The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/24/04
HOPE scholars were assured of receiving money for books and student fees this fall when Gov. Sonny Perdue agreed Wednesday to make the funding available in the state budget.
The governor relented despite his misgivings about the impact of the costs on the popular lottery-funded scholarship program, which he warns could face financial problems in coming years. Eliminating book and student fee payments would have cut $125 million for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
The governor initially deleted the funding from his proposed budget after a state commission tasked with studying ways to preserve HOPE recommended that book and fee payments be ended. The payments mean more than $1,000 for many students.
On March 5, Perdue told reporters he still supported eliminating the payments to save money. Of the HOPE commission's recommendations, the book and fee cuts provided the largest immediate reduction in expenditures.
Pressure from legislators opposed to the move led the House and Senate to adopt legislation retaining the payments, at least temporarily. In a memo to legislative leaders Wednesday, Perdue said he was restoring the money "based on legislative action."
"We're glad to see that the governor agrees with what we've been saying all along," said House Speaker Pro Tem DuBose Porter (D-Dublin). "If the resources are there, and they are, we need to maintain our commitment."
Bills that would change aspects of the HOPE scholarship program are still alive in both the House and Senate. They would toughen standards for obtaining the scholarship and take it away faster from students who aren't keeping up their grades. Legislation that passed the Senate would begin phasing out book and fee payments when lottery money dwindles. House and Senate leaders will have to negotiate the differences in the bills.
Sen. Bill Hamrick (R-Carrollton), co-chairman of the HOPE study commission, said the plan to eliminate book and fee payments became a casualty of politics in a year when all 236 legislators are up for re-election.
"Sometimes, you sacrifice the perfect for the doable," Hamrick said. "What we've learned is if the politicians are supposed to make the decisions, they sometimes don't get made."
While Perdue, many other Republicans and commission co-chair Rep. Louise McBee (D-Athens) initially supported the measure, Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, Porter and many other Democrats opposed it.
'Political mistake'
Some Democrats say the Republican governor will be branded as a supporter of cutting HOPE benefits.
"He perhaps moved too swiftly before building any support for his position," said Sen. George Hooks (D-Americus). "It was a major political mistake."
Some, including Rep. Jeanette Jamieson (D-Toccoa), believe HOPE scholars and their families will be so grateful for the funding that they'll forget that Perdue wanted to cut the money for books and fees.
Under HOPE, Georgia high school students with a B average or higher receive full tuition along with mandatory fees and a book allowance to attend a public college in Georgia. About 198,000 students have received HOPE assistance for books and student fees this school year.
State analysts have projected that HOPE will begin eating into its financial reserves within a few years. The cost of providing the scholarships, considering rising college enrollment and tuition costs, is expected to outpace the anticipated growth in lottery sales. While lottery ticket sales increased 5 percent during the first half of fiscal 2004, some colleges are calling for 10 percent tuition increases next year.
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