Georgia Senate passes dual enrollment changes
The Georgia Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would reduce how many college courses high school students can take in a dual enrollment program that is paid for by state funding.
House Bill 444 would restrict students to a total of 30 college credit hours, and would mainly limit courses to 11th and 12th grade students, with some exceptions. Currently, they can take up to 15 credit hours a semester.
Students who want to take more than 30 credit hours would have to pay for additional classes. The legislation has a grandfather clause for current dual enrollment students, but there are credit hour restrictions for some students.
The bill passed by a 34-18 margin.
Proponents say the legislation is needed to reduce the rising costs of the state's dual enrollment program, once known as Move On When Ready, which began in 1992. A 2018 state audit found general fund spending for the dual enrollment program increased by more than 325% over the prior five years. The 2019 fiscal year budget was about $105 million.
Enrollment has nearly doubled in a recent four-year stretch, from about 27,000 students in fiscal year 2016 to nearly 52,000 students in fiscal year 2019, state records show. Georgia’s fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30.
“We put guard rails on the program to save it for generations to come,” said Sen. Brian Strickland, R-McDonough.
The bill’s critics questioned whether a thorough analysis was done to determine program costs. They also raised concerns that it would discourage some lower-income students from seeking a college degree since they may have to pay for some dual enrollment courses.
“I’m not satisfied if we did our job (researching the bill),” said Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta.
The bill will now go to the state’s House of Representatives for a vote.
Clarification: This story has been updated to include that the legislation has credit hour restrictions for some students currently in the dual enrollment program.
About the Authors
Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.
Maya T. Prabhu covers the Georgia Senate and statewide issues as a government reporter for The AJC. Born in Queens, New York, and raised in northern Virginia, Maya attended Spelman College and then the University of Maryland for a master's degree. She writes about social issues, the criminal justice system and legislative politics.
