Smyrna state rep: We need to throw HOPE a financial life line to keep kids going to college
Will we have fewer colleges students -- and grads -- as a result of cuts to HOPE? (AJC/file photo)
An AJC news story this morning notes a slowdown in enrollment at the state’s public campuses, reporting that while the University System of Georgia enrolled a record number of students this fall, more than 318,000, the figure is only a 2.1 percent increase from fall 2010, the system’s smallest increase since 2005.
The details in the story will be used to frame the upcoming HOPE debate in the Legislature. You can see one side of that argument below in the essay by Stacey Evans, a legislator from Smyrna.
Also a dozen campuses are teaching fewer students. The colleges are scattered across the state and they tend to enroll more low-income students who are more likely to struggle to pay for college. System leaders predicted and welcomed a slowdown, saying it would make the annual influx of new students easier to manage. The system has gained about 48,000 students since fall 2007.
Officials couldn’t link enrollment changes to just one cause, but with about one-third of the system’s students depending on HOPE, changes to the award can’t be ignored. Lawmakers revamped the lottery funded scholarship last spring, decreasing the aid students receive to keep the program viable for future recipients. As a result, thousands of students are bridging a financial gap and must pay hundreds of additional dollars in tuition, books and fees.
This story is the ideal lead-in to this essay by state Rep. Stacey Evans, D-Smyrna, on the need to put more money into HOPE. Evans gave a powerful speech last year on the House floor role on HOPE in transforming her own life. I expect more speeches this year as HOPE will again be up for debate.
Evans is a first generation college graduate and HOPE scholar. She represents Georgia House District 40 and is a partner in the law firm of Wood, Hernacki & Evans, LLC.
By Rep. Stacey Evans
Growing up in rural Ringgold in north Georgia, the daughter of carpet mill workers, college seemed a remote possibility for me financially. My parents always pushed me to work hard, but they were worried about paying the rent and making sure my brother and I had dinner on the table. For me, the HOPE scholarship and other financial aid was a life line.
After many late nights of studying, my 3.8 GPA earned me a HOPE scholarship and admission to the University of Georgia. But I didn’t stop working. I continued staying up late – this time to waitress to supplement my financial aid – and waking up early to study.
My story has a happy ending: I became my family’s first college graduate, went on to law school and now mentor students through the hurdles of the college admissions process. I have seen too many students who struggle in situations even I could have never imagined. These are students like Atlanta teen Marlanna, who missed the SAT several times because her mother did not have transportation to drive her to the test. Everything from transportation and filling out applications online when you don’t have a computer, to obtaining immunization records and ordering transcripts are harder when you don’t have the financial resources or someone in your family who has been through it before. And that’s before you even get a tuition bill.
Marlanna was recently accepted to Georgia Perimeter College. She too has a happy ending. But there are many students who don’t and those happy stories will become fewer. The hurdles that Marlanna faced are unimaginable to most.
This last legislative session, the “reform” measures placed yet another hurdle in front of low income students. In response to declining lottery revenues, the HOPE scholarship program has changed. It is now more difficult to obtain a scholarship and those who do, receive a smaller reward.
That means thousands of Georgia students will delay college or not go at all as the dollars available for the HOPE scholarship continue to deteriorate. Other current recipients of HOPE funds may have to drop out and possibly even be in default because of a decline in their education money. And the situation is only expected to get worse.
By fiscal year 2013, the state is expected to wipe through reserve funds and be expected to make even larger cuts to the HOPE program. This is why it is essential that Georgia consider all new revenue sources to supplement lottery funds. Like others, I need more time to consider whether video lottery terminals in a centralized location is the best option. But it is certainly an option that should be considered. It is discouraging to know that some have immediately dismissed the idea before it can even be studied.
The purpose of HOPE was to make college a possibility for more students. It was never intended to simply make it easier for those who have the resources to go. Our state is better off if we have more college-educated students and the only way to meet that goal is to make college more of a possibility for a larger portion of the population. The current HOPE scholarship program does not do that.
If you grow up in a family with a household income of less than $36,000 a year, you have a less than 5 percent chance of going to college. On the other hand, if you grow up in a family with a household income of more than $95,000 a year, you have more than a 75 percent chance of going to college. HOPE was intended to change these figures so that the family you were born into did not determine whether you were going to college or not. Georgia will not climb the economic charts as a state by continuing to simply send children of college graduates to college – that is already done. We need more first-generation college students.
