HOPE Scholarship to Experience Complete Overhaul

Gov. Nathan Deal will propose a sweeping overhaul
of Georgia’s lottery-funded HOPE scholarship and prekindergarten
programs to keep them from going broke.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Deal said Monday he
would cut soaring costs by reducing HOPE awards, capping bonuses to
lottery employees and trimming the amount retailers receive for
selling tickets. He wants to make pre-K a half-day program but also
increase the number of slots by 5,000.

The HOPE scholarship has paid for more than 1 million Georgians
to attend college. About a third of students enrolled in public
colleges and universities in the state use the HOPE.

Deal is expected to announce the proposed changes at a news
conference Tuesday morning.