ATLANTA (February 27, 2012) – The Georgia Legislative Black Caucus (GLBC) today unveiled a legislative package designed to remove the disparity of those who pay into the HOPE Scholarship, HOPE Grant and Zell Miller Scholarship programs and those who receive those educational grants.
“It is our sincere hope and desire to cast a bright light onto the HOPE programs to demonstrate the chasm between those Georgians who fund the scholarships and those who receive those tuition funds and grants,” said Sen. Lester Jackson, (D-Savannah).
Recent reports and findings show that low income and minority populations disproportionately provide the resources that generate the HOPE scholarships and grant programs, while those of greater means are the grant recipients.
The GLBC is offering four bills aimed at collecting better demographic information, such as race and gender, add income cap for HOPE grantees, change the GPA requirements for HOPE scholars attending private and public schools, and realign how HOPE scholarships and grants are distributed throughout the state. Each measure helps to ensure that HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships and grants provide opportunities for students around the state, not just those in metro-Atlanta suburban areas.
“Right now, 86 percent of the Zell Miller Scholarship recipients attend either Georgia Tech or the University of Georgia and those students are primarily from the suburban Atlanta area,” said Sen. Jackson, author of the legislative package. “In order to ensure that all students who work hard, make good grades and demonstrate a desire to attend to college, we are proposing legislative changes so they get that opportunity.”
Jackson said that HOPE scholarships are a business driver for Georgia.
“Our state economy depends on our ability to create an educated workforce. Our technical schools are disproportionately left out of the HOPE scholarship mix and it is these students who will be provided the training to emerge from schools ready to work,” Jackson said.
Jackson said that lottery proceeds used for HOPE grants will be apportioned to regions based on the amount of lottery funds that come from those regions. Lottery tickets sold in one region will only go towards HOPE scholarships and grants to students who are residents of those areas.
Outline below are the summaries of the four legislative priorities Sen. Jackson is sponsoring this session:
HOPE Scholarship and HOPE Grant Eligibility
Summary:
This Act adds an income cap for HOPE scholarship and grant eligibility. Additionally, it provides for an annual determination of that cap and provides for hardship waivers.
Section 1:
(c)(1) Students in families whose annual household income exceeds $140,000 are not eligible for HOPE.
(2) The income cap would be determined by the student’s parents’ or guardians’ pretax income for the immediately preceding tax year of which information is available.
(3) The commission can provide for exceptions to the income cap (called “hardship waivers) for:
A) Families with more than four dependent children;
B) Families with one or more dependent children with disabilities
C) Families in which one or both parents are active duty military personnel: and
D) Students who live with guardians and are not dependents of their parents.
(4) Every year, students must demonstrate that they are below the income cap requirements above in order to maintain HOPE eligibility.
(5) The income cap will go into effect starting with the 2013-2014 academic year.
Zell Miller Scholarship Eligibility
Summary:
This act revises the definition of a Zell Miller Scholar.
Section 1:
Section 1: revises Zell Miller qualifications by stipulating that in order to be eligible, students must meet the following criteria:
Incoming college freshmen who have graduated from private high school must have at least a 3.7 GPA. Additionally, they must have a combined single-sitting SAT score of at least 1,200 in reading and math OR an ACT composite score of at least 26; OR
Incoming college freshmen who have graduated from a public high school in the top 3 percent of their graduating class.
Qualifications for students coming from home study programs remain the same.
These students must still meet the same requirements as before in order to retain the Zell Miller Grant.
Zell Miller Scholarship Limits
Summary:
This act limits the number of Zell Miller Scholars at colleges.
Students who qualify to be Zell Miller Scholars and attend private colleges will be given the HOPE tuition payment.
For students who qualify to be Zell Miller Scholars and attend public colleges, the commission will annually determine the number of Zell Miller Scholars who receive additional awards. If there are more Zell Miller Scholars attending a public college than the college is authorized to have, the college will determine by lot which of the eligible students will receive additional awards.
For each semester of eligibility, Zell Miller Scholars who attend public colleges and are authorized to receive an additional award will be given the HOPE tuition payment.
Reapportionment of HOPE Grants
Summary:
This act stipulates that lottery proceeds used for HOPE grants will be apportioned to regions based on the amount of lottery funds that come from those regions. Thus, lottery tickets sold in one region will only go towards HOPE scholarships and grants to students who are residents of those areas.
HOPE Data and Demographic Collection – LC 28 6049
A resolution urging the GSFC to provide the General Assembly with information to assess whether HOPE is meeting its desired results. This data should include accurate demographic information on HOPE scholarship recipients pertaining to gender, race, and geographic location, with separate data for Zell Miller Scholars.
RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
February 27, 2012
For Information Contact:
Natalie Dale, Director
Adam Sweat, Communications Specialist
Adam.sweat@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028