HOPE helps us achieve that goal because it makes college more affordable to more students. But now that HOPE has been slashed and will continue to deteriorate over time, the program’s goals are lost.
We need to spread a message of hope to these students that that we want to help them get to college, not place yet another hurdle in their way. We need to show students that we will not close our minds to new ways to fund their education – even if those ideas are different than the way we are used to doing things in Georgia.
It is a new way of thinking that brought us the HOPE scholarship and that has helped so many first generation college graduates. And I hope that Georgia is open-minded enough to realize that the HOPE scholarship is now in need of its own life line.
–Maureen Downey, for the AJC Get Schooled blog
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119 comments Add your comment
Shar
November 18th, 2011
1:11 pm
@catlady, I agree that far too many parents abdicate responsibility for their child’s education once they can toddle through the school doors, and far too many children lack the discipline, structure and motivation to succeed without parental oversight. Unfortunately, far too many schools prefer to paper this over rather than address the problems within their purview to solve. We agree that the end result is poor college preparation.
@gojackets, I agree. The collorary for high school is that an A in a remedial course does not equal an A (or for that matter a B) in an AP or Honors course but the idiots in our Legislature – who could not pass either – are not capable of recognizing that, nor would they address it if they could. They would rather the HOPE program fail than have to explain to constituent parents of students in easy classes why their child’s performance is not comparable to that of a B student taking Chemical Engineering at Tech.
@Once Again, it is unrealistic to raise the GPA again. It will only lead to more grade inflation. HOPE should be tied to a nationally-normed measure like the SAT, with some case-by-case alternative for kids who have verifiable issues with standardized tests. Again, legislators won’t do it because too many kids would fail to qualify, leading voting parents to take issue with the quality of educational outcomes in their home districts and perhaps even the legislator’s vote in favor of cutting education funding.
Our legislators are liars, cheats and cowards, as exemplified by Rep. Evans’ letter above.Rather than accept responsibility for siphoning away the HOPE funds, their irresponsible budgetary choices, their abject failure to responsibly implement the program to the long-term benefit of the state or even to effectively oversee the Lottery Commission’s activities (and yes, as of right now they should be required to abide by the law and return the stipulated percentage to the scholarship funds rather than to themselves and various other extralegal “priorities”), legislators like Evans duck and choose instead to blame students coming from families with the means to pay tuition for earning the right to qualify for a scholarship. It’s a shiftless, self-serving whine that no one with any sense believes, and it’s typical of the entire Legislature’s response to having stolen the program blind.
Lee
November 18th, 2011
1:37 pm
Make HOPE a Reimbursement program and watch many of the problems go away.
I noticed Rep. Evans brought up the “HOPE was for poor people” argument once again. Hey, maybe the reason poor people don’t go to college is that they have lower IQ’s and do not have the aptitude for college work.
Unfortunately, our public schools are still graduating illiterates who have zero chance of going to college or technical schools and since most of the blue collar jobs have been shipped overseas, have little chance of being employed in a decent paying job.
Fix that Evans before monkeying with HOPE.
Beverly Fraud
November 18th, 2011
1:48 pm
Why not raise funds by having the Georgia General Assembly sponsored by a corporate entity?
Yahoo would seem to be a natural fit, as apparently you can’t swing a stick under the Gold Dome without hitting one.
resno2
November 18th, 2011
1:54 pm
Throw HOPE financial lifeline, and I guarantee that tuition costs will go up even more. The Board of Regents are nothing more than politicians who are very capable at spending other peoples money. Fix the abuse and loopholes in HOPE first, then go from there.
Tip of the Iceberg
November 18th, 2011
2:24 pm
@ ATL Mom:
“If university professors had to post grades and attendance online for parent viewing a few times each semester, grad rates would go up 10%.”
Oh my. And are you going to your child’s work interview when they graduate from college too?
You really don’t think 18 year olds are grown do you?
I am assuming college professors actually post grades somewhere . . . why not online so the adults footing the bill can see them more than twice a year.
Attendance is a big factor in college failure. Why not monitor attendance?
Actually I did drive both of my kids to their first job interviews.
They both got good jobs and got out of my wallet. O Happy Day!
What is sad is that if these ideas increase college grad rates by 10%, we will have more college grads walking around without jobs. Parents, get ready to do whatever it takes.
