exactly where you are coming from in your columns, Maureen. Even in this one. But your last paragraph repeated below really made a believer out of me. And as a retired school head having seen the pendulum swing over the years from a work and pride based mantra by our parents and young people, to the current “entitlement driven society” I salute you for putting it in print: “I counter that students need to learn that sometimes there are no second chances. Otherwise, students may be forced to learn another tough lesson: There are no free lunches or tuition anymore, either.”
As a PS I also would ask, “does this senior memory fail me when I recall that the way the state lottery was sold to the public as a way to gain more monies for education was to include a HOPE scholarship that included minimal 3.0 GPA and no SAT/ACT test scores (to gain the votes of the rural votes), and no financial need requirement (for the more affluent community votes)?”
GNGS
December 27th, 2010
8:43 pm
While adding a minimal SAT score as a requirement for HOPE is a good idea, an unintended consequence may be that only kids from higher income families will benefit from the HOPE scholarship since SAT score tends to correlate with income. One way to solve this potential problem is to guarantee top students (top 10 percent for instance) from schools with high percentage of poorer students (judging by percentage of free/reduced lunch population) with HOPE in case SAT score becomes a problem for them.
If a student who is eligible for Pell grant earns a HOPE scholarship, the student deserves to have both, especially if the standard for HOPE is raised. It will be grossly unfair to try to balance HOPE account on the back of capable but poorer students.
Keep the Hope
December 27th, 2010
8:44 pm
In college a 3.0 is very very good. Not every student is a straight A student. I know because I one of those students. Georgia Hope every year gives the executives a $300,000 bonus if not more. Why do they deserve that? They are paid a salary to do their job. Bonus money should not break the bank. Do you know how many schoolarships can be used with this $300,000 bonus? And thats just for 1 executive. Now get rid of the rest of the garbage funds that also come out of the Hope. Personally, I think that any parent who makes over 150,000 can pay for college on their own. Get rid of these high salary people. They dont need it. There is no reason they have to cut the funding, just the way they do business.
Dekalbite
December 27th, 2010
8:48 pm
Pre-K has been here for 20 years. Surely there are studies testifying to its efficacy. If Pre-K cannot be shown as improving student achievement, then this program needs to be dropped.
Hope Stays
December 27th, 2010
8:48 pm
jd – HOPE should not be a job training program? Tell that to the HVAC person who fixes your air when you are burning up, or the plumber who comes to your home when your under water, or the electrician who comes calling when your breakers keep blowing. Not all people need a AA but we do need the technical skills of trained professionals. Your way off base there. I do agree though that it should be college 3.0 and not the inflated 3.0 that the high schools hand out like candy. Most of these kids graduating now cant count change or read a book without a computer and a calculator.
Burroughston Broch
December 27th, 2010
8:59 pm
@ zinc
You should first check your information before accusing others of being correct. You picked the wrong blogger to cross.
STRIKE ONE. From the Lottery’s 2009 annual report, “The Georgia Lottery Corporation (the “GLC”) was established as an instrumentality of the state with the enactment of the Georgia Lottery for Education Act (the “Act”) on November 2, 1992. The GLC is responsible for the provision of lotteries on behalf of the State of Georgia in accordance with the Act and is a component unit of the State of Georgia.
STRIKE TWO. By law, half of the income is supposed to go to prizes, one-third to education, and the remainder to operating and marketing the lottery. They seem to have lost sight of that split since, Of the $3.399 billion in 2009 income, 64% went to prizes, 25% to HOPE and the rest to operations. If the income had been split according to law, Hope would have gotten $1.133 billion instead of $872 million; in 2009 HOPE was shorted by 30%.
STRIKE 3. You stated, “The Lottery Corp is a PRIVATE business. The state should have no say in how much people are paid, bonuses, etc. Lest we forget that the job of the Lottery is not to supplement the State budget, but to provide games and winnings to those who play.” What utter nonsense! See Strike One – the Lottery is a State business. It is the taxpayer’s business how it is run and how its staff is compensated. It is a money-making operation of the State to raise money for education, not to provide amusement for the gullible.
