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Posted on 6/23/18 at 8:34 pm to dkreller
quote:
Wasn’t TOPS tied to the lottery?
I had thought tobacco settlement money was too fund Tops
quote:
The TOPS FUND is designed to insure dollars will be available in future years to pay for the popular Tuition Opportunity Program for Scholars or TOPS. The TOPS Fund is restricted to support of state financial assistance programs for students attending Louisiana colleges, universities and vocational schools.
LINK
This post was edited on 6/23/18 at 8:39 pm
Posted on 6/23/18 at 8:36 pm to Lsujacket66
Why should only the poors get more money from the government? At least with TOPS i can benefit from the system I’ve paid so
much into unlike like the rest of the lower class.
much into unlike like the rest of the lower class.
This post was edited on 6/23/18 at 8:42 pm
Posted on 6/23/18 at 8:40 pm to Sentrius
You would probably have to add a residency requirement, which I am not sure could be done legally. My daughter graduated from LSU and used TOPS. She works for a Louisiana company but lives in another state because 99% of her work is done remotely. She comes home occasionally because of work, but not often. I agree that the ACT requirement should be considerably higher than it is now. I was very proud of her. She started LSU with 17 credit hours because she tested out of many freshman course and she ended up finishing in 3 /12 years. So, she left a full semester of TOPS on the table, so to speak.
Posted on 6/23/18 at 8:41 pm to Zach
quote:
I've always advocated that if TOPS is gonna happen then the requirements should be higher. I think 26 ACT should be the minimum.
I don’t think we should lower the requirements. I know a lot of people that got through LSU easily despite weak ACT scores. The big problem is really weak students who drop out of school after a semester or two, which costs the state a ton of money and doesn’t result in a degree.
Let’s just make people pay the TOPS money back if they don’t get a degree.
Posted on 6/23/18 at 8:55 pm to Lsujacket66
In its original form, it was for the best of the best graduates and was meant to stem the brain drain to neighboring states of college age intellects. Now it is so watered down that anyone can get some form of TOPS, no matter how weak a student. It is no longer the conservative program that Pat Taylor first introduced.
Posted on 6/23/18 at 10:35 pm to Lsujacket66
I'll get downvoted for this, but there are very, very, very few small government fiscal conservatives in LA.
The so called fiscal conservatives in this state still want "THEIR" money from the budget, they just want to cut from everyone else's stash.
99 percent of the people in this state, want something for nothing. Poor, rich, white, black, democrat, republican, it does not matter.
The so called fiscal conservatives in this state still want "THEIR" money from the budget, they just want to cut from everyone else's stash.
99 percent of the people in this state, want something for nothing. Poor, rich, white, black, democrat, republican, it does not matter.
Posted on 6/23/18 at 10:43 pm to LSUFanHouston
What exactly is Tops?
What does it pay and eligibility?
What does it pay and eligibility?
Posted on 6/23/18 at 10:58 pm to matthew25
quote:It is a government handout that pays state university tuition for almost any moron from Louisiana who can write their name on an ACT exam.
What exactly is Tops?
Any "conservative" who has yelled about government handouts in the past yet fusses to keep this welfare-like money flowing for their kid is a laughable hypocrite.
Posted on 6/23/18 at 11:53 pm to Jake88
Unfortunately this is true. You cannot call yourself a fiscal conservative and be in favor of TOPs. It is a social give-away program. There are plenty of scholarships these days for those that deserve them. What pisses me off is that I have known some who have scholarships and TOPs, and if the scholarships pay for all or most of the tuition, the state cuts them a check for what's left over. Think about the tax cut we would all get if TOPS was eliminated. Taxpayers are footing the bill to send others' kids to college. It is time for this to end.
This post was edited on 6/24/18 at 12:01 am
Posted on 6/24/18 at 2:19 am to Lsujacket66
quote:
It’s literally socialized education and a ridiculous program with the requirements so weak.
Because their children are the most likely recipients
Posted on 6/24/18 at 9:42 am to Jake88
quote:
It is a government handout that pays state university tuition for almost any moron from Louisiana who can write their name on an ACT exam.