The jobs outlook is only getting worse.
NONPC
November 18th, 2011
2:29 pm
Put more money into HOPE from state coffers? Not only NO, but H*LL NO. How about reign in tuition and fee increases? HOPE cannot possibly hope to keep up with College costs when they are increasing at 2x, 3x, 5x the rate of inflation. Chasing college costs with taxpayer dollars… folks who ALREADY pay for every dollar of K-12 education… is asking too much.
MiltonMan
November 18th, 2011
2:34 pm
How about HOPE for only those who degree of choice will make them “somewhat” employable vs. worthless degrees.
Problem solved.
Janet
November 18th, 2011
2:55 pm
I think it’s funny how so many think it’s almost a God given right to go to college for FREE. Just because someone doesn’t get HOPE doesn’t mean they can’t go to college. Whatever happened to the value of working? When I was in college, my parents couldn’t afford to help, so I got what few grants/scholarships I could and took out loans for the rest. I was 20 years old and worked a FULL TIME job to pay for living expenses. Some would say that I didn’t get the “full college experience” because on Spring break, I was not trashed off my a** in Mexico, I was working double shifts. Most of winter break… the same. Summers…the same. Was it hard… YES. Did I sometimes feel jealousy toward those who had it easier… HELL YES! But I knew that I wasn’t going to be a waitress at the Olive Garden forever, so I pushed forward. I have no regrets as I was and still am the first in my entire extended family to attend and graduate from college and have a successful career in my chosen field. I think these kids (really 18 year old adults acting like children) need to grow up, stop whining, and go get job. The laziness and sense of entitlement astounds me.
Lee
November 18th, 2011
3:02 pm
When my kids were in college, I got the URLs and passwords from them where I could go online and view their grades, account info, make payments, etc.
If your kids don’t want to provide you with that info, I suggest shutting down the money fountain.
catlady
November 18th, 2011
3:09 pm
Lee, I am also astounded at the parents who say their kids are adults and give them hundreds and thousands of dollars but don’t expect reciprocal respect by seeing the student’s grades. I would cut them off quicker than spit can fly! Have a friend that is getting no respect from his daughter, age 25. Pays her car, gas, food, etc, and has no way of knowing if she is actually enrolled! She will show him nothing. She has been “in school” for 6 years now and has yet to be in the nursing program. He is aware that she has “stopped out” 3 times in the past, not telling him before she did, nor has he ever seen any kind of verification on anything. I think he is a fool!
Atlanta mom
November 18th, 2011
3:54 pm
“You really don’t think 18 year olds are grown do you?”
Yes, I do. Because that’s what I’ve been preparing them for the previous 18 years. Will they make bad choices? Maybe. Will I take responsibility and try to fix it? No.
Do you think college professors take attendance? Do you really want to make that part of their jobs? If your child doesn’t go to class what are you going to do to fix it?
My children know that if they lose their scholarships, they will have to find the funds to make it up. Not coming out of my pocket. That seems be enough incentive for my kids, because they know I’m not fooling around.
Beverly Fraud
November 18th, 2011
4:18 pm
I REALLY feel sad for those students who got a college degree in Eraser Maintainance, hoping they’d get a high paying job with APS.
Scott
November 18th, 2011
5:41 pm
I think Hope is awesome, but when you get something for nothing, we run into the entitlement mentality… as evidenced by Rep. Evans. Paying 10-20% of the cost of your education is not a hardship. It is a 80-90% discount. (Forgive me if my numbers are slightly off.)
The payouts have to equal the income for a sustainable program. It shouldn’t take a college math education to understand that.
Ron
November 18th, 2011
5:48 pm
My HOPE scholarship was cancelled right before my program started. Two years later, I have a 4.0 GPA. Will I be able to apply retroactively?
Ron
November 18th, 2011
5:50 pm
Little wonder HOPE Scholarship failed to keep up with rising university fees to pay for all those fancy student centers, gyms, technology, and athletics. Clearly, U’s have priced themselves out of the market.
Michael
November 18th, 2011
6:53 pm
Well the Dekalb Schools jobs website indicates the students can just get that HS Diploma and start out making $38k as a painter or $53k as a secretary. Who needs HOPE?
oldtimer
November 18th, 2011
7:36 pm
I liked this letter…She is a good role model. I do think more money ought to be put into funds for poor people who prove they derve help. When I was in college, I had quite a bit of help..grants, work study…things I am not sure are availabe any longer.