You’re out.
susan
December 27th, 2010
9:00 pm
how about this: let people ourside of atlanta win the lottery sometimes and more people will play_ thus there will be more money for education…as it is now the only winning tickets are in atlanta….so i stopped playing! the more folks win the more they will play and the more revenue! go figure
Really Amazed
December 27th, 2010
9:18 pm
I agree, increasing the gpa would only lead to more grade inflation. Include a fair min sat score.
Concerned 1
December 27th, 2010
9:26 pm
Also have a minimum SAT/ACT for those who buy Cash 3/ Cash 4 and all the other addictive mess that supports HOPE. That will definitely level the playing field.
Rich
December 27th, 2010
9:28 pm
As in TN, GA home schooled students need to wait a year. I assume that this was put in place because people fears on grade inflation for home schooled children, but it seems to be a problem in public schools also.
Angela
December 27th, 2010
9:29 pm
Although I cannot understand why the cost of higher education is so high (as opposed to other countries), I tend to agree with those who think that an education should be saved for and paid out of pocket. The last time I checked, everyone is entitled to the same employment access, wealthy and not so wealthy; and the process of saving money is the same amongst all wealth classes.
This society is so against government help and help from taxpayers, yet expect to have a free education. The Capitalism you want doesn’t work that way, you have to earn your keep.
Hope is a grand gesture, and I’m all for it (I’m a believer in true socialism) but in this country, since its inception, has chosen capitalism. Americans cannot have their cake and eat it too.
Reward those who work to pay for education through Hope. If a semester of education costs 6k, and the student has 3k and a credible GPA, Hope can match the savings to HELP pay for the education. The State could offer more options of work-study for students, and HOPE could cover the rest of the tuition.
or
Use lottery funds to help fund the better colleges and lower their tuition to affordable rates. That way
Institutions could quit nickle and diming the public, raising tuition every semester and make it more affordable.
Big business will not take responsibility, so society needs to sometime.
Rich
December 27th, 2010
9:31 pm
@Remedial College Classes – I am confused with your statement “was “home schooled” through a private Christian school” seems to me you are home schooled or go to a private Christian school.
I agree with you that remedial classes should not be included. Tells me that the student is not a “B” student.
Shaun
December 27th, 2010
9:31 pm
More students will be taking out government loans if it isn’t awarded (and reimbursed) until the 30-hour mark. I believe that are more efficient ways of rectifying the situation without taking such an approach as the article suggests.
Rich
December 27th, 2010
9:35 pm
It is funny that we are having this discussion. I voted against the lottery for the simple fact that it was used to fund programs that would be difficult to cut if there was not enough money. I would have voted for it if it was used to fund capital projects. We save the money and build something that did not require a stream of revenue.
We need to increase revenue or reduce spending. Maybe a casino could be next, but not in metro atlanta. We would mess it up here.
Save Hope
December 27th, 2010
9:51 pm
Build a video lottery casino. At least 8 states already offer this option to lottery players. The head of the Georgia lottery system said a lottery casino could raise “hundreds of millions” of dollars similar to other states where they were built. The casino is simply taking today’s scratch off tickets you buy at Publix and let a person buy and play them electronicly via a video terminal. And it can be done legally without any vote by the public or the legislature. All the Georgia Lottery Board has to do is vote to allow it. No brainer.
jd
December 27th, 2010
10:02 pm
HOPE STAYS – HOPE was designed to Help Outstanding Pupils Excel — not to Help Folks get endless certificates in technical training. HOPE has to return to its roots to succeed. If it fails, then the outstanding students will once again leave Georgia to find education and careers leaving us with a state where unemployment hovers at 15% (that’s the rate for those without a BA) and average income around 44k…
the prof
December 27th, 2010
10:10 pm
Keep Pre-K (from someone who is taking triple advantage of it at this time, so a personal bias!) and make all HOPE money available on a sliding scale based on SAT scores, period, end of story. The lottery is basically a tax on people who don’t pay taxes to begin with so absolutely no discussion of an “income” cap. Either you can be a college student or you can’t and a little debt never hurt anyone.
