ATLANTA – Georgia’s pre-kindergarten program and the HOPE scholarship face massive cuts as state officials predict a more than $550 million shortfall in lottery revenue in the next two years.
State lawmakers gathered in Atlanta on Monday to look at how to cope with the looming deficit which would almost drain the program’s reserve fund. House Higher Education Committee Chairman Len Walker said he was “stunned” when he saw the budget projections.
Walker said he hopes to hammer out a plan for reining in costs by January.
The lottery-funded HOPE scholarship program is dipping into its reserves for the first time in nearly a decade because it is $100 million over budget this year. HOPE pays for public college tuition for Georgia high school graduates with a B average.