Just like the sun coming up in the morning and Bobby Franklin proposing something that makes me slam my forehead into my desk, tuition fees will rise in the state of Georgia once again next year.
The claim is that it’s only a 3% hike, but of course, then there are fees… and if you add it in the new and additional fees, as another blog points out, it really turns out to be 9%.
My Senator*, Jason Carter, sent out a press release today, in which he says:
“I am glad that the tuition increase was the smallest we have seen in awhile, but I am still convinced that the changes to HOPE will hurt the students who need HOPE most and result in fewer students who can afford to stay in school,” said Senator Jason Carter (D-Decatur). “The relatively small increase in tuition still yields a dramatic cut in the HOPE Scholarship and an increase in fees at a time when students and their families can least afford it.”
Carter, you may remember, attempted to “grandfather in” students currently enrolled but was shot down on a party-line vote.
As someone who worked through two years of high school and all through college, I’ll be waiting for Georgia Republicans to say “well, in my day we had to get a job to get through college” so that I can slap them down with this article.
* = Jason Carter is not actually my Senator, but given who my Senator is, I claim him instead.
Full press release from Carter below the jump.
HOPE Plan Leaves Students Paying More in Tuition, Fees
Concerns Remain about Impact of HOPE Cuts on Students, Families
Atlanta, Ga.– The Board of Regents voted today to increase both tuition and fees for the upcoming 2011-2012 school year. With the recent changes to the HOPE Scholarship, that means that HOPE-eligible students and families will immediately be forced to shoulder roughly 13% of their tuition bill, plus the full cost of books and an additional $100-$350 in fees per semester.
“I am glad that the tuition increase was the smallest we have seen in awhile, but I am still convinced that the changes to HOPE will hurt the students who need HOPE most and result in fewer students who can afford to stay in school,” said Senator Jason Carter (D-Decatur). “The relatively small increase in tuition still yields a dramatic cut in the HOPE Scholarship and an increase in fees at a time when students and their families can least afford it.”
During the legislature’s HOPE debate, Senate Democrats advanced an alternative proposal for HOPE reform to maximize the number of students who receive full tuition HOPE scholarships. That plan would have called for an income cap for the HOPE Scholarship. “Given the 3% increase in tuition, our plan would have been an even better option because it would have covered even more than the 94% of Georgia families originally reported,” said Carter.
Additionally, Senator Carter introduced an amendment to “grandfather” in current HOPE recipients and high school seniors who have had no time to plan for the cuts. It would have allowed them to receive full tuition coverage for at least a one year “grace period,” and possibly for the remainder of their time in college. This amendment would have been fully funded by excess reserve revenue in the Lottery for Education account – money that has been collected over and above the necessary reserve and is not currently allocated for use.
That amendment was defeated by a party-line vote in the Senate.
“With the 3% increase in tuition for next year, it is now even easier to grandfather in current HOPE Scholars,” Carter said. “We owe it to our current students who have come into college with the promise of HOPE to keep our promise as best as we can, and to do everything we can to see them graduate.”
The “grandfathering” or “grace period” proposal could be enacted by the Governor and Student Finance Commission without additional legislative action.
Leave a Reply