Gov. Perdue: "Is you is or is you ain't." - The charge: "Democrats warn of raid on HOPE." Gov. denies this. Someone is mistaken or someone is lying.
On Valentine Day Governor Perdue launched GAcollege411.org, a Web site to help Georgians interested in attending college explore careers, prepare for college and learn about financial aid.
I have reviewed the one-stop location for college-bound students and think it is great; but the cost of setting it up and administering it has become an issue.
Reportedly the Web site cost $1.7 million. Perdue plans to use HOPE funds for such costs as well as nine persons needed to run it and for an advertising campaign.
[My immediate reaction to nine positions to run it as the same as my reaction to the Cobb County Board of Education spending $60 million on laptops for students (and thus committing to spend a like amount every 5 years as the laptops need to be updated). Utter disbelief (and I am a school board attorney and generally very, very liberal on spending for education).]
Democrats immediately criticized Perdue's plan to use lottery money in connection with the Web site.
The following is what the Democrats charge:
"Today Gov. Sonny Perdue is announcing the launch of a multi-million dollar website. What Perdue is not telling Georgians is that he is paying for it by raiding the HOPE Scholarship Fund.
Buried in his budget, Gov. Perdue has set aside over $1.7 million to pay for his Web site – $168,600 in Amended Fiscal Year 2005 and $1,569,400 in Fiscal Year 2006 (see below for the line items in the budget). It looks as though Gov. Perdue’s Web site will be funded with over $1.5 million in HOPE Scholarship funds every year since he is hiring 9 new people for it.
The $1.7 million Gov. Perdue is taking directly from HOPE funds could pay the annual tuition for over 500 students, based on the $3,368 a full time undergraduate student can expect to pay at any of the state’s Research Institutions."
Whiling voicing support for the Web site's aim, Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor joined in the criticism of Perdue's plan to use lottery money to pay for it and the nine positions needed to run it and an advertising campaign.
"The HOPE scholarship is not Sonny Perdue's piggy bank, and this is going to cost 450 scholarships," said Taylor. "It is disappointing that when, on one hand, he is wringing his hands about the future of the HOPE scholarship, he feels free to swoop down and take $1.7 million or more from the program."
Perdue officials have countered that the state already was required to buy software to collect and analyze HOPE information and that it included the ability to create GAcollege411. Derrick Dickey, spokesman for Perdue, said the $1.7 million is part of the cost of administering HOPE.
"Not a single student is going to lose a dime of HOPE off of this."
(Sources for above: an e-mail from a reliable source and 2-15-05 ajc article.)
_______________
The ajc article noted above is by James Salzer. He notes in the article entitled "Democrats warn of raid on HOPE" that:
"Lawmakers nearly outlawed the use of lottery money for anything but HOPE and pre-kindergarten classes last year when they passed legislation aimed at keeping the programs financially stable. More than $1.8 billion in lottery proceeds have been spent on other things since the game's inception in 1993. However, lawmakers said the ban 'slipped through the cracks' when they approved the final HOPE reform package."
As voters, we of course remember the HOPE program being sold with the assurance that HOPE funds would never be used for anything but educational purposes, or to replace educational dollars that otherwise would have been appropriated for existing educational programs.
While one cannot argue whether this Web site is not for educational purposes, it is very questionable whether this is the type of thing HOPE should pay for.
But given the present situation, such abstract issues can be decided at another time.
What needs to be decided now is who is correct on the very issue of whether this new Web site is costing HOPE anything.
Gov.Perdue's office says it is not -- that the $1.7 million is part of the cost of administering HOPE.
Lt. Gov. Taylor begs to differ.
We as citizens are not only entitled but would very much appreciate knowing who is correct.
I would suggest to Lt. Gov. Taylor that he request Attorney General Thurbert Baker investigate this matter and issue a report (you're welcome Thurbert).
The Attorney General will probably decline such request unless some there is an allegation of some possible law violation being involved.
If the AG's office does not become involved, perhaps the ajc can show us some more of its great investigative reporting.
I do think this is a very important and serious issue, and would like to know who is right or wrong.
And based on the ultimate finding, let the chips fall where they may. Either the Gov. is correct, and the Lt. Gov. and other Democrats owe him an apology, or he is incorrect, and should have his mouth washed out with soap for lying to his constituents.
While we know we can expect charges -- almost all of them politically motivated -- on many issues the next couple of years with Taylor running against Perdue, when it comes to messing with HOPE funds, this is a cat of a different color.
