HOPE - 6 Feb 06
Hi Folks. My last two releases were on the subject of education.
So too is this one. However, this one is specifically about one of
the best ideas I believe was ever conceived by government since the
GI Bill for military personnel- Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship! I don’t
know if Governor Zell Miller was the originator or if it was someone
else’s idea. But, he was the visionary leader who made it happen.
Regardless, we all owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to him for
giving Georgia one of the wisest educational programs ever. Thank
you, Governor Miller. Thanks go to Lt. Governor Mark Taylor for
taking the lead in the legislature. Your insight and courage served
Georgians well.
However, there are a lot of misperceptions
about HOPE and use of Lotto funds for education.
First, let’s
address the concept. HOPE scholarships were never intended to
transition into an inherited right of every student
that wants to go to college. HOPE was intended to be
earned. It was intended to make a college education
attainable to every high school student based on
performance. It was a mechanism to develop the intellectual
capital of Georgia without regard to financial means of the child’s
parents.
Unfortunately, the HOPE has drifted from its
original intended purposes. Standards have been compromised. As a
result, the program’s success is questionable. The original intent
must be restored. But, most importantly, we must be mindful of this.
The HOPE is just one component part of Georgia’s challenge
to restore respect to the institution of public education.
Therefore, the HOPE should be part of the overall discussion of
improving Georgia’s public education system and improving the
education level of our population.
HOPE was the justification
that sold Georgians on the Lotto. Most people, including myself,
believed Lotto funds for education were strictly for HOPE
Scholarships.
Not so! Lotto funds for education were
intentioned to be utilized for two programs: HOPE Scholarships and
Pre-K programs for socio-economically depressed children. Intentions
notwithstanding, money flowed more abundantly and quickly than
anticipated in the early years. Politicians couldn’t resist the
temptation. Very large amounts were re-directed to meet some
pressing needs in technology, capital expenditures, staff
development and who knows what else. After all of these
“necessities” were re-directed the money that remained was divided
between HOPE Scholarships and Pre-K. And, until a couple of
years ago, more of the money funded Pre-K than HOPE Scholarships.
Now it is nearly equally divided.
From this point
forward let’s separate the two and talk about HOPE Scholarships
first.
As far as they go, I support changes the Governor and
the Lieutenant Governor are promoting. Governor Perdue wants to put
a “lock box” on Lotto funds for education that totally restricts
their use to Pre-K and HOPE. The Lt. Governor wants to take it a bit
farther. He wants to repeal two pieces of legislation enacted the
past two years. One imposed limits on hours HOPE will pay toward a
degree. I don’t recall the exact number, but let’s say it’s 120
semester hours. Any degree pursued by a student that requires 128
hours to fulfill diploma requirements is over the limit. Therefore,
the student is responsible to pay the difference.
I agree
with Mr. Taylor. That was one senseless piece of legislation. Here’s
why. Only 1 of 13 first graders will graduate from college in
Georgia. Many more attend, but because Georgia has one of the worst
college retention rates in the country, many do not complete.
(That’s another topic. It’s addressed in detail on my website.)
Additionally, the HOPE pays for remedial classes for students that,
upon completion of high school, are not properly prepared for
college level study.
Do you see the picture? We’re wasting
tens of millions of HOPE on remedial classes and courses,
books and fees up to and including the time these students
quit.
These are wasted dollars that should be
available for the educations of students who met HOPE critieria, are
the best minds, are the most dedicated and hardest working students.
The other piece of legislation Lt. Governor Taylor is
advancing is one that I support, also. It reduces the dollars HOPE
will pay for books and fees. The same rationale I offered for
restoring hours applies to books and fees. Our best students should
not have to concern themselves with money to complete their
post-secondary educations. If we eliminate wasted dollars spent on
students that aren’t properly prepared or are less dedicated, plenty
of money will be available for those that earn it and cherish the
opportunity!
Here’s my point. We should do everything we can
do to remove every financial obstacle that impedes or decreases the
odds of our best minds and best students receiving their just
reward: a free college education! After all, that’s
what the governor and his economic development staff advertise.
However, what they say just isn’t true as it now stands.
Both
the Governor and the Lt. Governor are advancing amendments to form a
“lock box” to insure Lotto funds for education are spent only on
Pre-K and HOPE Scholarships. They have differences regarding how to
do it. I have differences with both of them. The changes
don’t go far enough.
Here’s what I want done.
