Georgia Gov. Nathan DealGeorgia’s new Zell Miller Scholarship, launched last year by Gov. Nathan Deal to provide full tuition to the state’s highest-achieving students, is likely to be an even bigger drain on an already strained HOPE as more scholars than expected qualify.
As a result, HOPE scholars will see their financial awards shrink even further than predicted over the next several years, forcing students and their parents into higher out-of-pocket expenses for college.
While Deal has promised students will not see their HOPE scholarships diminish next year, his budget plan fails to fully reflect just how much money will be needed going forward because it merges the Zell Miller Scholarship into HOPE-related budget lines. Previously they were budgeted separately.
The Georgia Student Finance Commission, which oversees both scholarships, already has seen thousands more students qualify this year for the Zell Miller Scholarship than they had anticipated.
Commission President Tim Connell said the agency may have to borrow against future revenue from the Georgia Lottery to cover the cost. That, in turn, will only further exacerbate HOPE’s financial woes.