Tracy
December 27th, 2010
10:19 pm
Rest assured the lower class students will get screwed over by the final decisions. Meanwhile, familes that could afford to write a check to cover the entire degree will save money on having to pay.
Poverty is a cycle and the kern-serv-a-tives of Jaw-Ger are going to do everything to ensure it’s not broken. How about you use the HOPE money to build State ran churches and punish those who don’t attend ? Jaw-Ger….lol.
Toto: speakin' the truth to power
December 27th, 2010
10:33 pm
“But it dulls the shine of the scholarship, which flourished on a simple and accessible concept: Graduate with a B average from high school and go to a public college or university for absolutely free.”
Ho, Ho, Ho! Sorry, Virginia; there’s no Santa Clause nor a free lunch. Time to grow up and face reality. The lottery was passed so the GAMEMAKERS could get rich off of Georgians and have a monopoly on the state casino. Why don’t THEY take a haircut? The gambling money is part of the problem of tuition inflation. Grades are inflated so more students can go to college and spend the ill gotten gains. Greedy universities see an opportunity and raise the rates. Many citizens opposed the lottery from the beginning, and it took “zig-zag” Zell with his casino funded campaign to railroad the lottery through.
another comment
December 27th, 2010
11:54 pm
I really don’t know where so many on these boards think those who make $150K can just fully pay for the cost of college, tuition , room and board, out of pocket. It amazes me at the ignorance, some in the lower pay brackets do not understand that we are already funding everyone else with the taxes that are withheld and paid from our pay. So If someone has worked their butt off, been imported into this State from a State with top 10 schools. Gone to a top 20 University received advanced degrees in the tough degrees that most of you could never get into. Then gotten into the management track, $150K is an easily deserved salary. The problem is you only come home with $75-90K a year after taxes. So where do you come up with the 25K to 30K to just peel off the cash tuition to Georgia or Georgia Tech. It is not there in the budget especially with multiple children, when you would not qualify for any need based grants. HOPE was set up on MERIT, my children have worked hard and I have worked hard they deserve chance at the HOPE scholarship. It should not be used for remedial classes, that is a joke.
My kids and my peers kids are the ones sitting at the top of the class the ones that will score the highest on the SAT. They can get In-State tuition at Auburn or Alabama based on their GPA and SAT scores. They can also get in alot of other places just like their cousin who just got accepted to Harvard. So who do you want sitting in Georgia schools??? There are less than two my children will even be allowed to apply to. The others don’t have a high enough graduation rate for me to spend my money on.
native
December 28th, 2010
12:24 am
@another comment
I am in your income range, have three children in college, putting them through school out of pocket thanks to HOPE, and I couldn’t disagree more. We can aford it. Others need it more.
Grade inflation is a problem. However, delayed reimbursement may be educational damnation for the poorest.
I think some form of means testing is the best solution.
An American Patriot
December 28th, 2010
4:52 am
Another governmental program gone amok……when are we gonna learn not to pay out more than we take in? This is idiotic to even be discussing it…..has no one in our state government ever heard of a budget? and sticking to it? As tax paying citizens of Georgia, we need to demand financial restraint in this program.
I know, that’s a stupid idea.
