Georgia's promise to students -- earn a 3.0 GPA and get free college tuition -- is over.
A bill that would reduce the HOPE scholarship for all but the very best students is headed to Gov. Nathan Deal for his signature. He is scheduled to sign House Bill 326 the middle of next week, a spokeswoman said.
The changes in HOPE will hit a lot of Georgia families hard.
"When you live in Georgia you're told you'll have HOPE to pay for college," said parent Stephanie Kratofil, who has one child in college on the scholarship and another in high school. "No one tells you what to do when it starts going away. We'll find a way to make it work, but I just don't know how to do it."
The measure, which was introduced just over two weeks ago, was fast-tracked by lawmakers who said there was an urgent need to protect the cash-strapped program for future recipients. The House approved the amended bill Thursday, voting 136-32 to give final passage and approving changes added by the Senate.
The new rules, which would go into effect this fall, cut the popular scholarship program to keep it from going broke. HOPE is funded by the Georgia Lottery, which has failed to produce enough revenue to keep up with rising enrollment and tuition. The state has relied on reserves to cover costs, but those accounts are depleting quickly.
Deal and others say the changes are the only way to preserve the scholarship's long-term viability. But some Democrats and other critics of the bill said too heavy a burden is being placed on students, warning some won't be able to afford college.
Students and their families will be forced to spend thousands more out-of-pocket to pay for college. For some this won't be a problem. For others, the changes mean scrambling to figure out how to pay for college this fall. Student are rethinking plans to study abroad and wondering if they can afford double majors. Parents are telling their kids to apply for loans and jobs. Others are wondering if they should look outside Georgia for college.
Since created in 1993, the scholarship has paid for more than 1 million students to attend college. Today, about a third of students enrolled in public colleges rely on the award.
Students held multiple demonstrations to protest the cuts and testified during public hearings.
"This money is helping me get through school," said Samee Muhammad, a HOPE scholar at Georgia State University. "They may say this is just a little cut, but this is going to hurt us."
The bill eliminates money for books and fees. Students would have just one chance to regain the award should they lose it. Remedial classes would only be covered in technical colleges.
Students who maintain a 3.0 GPA would still get HOPE, but the amount would be tied to lottery revenue, not tuition, and could vary annually. For this fall, students would receive 90 percent of current tuition rates, meaning it would not cover double-digit hikes expected at some campuses.
The revised bill provide low-interest loans to cover the difference between tuition and the scholarship. But there were few details on how much money would be allocated and how many students would benefit.
High school valedictorians and salutatorians, as well as those who graduate with at least a 3.7 GPA and a 1200 on the math and verbal sections of the SAT, would get a full scholarship. They would need to maintain a 3.3 in college to keep it.
Students attending private colleges would see the award drop from $4,000 to $3,600. Technical college students for the first time would need to maintain a 3.0 to keep the award.
Deal said HOPE would still be one of the most generous scholarships in the country.
"The General Assembly and I have developed a plan that aims to continue to keep Georgia’s brightest students on our own turf with hopes that they will thrive here after finishing their education and provide more prosperity for our state in the coming years," the governor said in a statement.
Other states, including Florida and Tennessee, adopted similar lottery-funded scholarship programs and those are facing financial shortfalls as well.
Some Democrats said Georgia's cuts are unfair to poor, rural and minority students. They proposed changes that would have allowed more students to get a full scholarship and forced the lottery to give more money to HOPE, but those amendments were defeated in the Senate.
The bill does cap the commission retailers receive for selling lottery tickets and limits the bonuses given to lottery employees.
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