Championed as a quasi-voucher bill by its author, House Bill 140 would expand Georgia’s private school scholarship tax credit program from $50 million to $80 million, diverting an additional $30 million in potential state revenue from the general fund. The program provides dollar for dollar tax credits to taxpayers who… [Read more]

Gov. Nathan Deal deserves a pat on the back for his support of state Rep. Stacey Evans’ proposal to lower the GPA requirement for the lottery-funded HOPE Grant, which will give more students access to workforce education at technical colleges.
Still, much more needs to be done if the… [Read more]

The Governor’s request for another 3 percent budget cut will mean less money for Georgia’s technical colleges, forcing a 13 percent tuition increase for students and delivering another blow to the state’s economic future.
Beginning in January, a student taking a full 15-hour course load will see a $150… [Read more]

Categories: Alan Essig, Author, Blog, Education, State Budget | Comments (1)

GBPI’s recently released report on Georgia’s Pre-K program and the HOPE program is cited in this article on the Pre-K program.  Read full article here.

When the Powerball jackpot reached more than $320 million last week — the fourth-largest jackpot ever – that was good news for Georgia students, since the more lottery tickets people buy, the more money there is for HOPE college scholarships.
Of course, you must play to win. And the odds… [Read more]

Categories: Blog, Education, Taifa Smith Butler | Comments (2)

GBPI Education Analyst Cedric Johnson is featured in Atlanta Alive’s segment on how lottery funds are distributed among students through the HOPE scholarship.  View video here.

Georgia’s education policies – including the way it awards HOPE scholarships — create barriers to college education for minorities and the poor, says a report released by the Institute for Research on Higher Education (IRHE) at the University of Pennsylvania. “In their current form, Georgia’s higher education policies are… [Read more]

Categories: Blog, Cedric Johnson | Comments (1)

Examining HOPE awards across household incomes, by institution, and factoring in tuition costs provides a telling picture of the distribution of HOPE dollars.
The majority of HOPE awards go to students from households with incomes of $100,000 or less. However, a disproportionate share of HOPE dollars fund scholarships for students… [Read more]

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution features GBPI Deputy Director Taifa Butler’s Op-ed on HOPE’s shortcomings and the necessity of HOPE reform.Read the Essay.

Essig, Johnson: HOPE, pre-k need sustainable path
As published in Athens Banner-Herald
Understanding the realities of lottery funding in Georgia is as simple as a word problem in math class. Take a look:
Train A departs Hope City station at 70 miles per hour. Train B departs from… [Read more]

Categories: Alan Essig, Blog, Cedric Johnson, Education | Comments (3)