Too many fools running this State
December 28th, 2010
7:17 am
In it’s essence the Hope Scholarship is an entitlement program. So then why are so many of the same people who vote GOP at every election standing inline for a Government handout? If you call yourself a Republican you should be ashamed for using this program. It was started for the less fortunate who would not otherwise be able to afford college not for Sandy Springs and Dunwoody residents to send their kids to college for free while they drive 80K cars and vacation in France. The simple fix here is to base eligibility on the 3.0 grade AND income of the family and number of students from that family. Simple solution to a simple problem but the morons that run Georgia will certainly screw the pooch on this just as they do everything else.
Dr NO
December 28th, 2010
7:31 am
Its all a bait and switch scam. High schools inflate grades so more students will be eligible and the program, in general, is full of individuals stealing hand over fist.
Anytime a govt entity is involved in anything you can bet fraud, waste, theft run rampant. There is no longer any hope left for HOPE.
If one wants to go to college then get a job, pay for it and go. I sincerely hope they discontinue the HOPE FRAUD FUND.
Dr NO
December 28th, 2010
7:33 am
HOPE and all the other democratic entitlement programs should be discontinued…Welfare, food stamps, school lunch, elderly heating assistance etc. The handouts to these democratic bums and losers needes to stop.
NWGA Teacher
December 28th, 2010
7:50 am
Those of you who want affluent parents to pay for college out-of-pocket: please remember that this is a CHOICE for those parents. No one can force parents to pay for their kids’ educations. My child’s father has declined to participate in any support, including college, beyond age 18. This is not unusual. For us, HOPE is a huge opportunity.
What if
December 28th, 2010
8:00 am
I’ll disagree one more time, Maureen, about your insistence on ‘one chance.’ – While many kids wade into college either undisciplined (i.e., immature) or not trained in discipline well enough in high school, having the HOPE rug pulled out from under them once is apparently sufficient to wake up many. In other cases, there are disasters of one sort or another that would make it woefully inappropriate to pull the golden goose forever – my own case, long ago, in another state, no HOPE at stake: my mother died in my Junior year. Went from my typical 3.5-ish range to -um – something less. You REALLY want to tell me just to “suck it up, kid – you’re really going to let your mother dying get to you? What a pansy. Too bad, sucker.” I’d hope not.
On another front, re: Pre-K: While offering babysitting for so many is likely a good economic idea enabling some to work when otherwise they could not, if we faced up to it the research is excruciatingly clear (psuedo-evaluations of Georgia’s Pre-K notwithstanding) that ONLY when well trained teachers follow particular curricula does Pre-K help low-income children. And it does that very well. BUT – there is NO evidence that high school or Associate’s degree kids doing sitdownshutupandcounttoahundred under little or no developmental supervision make any difference whatsoever. It is also unlikely that the typically fully certified in elementary (not early childhood) teachers in the public schools – also trying to get 4-year-olds to behave as 2nd graders – make any difference in the long OR short run. Furthermore, there is NO evidence that Pre-K makes any long-term societal difference for middle- or upper-class kids. SO, until we as a state decide to implement REAL early childhood ed in the preschools focusing on low-income kids, we’re only providing fairly expensive babysitting service. That may well be a reasonable thing to do for the economy, but we shouldn’t delude ourselves into believing we’re making a long-term difference for the kids themselves.
ABC ABC
December 28th, 2010
8:09 am
123
Peter Smagorinsky
December 28th, 2010
8:12 am
Just a quick note of thanks to Maureen for keeping us alert to key educational issues in Georgia, to the AJC for giving her blog and column increased visibility at the website (not long ago, you had to really look to find it), and to all contributors for their thoughtful comments. This is one of the few places I know of where teachers, parents, and other stakeholders can engage in a reasonable discussion of important challenges facing the effort to educate Georgia children and youth. I often share the column with my students at UGA and read it faithfully. I think that Maureen’s work is the jewel of the AJC and I hope is a column read by all policymakers and administrators involved in education in Georgia.