My favorite day of teaching…as a principal was kind oftalking sternly about not giving poor young boys breaks…As he was speaking a youhng man came up and interrupted us. He told my boss that if I had not “stayed on him” he would not be the first male in his family to finish High School. I actually taught him two years and spent many lunch times catching up. I have not seen him since, but he did say he had been accepted at Clayton State….The principal did some backstrokes…and after that kind of left me alone. It also helped that the next two years my reading class had the most improvement in schools.
So for every teacher…help kids..stay on them…. find resources they need…
RGB
November 18th, 2011
7:50 pm
We should–no, we MUST increase HOPE funding every year even if it means we tax everyone at 100% of their income–and then we have to borrow MORE elsewhere.
Why? Because it’s guaranteed in the Constitution, Article 1, Section 1: “Every chile is guaranteed a college education regardless of whether the chile wants to attend college or whether taxpayers possess the financial wherewithal to send said chile to college.”
Do it for the children.
P.S. I need–no, deserve a new car. Please cough up the funds to effect said purchase forthwith.
catlady
November 18th, 2011
8:03 pm
Shar: “far too many schools prefer to paper this over rather than address the problems within their purview to solve.”
I think many folks at the schools would prefer to address the problems, such as grade inflation, unearned As, no zeroes, unlimited retakes, second chances, late work, etc. However, the schools seem to be populated with mostly “not my kid” on this. That is, it is fine to have the rule, but not for my kid-he deserves a second chance, third chance, the teacher has it in for him, ad nausem.
Without parent support/accountability, schools cannot hold kids responsible. We can try to motivate, and try to inspire, and sometimes (occasionally) that works, and a kid with little to nothing going for him with his family support sees a better world and aspires to it. Everyone thinks their child is an exception to any school rule, and the powers that be all the way up to the top of the federal food chain seem to agree, usually.
One trouble the schools have is that EVERY problem is the school’s to solve, but the schools are given NO POWER to solve them.
I think you and I are largely in agreement, but we differ in how much power you ascribe to the schools. From where I sit, the schools/teachers are the least powerful rung of the ladder. Is what I do important? Yes. But I can’t move mountains. I’m happy if I can get them to vibrate a bit from time to time.
CA
November 18th, 2011
8:05 pm
Someone, please provide proof of grade inflation. Please also explain what “Being ready for college” means. Does it mean that a child has realized a “certain” GPA. Is the GPA the only thing that dictates success?
Beverly Fraud
November 18th, 2011
8:20 pm
Quote:
“Someone, please provide proof of grade inflation”
The University System of Georgia.
40 yr educator
November 18th, 2011
8:32 pm
The HOPE Grant is the other side of the coin…..students in the Technical College System are draining the aid with multiple majors!!!
William Casey
November 18th, 2011
8:33 pm
@CA: when I retired from the Fulton County School system in 2006, it was Board policy to assign no final grade lower than 50%. A potted plant, if properly registered, would have received a final grade of 50%. I’d call that “grade inflation.” Also, see Catlady’s examples in her 8:03 post.
DLink
November 18th, 2011
8:40 pm
The HOPE scholarship is fine as a start. Businesses and schools really need to interact with what is needed today, though. They NEED to be hand in hand, if anybody is to work. Sure. you get the occasional left turn that leads somewhere else, we all expect that. HOPE for it, in fact.
The sudden turn when people catch fire, I’m seeing around 33yo now. The interest and the drive kick in. Czechoslovakia has been doing trade schools for a very long time. There are no advanced schools, just trade schools and everybody works. I think an American ideal is to have everyone work for you making money. Carryover from the slavers days of glory. Glory being those who work for next to nothing. We can go to CHINA and continue this line of reasoning.
William Casey
November 18th, 2011
8:45 pm
@MILTON MAN: Although “employability” is an important part of higher education, it is only part of the story. America decided long ago that an educated citizenry was absolutely essential in our form of government. Not all majors are created equal, but, life isn’t ONLY about the Benjamins. I enjoy being around educated people much more than uneducated ones. It enriches life. HOPE isn’t and shouldn’t be simply a “job training” program.