I have reviewed the one-stop location for college-bound students and think it is great; but the cost of setting it up and administering it has become an issue.
Reportedly the Web site cost $1.7 million. Perdue plans to use HOPE funds for such costs as well as nine persons needed to run it and for an advertising campaign.
[My immediate reaction to nine positions to run it as the same as my reaction to the Cobb County Board of Education spending $60 million on laptops for students (and thus committing to spend a like amount every 5 years as the laptops need to be updated). Utter disbelief (and I am a school board attorney and generally very, very liberal on spending for education).]
Democrats immediately criticized Perdue's plan to use lottery money in connection with the Web site.
The following is what the Democrats charge:
"Today Gov. Sonny Perdue is announcing the launch of a multi-million dollar website. What Perdue is not telling Georgians is that he is paying for it by raiding the HOPE Scholarship Fund.
Buried in his budget, Gov. Perdue has set aside over $1.7 million to pay for his Web site – $168,600 in Amended Fiscal Year 2005 and $1,569,400 in Fiscal Year 2006 (see below for the line items in the budget). It looks as though Gov. Perdue’s Web site will be funded with over $1.5 million in HOPE Scholarship funds every year since he is hiring 9 new people for it.
The $1.7 million Gov. Perdue is taking directly from HOPE funds could pay the annual tuition for over 500 students, based on the $3,368 a full time undergraduate student can expect to pay at any of the state’s Research Institutions."
Whiling voicing support for the Web site's aim, Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor joined in the criticism of Perdue's plan to use lottery money to pay for it and the nine positions needed to run it and an advertising campaign.
"The HOPE scholarship is not Sonny Perdue's piggy bank, and this is going to cost 450 scholarships," said Taylor. "It is disappointing that when, on one hand, he is wringing his hands about the future of the HOPE scholarship, he feels free to swoop down and take $1.7 million or more from the program."
Perdue officials have countered that the state already was required to buy software to collect and analyze HOPE information and that it included the ability to create GAcollege411. Derrick Dickey, spokesman for Perdue, said the $1.7 million is part of the cost of administering HOPE.
"Not a single student is going to lose a dime of HOPE off of this."
(Sources for above: an e-mail from a reliable source and 2-15-05 ajc article.)
_______________
The ajc article noted above is by James Salzer. He notes in the article entitled "Democrats warn of raid on HOPE" that:
"Lawmakers nearly outlawed the use of lottery money for anything but HOPE and pre-kindergarten classes last year when they passed legislation aimed at keeping the programs financially stable. More than $1.8 billion in lottery proceeds have been spent on other things since the game's inception in 1993. However, lawmakers said the ban 'slipped through the cracks' when they approved the final HOPE reform package."
As voters, we of course remember the HOPE program being sold with the assurance that HOPE funds would never be used for anything but educational purposes, or to replace educational dollars that otherwise would have been appropriated for existing educational programs.
While one cannot argue whether this Web site is not for educational purposes, it is very questionable whether this is the type of thing HOPE should pay for.
But given the present situation, such abstract issues can be decided at another time.
What needs to be decided now is who is correct on the very issue of whether this new Web site is costing HOPE anything.
Gov.Perdue's office says it is not -- that the $1.7 million is part of the cost of administering HOPE.
Lt. Gov. Taylor begs to differ.
We as citizens are not only entitled but would very much appreciate knowing who is correct.
I would suggest to Lt. Gov. Taylor that he request Attorney General Thurbert Baker investigate this matter and issue a report (you're welcome Thurbert).
The Attorney General will probably decline such request unless some there is an allegation of some possible law violation being involved.
If the AG's office does not become involved, perhaps the ajc can show us some more of its great investigative reporting.
I do think this is a very important and serious issue, and would like to know who is right or wrong.
And based on the ultimate finding, let the chips fall where they may. Either the Gov. is correct, and the Lt. Gov. and other Democrats owe him an apology, or he is incorrect, and should have his mouth washed out with soap for lying to his constituents.
While we know we can expect charges -- almost all of them politically motivated -- on many issues the next couple of years with Taylor running against Perdue, when it comes to messing with HOPE funds, this is a cat of a different color.
posted by Sid Cottingham | 6:33 AM
1 Comments:
I am 19 this year and currently a student at Georgia Southern University. At the time when I was busy researching colleges, filling out applications, and researching scholarships I never once used georgiacollege411. Anyone smart enough to attend a university should be smart enough to do the research on their own. Why spend the money in the first place? People have been going to college a long time, and the internet hasn't been around that whole time. High school counselors and university web pages are more than enough.
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