Peter Smagorinsky
December 28th, 2010
8:16 am
I have been at UGA since 1998, and faculy who have been around longer almost universally say that the caliber of students has greatly improved since Hope was instituted because the kids work harder in high school and the best students are more likely to stay in-state. It’s not a perfect system, and there’s surely grade inflation to help kids get the initial funding. The poor are indeed more likely than the rich to buy lottery tickets, and so there’s a reverse subsidization of higher education funding at work. But do we really want to throw out the baby with the bathwater by eliminating a program that involves no taxation and funds the college education of so many students because it has some flaws?
BlahBlahBlah
December 28th, 2010
8:17 am
Bring the program back to basics, just like it was originally introduced. It’s the gradual additions and enhancements to the program that are causing a good bit of the shortfall.
GA VOTER TOO
December 28th, 2010
8:25 am
Soooo glad you were always little miss perfect and never needed a second chance. Young people, especially boys, do mature and realize their potential.
Car Salesman
December 28th, 2010
8:40 am
Oh please keep dishing out the HOPE dollars. If parents have to spend their own money on their kid’s college, then they will not buy Johnny the new Lexus or BMW to take to school.
Higher Hopes
December 28th, 2010
8:41 am
A 3.0 avg out of high school is simply too low. And why keep the high school graduation avg the same as what is reqd in college? Suggest raising the high school rate to a 3.5 — we are talking after all an academic scholarship, right? Phase this in over 3-4 years, and this alone would save enough, as well as emphasize that a “B” average is not good enough for free money. College reqmt can be left as is, reflecting the increased difficulty in college.
Dr NO
December 28th, 2010
8:42 am
KILL the Hope program.
a
December 28th, 2010
8:50 am
Maybe they should go back to having it based on income as well as grades or a reimbursement program. I think private schools should be eliminated.
Pre-K is NOT babysitting. Maybe that should also be based on income too.
The New York Times had an article about earlier intervention having much higher return on investment than at older ages. Granted the intervention is for 5 and under. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/24/us/24cncwarren.html?ref=education
The state needs to look at what will help the most people and give the highest return on investment not just today but 20 years down the line.
Dr. Craig Spinks /Augusta
December 28th, 2010
8:52 am
Inasmuch as some, if not much, of the HOPE revenue shortfall is a function of grade-inflation at the HS-level, why doesn’t the media provide GA high schools and public school systems motivation to embark upon “truth in grading?” Such motivation might be provided by disseminating regularly data, disaggregated by school and system, concerning the percentage of high school graduates who were awarded HOPE and the percentage of HOPE recipients who completed baccalaureate degree requirements within 6 years.
catlady
December 28th, 2010
8:56 am
Here is another (unanswered) question: How much does pre-k cost per pupil vs. HOPE’s per pupil expenditure?
As to HOPE: Is it an achievement award (realizing achievement as we define it IS skewed heavily toward the more wealthy) or is it a needs-based award. In the beginning, it was both. It cut off the most wealthy AND the poorest (I think it initially in 1993 had a top cut at $75,000(is that right?) and a bottom cut at the Pell level, which was about $20,000 back then I think. They got rid of the top cap before they got rid of the bottom cap. (Big surprise, huh?)
I argued against it as such then, and I do so now. ANY KID who has the grades should get it (but we should add the SAT requirement as grades have become so skewed toward B). What we have seen over the years is that hundreds of thousands of apparently poorly prepared students have ridden the HOPE to a year of freedom from mom and dad, then lost it. Some of these students have continued after losing it, either by taking out loans or by working or by mom and dad funding it. Some of these students never continued. All of them cost us money.
I believe we need to target HOPE to students who are actually SCHOLARS. And that means parsing out which B’s are authentic, and which are not. A student with a true high school B is still going to have a tough time keeping a B average in college, but it is do-able. A kid with a “gimme” B is NOT going to be able to keep a B average, and probably will be on academic probation pretty quickly. Let them discover this on their own dime. It is supposed to, at the college level, be an ACADEMIC award for SCHOLARS, not for seat-warmers and apple-polishers.