Forget the amendment this year. Three of the four serious candidates
want Lotto funds to go strictly towards HOPE and Pre-K. Therefore,
there is no practical reason to advance an amendment. If one of the
three of us wins, the funds are safe. We propose the budget and have
veto power to thwart mischief. After the election, may the winner
call the shots. If I win, here is what you can expect insofar as
HOPE is concerned:
- Funds will be locked. Period.
- HOPE will no longer fund remedial classes.
Period. If a high school graduate earns an College Preparatory
diploma but is not properly prepared for college level study, the
public must pressure local boards, superintendents and principals
to improve performance. Presently, parents aren’t happy to learn
Johnny must remediate despite having met HOPE performance
criteria. However, their unhappiness is confined to complaining.
Once parents have to pay for the failures of Johnny’s preparation,
their complaints will become activism. Parent’s activism
is one of the components needed to improve overall
performance of our schools.
- Repeal legislation from last year that
decreases acceptance standards in our 2 year and certificated
programs. Repeal legislation that gives the State
Superintendent authority to make exceptions to diploma criteria.
- Repeal limits on hours paid by HOPE.
- Repeal limits on books and fees paid by HOPE.
- Institute the HOPE-PLUS Scholarship. We have
shortages of medical practitioners and teachers in many of our
out-lying communities. I’d like to take a page from the military
on this one. The military requires a year of service for every two
years of civilian schooling paid by the military. I’d like to
offer fully paid advanced degrees to our brightest and most
committed minds all the way through medical school for doctors and
nurses. In exchange, they must commit one year of service in these
out-lying areas for every two years of post graduate study paid by
HOPE. The same deal will be offered to students that obtain their
undergraduate degrees in education. The HOPE will pay for them to
continue their educations, without interruption, for advanced
degrees that are germane. The exchange rate of years service for
years of education would be different. If the masters degree is
obtained in one year, there is a one year minimum service
requirement.
- Institute Second Chance HOPE. This is an
expansion of the HOPE that is presently available to adults who
obtain their GEDs. Presently, a person who obtains their GED
qualifies for $500 from HOPE. I want to expand it and here’s why.
One of the biggest causes of high school drop-outs is a
continuation of the family legacy. When you make education
important to adults in a family, education becomes important to
the children. Additionally, if a person becomes motivated to
complete their GED, let’s keep them in the education process as
long as they are motivated. Growing the intellectual capital in
Georgia is a big deal. We should resort to whatever means we can
create to accommodate adults that wake-up, realize they messed up,
and want a legitimate second beginning. The details are contained
in Vision:
Education. While you are there, check out the Community
School initiative, too. It’s a great concept for reversing the
upward trend of growing numbers of the impoverished. It goes
hand-in-hand with my Georgia Preparatory High School. It is a
total experience concept of getting kids out of their impoverished
environments 24/7 to truly break the cycle and give them an
opportunity to achieve up to their natural ability.
- Georgia Preparatory High School. We must break the cyclical
reality of generational poverty. Many wonderful minds and good
kids go undeveloped because of the web of poverty. Regardless of
how great the schools are, children who must return to gang and
drug infested neighborhoods after the school day is over, don’t
stand much of a chance to rise above their circumstance. I’d like
another option for these kids. I call it the Georgia Preparatory
High School. The concept is simple. It’s a 24/7 6 year prep school
for bright and motivated socio-economically depressed kids who
live in the worst of conditions. It’s not a post secondary
scholarship, but it is a scholarship for educating kids. And, with
the changes I want to make with HOPE, money will be available.
(Details are contained on my web site under the tab John’s Vision
for Georgia: Education as a means to end poverty.)
That’s about all I have to share with you on the subject of HOPE.
I intended to continue with a similar discussion on Pre-K.
However, this piece is a bit long. Therefore, I’ll complete the
discussion on Pre-K in the next release.
That’s it for today.
If these releases have gotten you interested in supporting me, I
need your help. Go to the volunteer and contribute
sections. Folks, I truly can’t finance this campaign alone. I need
you to contribute something. If it’s only $20, $50, or $100 we need
it badly. And we need collectors of signatures on our nomination
petitions. Remember, our first goal is to get on the ballot. To do
so, we must collect 40,000 signatures by mid-June. Don’t defer to
someone else. And don’t delay. Once the signatures are collected, we
must authenticate them against the state voter registration list-
over 4 million names! Then we have to compile them in conformance
with strict criteria in the laws, which are written to make it as
difficult as possible to succeed. WE NEED YOU NOW!
Until the
next time,
John
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