Preserving Hope grants

Democrats haven't won many battles in the Tennessee General Assembly since Republicans took control of the legislative body, but it seems that they might have prevailed in one important skirmish. Victory isn't assured, but the minority party's convincing argument that there is no need to tighten eligibility rules for the Tennessee Hope Scholarships for college seems to have carried the day, at least for the moment. If that eventually proves the case, the road to higher education and to the training and degrees and the jobs it provides should be easier to navigate for many state students.

Republicans had proposed a bill that would have required freshmen entering college in the fall of 2015 and afterwards to earn at least a 3.0 high school GPA and score a 21 or higher on the ACT test to qualify for a full $4,000 per year Hope Scholarship. Current rules allow students to qualify for the scholarship by meeting only one of the two standards. Republicans said that the tougher standards were necessary to close a projected $17 million difference between lottery proceeds and the cost of scholarships. That's a fine sounding argument, but only if it based on the truth. It wasn't.

Democrats correctly pointed out that there is no fiscal crisis. The lottery, in fact, is well positioned to deal with the current financial hiccup. It has $366 million in reserves to cover short-term deficits and prospects of rising income to erase future deficits. Lottery President Rebecca Seagrove told the Senate Education Committee as much last week. Indeed, lottery income continues to rise -- it is $14 million over projections for the current year -- and indications are that sales will remain strong. If that's the case, funding scholarships at the current level is financially viable.

Republicans on the state Senate Education Committee, confronted with such facts and reeling from criticism from students and parents of all political affiliations, bowed to the inevitable Wednesday. They didn't quite repeal the legislation to tighten lottery eligibility rules, but they did approve an amended bill that would repeal it if the lottery's income maintains or outpaces current growth through 2015. That seems likely, according to those familiar with the lottery's current financial status and projected sales.

The Senate committee's action does not mean the possibility of tighter standards is gone. The House Education Subcommittee still must approve the Senate bill. No one is willing to predict its outcome there. State residents will have to wait to see what happens. The subcommittee discussed the bill Wednesday, but delayed possible action until next week.

Republicans had no reason to tinker with the current lottery-based scholarship. It plays far too important a role in creating the pool of highly educated and skilled workers the state needs if it is to continue to attract the high-tech industry that can provide well-paying jobs to state residents. If problems with Hope funding occur in the future, there will be time enough to address them before they become critical. Republicans should remember that before they again attempt to repair a program that is not broken.

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