Shannon
November 18th, 2011
8:52 pm
1) The educational system *has* apparently failed some people here. For instance, someone thinks that saying the name of the state’s educational system is itself proof of grade inflation. Now, grade inflation is real, but saying “University System of Georgia” is about as much proof as saying “bananas foster cheesecake.”
2. The universities have been *axing* their budgets for years. You folks don’t realize what’s been going on. They have only raised tuition and fees because these *public* colleges are seeing less and less funding from the state. HOPE helps pay that tuition, but tuition and fees are *not* the cost of the education. The cost of the education is DECREASING. Believe me, as a graduate student, I’ve seen the budget cuts in every single department at my university.
Here’s how it works. (Numbers here are used for ease to demonstrate the concept; they are not accurate). Tuition is $1,000. Fees are $100. The state subsidizes education with $3,000 per student, so every semester, the school has $4,100 to work with. With me so far?
The legislature (God bless those Republicans with more free time and less power, please) decides to cut the funding to the university from $3,000 to $1,000. The school scrambles, cuts costs, and raises tuition by $1,000 and fees by $400. Now the student is paying $2,000 tuition plus $500 in fees, and the state is adding an extra $1,000. The school has $3,500 for that student instead of $4,100.
See the problem? Sure, to the students it looks like costs are going up… but here’s the thing.
These Republicans are against public education. Ask them. They’ll admit it.
So they’re trying to privatize the colleges just as they want to privatize K-12 education.
They don’t want to fund it, so they’re increasingly shifting the burden to the students. That’s great if you think the state has no vested interested in educated citizenry…
…and frankly, that’s *exactly* what Republicans want, considering that higher education tracks with increasingly liberal ideas. The most educated people are always the most liberal. You can argue about why that is (i.e., Boortz would suggest that they can’t hack it in the real world, so they stay in the ivory tower; I would argue that a love of learning innately leads one to progressive ideals), but it’s demonstrably true whatever the reason you give.
em
November 18th, 2011
8:53 pm
Like many others on this blog, I too put myself through college with loans and by working. Furthermore, adjusted for inflation, my costs were close to what the costs are today; therefore, I haven’t much sympathy for those who may face the economic challenges of higher education. In looking at the dismal graduation rates as reported by the Governor’s Report Card, maybe many high school graduates have no business going to college. At the very least, make HOPE a reimbursement program.
Shannon
November 18th, 2011
8:55 pm
And Maureen, it would be great if you did a column showing the actual numbers. People think that college budgets are going up, up, up… and they’re really being cut to the *bone*. Show the funding trend from the state since we went from a Democratic legislature majority and governor to a Republican majority and governor.
Briniqua
November 18th, 2011
9:20 pm
In that whole looong statement Ms. Evans makes one passing reference to an actual remedy, video lottery terminals. The rest is her life story and some feelgood pap. I heard her speak at an event recently – she is an idiot.
catlady
November 19th, 2011
8:07 am
As for grade inflation proof, some of the clues might be the discrepency between high school GPA and SAT scores. If you have a 3.5 and an 800 on the old SAT, there is a problem, Houston.
Second, look at the number of dropped courses. They have exploded under HOPE. Kids try to salvage that college GPA.
Third, look at the percentage of HOPE “scholars” that lose HOPE. (This isn’t as good a measure since now colleges are inflating grades, as well.)
Rick in Grayson
November 19th, 2011
9:39 am
Shannon,
…They don’t want to fund it, so they’re increasingly shifting the burden to the students. That’s great if you think the state has no vested interested in educated citizenry…
…and frankly, that’s *exactly* what Republicans want, considering that higher education tracks with increasingly liberal ideas. The most educated people are always the most liberal.
===========
The state should have NO vested interest in “educated” citizenry. The state has a vested interested in employable citizens that can pay taxes.
The most educated people are NOT always the most liberal.
Those with degrees such as “creative writing” (English literature, Art History, Sociology, etc.) are most certainly educated but their education is concentrated in fields that do not “pay back” the state if dollars.
I work in a STEM environment and these very educated people are certainly not FISCALLY liberal (although they may be socially liberal). Whether or not they are Republicans doesn’t really matter, but they have worked very hard for their degrees/education and were generally not the partying types in college. They want their money spent wisely!
Yes, the liberals that want to spend other people’s money on “education” are also known as socialists and we all know that many of these non-STEM professors are indeed socialists feeding college students their liberal BS.
Why should blue collar citizens (house painters, bulldozer operators) subsidize college educations?
Getting back to “professions”, why is it that we are not granting H1-B visas to foreign workers educated in History, Sociology, English Literature, Women’s Studies? The answer is that our society does not have a great DEMAND for citizenry with those kinds of educations. So again, why should HOPE be subsidizing citizenry persuing those degrees?
Should the general US citizen be subsidizing those who have a great “passion” for the works of Edgar Allen Poe?
HOPE should be subsidizing those students most likely to have a high return on their educational investment!
William Casey
November 19th, 2011
10:42 am
@Rick in Grayson: In America, we vote for our leaders. And, you say that “the state should have no vested interest in an educated citizenry?” Ignorant voters are best? Hmmmm…. Simply train people at their little jobs and leave it at that? Sounds like “1984″ to me.
bootney farnsworth
November 19th, 2011
11:29 am
HOPE is the classic example of good intentions paving a road to hell.
Zell was very farsighted when he created HOPE. he saw the high tech future of our economy and that Georgia was not in a good position to participate. it was a smart move and we all benefited from it – at first
where it went from visionary to ponzi scheme is when the education machine – which exists to feed itself, not educate children saw a golden opportunity to fatten itself like never before.
between grade inflation at the HS level and rampant unnecessary spending at the USG level, HOPE is essentially the drug a junkie
uses to get its monitary fix.
bootney farnsworth
November 19th, 2011
11:33 am
@ Rick
I’m curious- exactly how does one create a society with employable citizens who pay taxes without educating them?
if you’re arguing the state should not be in the business of education,
you have a debatable point. if you’re arguing the state has no vested interest in supporting and fostering an educated citizenry
sorry, but that’s just crazy
bootney farnsworth
November 19th, 2011
11:37 am
@ catlady
where I work I see a lot of kids who lose HOPE due to a number of factors, but a very common one being these kids were flat unprepaired for the rigors of college.
they actually thought their As & Bs in HS were an accurate indicator of how their educational progression was occuring.
reality hits them very, very hard
Rick in Grayson
November 19th, 2011
11:49 am
William Casey:
Seems like you endorse the idea of government picking winners and losers. We haven’t been very good at that lately. Workers with valuable job skills that can pay their taxes are not ignorant!
How many people would rate students with a Women’s Studies degree more valuable than something that pays the bills. I would hope our voters are more “educated” than that! Why don’t we have a Men’s Studies degree? Don’t worry, some liberal will find that a good idea some day. Is this how nations resources are to be spent?
Why are we so low on the totem pole when compared to other nations?
We spend a big chunk of money on subsidizing education here in the US. Why aren’t we subsidizing educations for bulldozer operators. Let’s not be so arrogant about who qualifies for the public dole. We have thrown money at education for decades. Please point to the evidence that we are a “better” country for having done so! Like I said in my previous comment, we don’t exactly have other nations begging for our citizens with degrees in Women’s Studies.
Citizens from other nations work harder and we get stuck with citizens that want free educations and their mortgages forgiven. I think these entitlements have gotten way out of hand. Ditto with the money spent on the latest HS and University projects that are much too flashy and overdone. Many are almost at the level of a resort.
We didn’t invest this percentage of our national budget on education in the 1800’s. Do you think our “educated” voters are better than our previously “ignorant” voters in choosing politicians to lead our county? We don’t have politicians that can solve our problems…not sure if they can solve any problem.
Atlanta mom
November 19th, 2011
12:08 pm
Catlady,
The rules about dropping classes have changed. At UGA you can drop only 3 or 5 your entire career there. The numbers are similar for GT and GSU.
Rick in Grayson
November 19th, 2011
12:08 pm
bootney farnsworth November 19th, 2011 11:33 am
@ Rick
I’m curious- exactly how does one create a society with employable citizens who pay taxes without educating them?
===============================
Bootney and William Casey…don’t get me wrong. I do believe in the value of an education.
I believe that we are being wasteful with our taxpayer resources. Many bloggers have stated this in many different ways…that our resources are not be directed properly.
Many bloggers have stated:
(1) many HS students are not ready for college study
(2) many student use the HOPE scholarship money and never even get close to graduating
(3) some of these students are partying at public expense
Many citizens do not pursue higher education and that does not make them ignorant or less able than those that have a college degree. Many citizens without college degrees are smart and productive. How can you justify the waste of HOPE scholarship monies on non-achievers? Better to let the HOPE scholarship pay off the loans of students AFTER the receive their college degree.
Ole Guy
November 19th, 2011
2:44 pm
Why stop at HOPE…let’s go after the whole socialistic thing. Why we can fund the whole enchalada: food, housing (only, of course, the very best), transportation (again, only 2012 high end cars which today’s youth are so richly deserving by virtue of the fact that they were kind enough; so thoughtful of others as to “get bornded”).
What the hell’s going on here!? I realize there are many who seem to tire at the same ole “do for yourself” arguement, so I’ll not bore anyone with my “every generation, prior to the current gen of spoiled bratts has been saddled with problems which they had to both adapt to and handle in the best ways they could” arguement. Just remember, HOPE is like a buzz at the bar. No matter how rowdy things get, sooner or later, ya gotta sober up and face realities.
Kira Willis
November 19th, 2011
3:48 pm
Part of my platform was to make HOPE a reimbursement plan.
As for me and my family, we will continue to save money for our children’s education. I knew the moment the HOPE passed that it was short lived because it was short sighted.
There is grade inflation; there is the mentality that students need to pass their classes and make Bs (this comes from the kids and the parents).
Those of you with children who are not in college, start saving your money as soon as you can, and save as much as you can. HOPE is short-lived.
bootney farnsworth
November 19th, 2011
4:53 pm
until the USG reigns in its out of control spending on non essential
matters, I can not in good conscience even consider a HOPE bailout
bootney farnsworth
November 19th, 2011
4:55 pm
@ catlady
there is a lower rung. its the support people.
at least teachers have a shot at tenure.
AJinCobb
November 19th, 2011
5:36 pm
@Rick in Grayson,
You ask “Why are we so low on the totem pole when compared to other nations?” and appear to offer your opinion that one of the big problems in the US is too much government involvement, subsidies, etc.
The thing is … the other nations that rank higher than the US in education all have a lot MORE activist governments than the US.
catlady
November 19th, 2011
6:11 pm
Atlanta Mom: Thanks for that info. Do you know when that was started? Do you know if that is true at the other levels of college in Georgia?
Bootney: Tenure? In K-12? You mean the “right” to be told why you are losing your job? Whooppee!
I echo your observations about students’ unsupported beliefs that they are ready for college because they got Bs in high school. My kids took the hard courses, made the As, had high SATs, and found out college was a LOT harder than they expected! They ended up graduating with honors, but BOY! was there shock at first when they found out about real studying (NOT the same as reading something!)! How much worse would their experiences have been if they had been mediocre students? I hate to see the line of cr** we feed these kids when we (institutionally) give them the retakes, late turn-ins, no grades lower than 50, etc.
RJ
November 19th, 2011
8:50 pm
@Bootney, teacher tenure ended 10 years ago. There are a few school systems left that still offer it, but most don’t in the state of Georgia. Remember Roy Barnes?! Also, tenure doesn’t prevent a teacher from getting fired.
the prof
November 19th, 2011
9:41 pm
catlady, only 5 W’s in out south Georgia school. After that they start counting as F’s.
bootney farnsworth
November 19th, 2011
10:24 pm
understand tenure is a very limited occurance, but its still more
than support staff get.
bootney farnsworth
November 19th, 2011
10:29 pm
@ catlady
can’t help but think if kids were made to work harder in HS
they’d be a bit more prepared for the culture shock of college.
and they’d actually have the experience of having to work for
grades
Beverly Fraud
November 20th, 2011
1:05 am
When WE THE PEOPLE look at school board candidates, do WE THE PEOPLE ask them. What SPECIFIC policies, with REAL teeth will you pass to EMPOWER teachers to hold students accountable for their behavior/academics and what provisions, with REAL teeth do you intend to add to them to protect teachers from RETALIATION when they enforce them?
When the local BOE interviews a finalist for a Superintendent’s position, do THEY ask that? No people WE THE PEOPLE don’t demand it.
Heck, WE THE PEOPLE are too ignorant and uninformed to even understand the question.
As such, we are getting the school systems we RICHLY and FULLY deserve.
Woody
November 20th, 2011
7:54 am
Maybe college isn’t the best place to grow up.