Any "conservative" who has yelled about government handouts in the past yet fusses to keep this welfare-like money flowing for their kid is a laughable hypocrite.
I see what you’re saying but tuition payments are just supplementary money for a public university. The taxpayers are already heavily subsidizing the education. Now there’s an argument to be made for students to have some skin in the game, but public universities are already a partial hand out, even without TOPS. Taking a principled stance against TOPS is sorta arbitrary.
Posted on 6/24/18 at 9:59 am to Lsujacket66
The biggest problem is easily acquired federally backed student loans. Many people who have no business going to college do. They can get the money easily. Problem that emerges is colleges raise tuition without regard to market forces and students end up with enormous debt that can never be relieved via bankruptcy.
What does a 22 year old do when they have $100K in student loans before they start their first job? FWIW No lending institution would make this bet that an 22 year old could ever pay them back.
What does a 22 year old do when they have $100K in student loans before they start their first job? FWIW No lending institution would make this bet that an 22 year old could ever pay them back.
Posted on 6/24/18 at 10:07 am to Lsujacket66
Because it’s a freebie and they want theirs. If you want feee college, enlist.
This isn’t true at all. TOPS should revert back to what it was before the state ruined it:
A privately funded scholarship, set up by Pat Taylor, for New Orleans public school students. It wasn’t meant for any other students in the state. It was privately funded and completely self sufficient. Then the state sold this grand plan to Mrs. Taylor and ruined the damn thing.
quote:
In its original form, it was for the best of the best graduates and was meant to stem the brain drain to neighboring states of college age intellects. Now it is so watered down that anyone can get some form of TOPS, no matter how weak a student. It is no longer the conservative program that Pat Taylor first introduced.
This isn’t true at all. TOPS should revert back to what it was before the state ruined it:
A privately funded scholarship, set up by Pat Taylor, for New Orleans public school students. It wasn’t meant for any other students in the state. It was privately funded and completely self sufficient. Then the state sold this grand plan to Mrs. Taylor and ruined the damn thing.
This post was edited on 6/24/18 at 10:52 am
Posted on 6/24/18 at 10:29 am to Barneyrb
The amount needed to fund tops has grown faster than the tobacco money allocated to it... so the tobacco fund now only covers 20-25 percent of cost
Posted on 6/24/18 at 10:31 am to SaintsnTigers1
My wife (no pics) went to lay with a full scholarship because her dad was a disabled fireman, and also had tops. About a month into each semester she would get a refund check for several thousand dollars. Would cover all her spending money.
Posted on 6/24/18 at 10:38 am to cahoots
quote:
The taxpayers are already heavily subsidizing the education. Now there’s an argument to be made for students to have some skin in the game, but public universities are already a partial hand out, even without TOPS. Taking a principled stance against TOPS is sorta arbitrary.
This guy gets it.
Think of them as vouchers for college and you can see the conservative perspective.
Posted on 6/24/18 at 10:56 am to Lsujacket66
TOPS, like most social welfare programs, has its merits. And everyone likes the government programs that benefit them. It demonstrates why, as a conservative, I am leery of creating ew entitlements. They are extremely difficult to take away
Posted on 6/24/18 at 11:04 am to BigJim
The traditional method for higher ed was that it was subsidized by the state, not paid for (unlike k-12 education which is essentially paid for).
Tops is more of a total paid for model.
The more apt comparison to vouchers would be if we eliminated tops and turned the normal state funding into vouchers.
Make all the universities private, and then give each la grad 5,000 a semester (or whatever it works out to be). They can use it at lsu, Tulane, etc. Any college located in LA.
Tops is more of a total paid for model.
The more apt comparison to vouchers would be if we eliminated tops and turned the normal state funding into vouchers.
Make all the universities private, and then give each la grad 5,000 a semester (or whatever it works out to be). They can use it at lsu, Tulane, etc. Any college located in LA.
Posted on 6/24/18 at 11:20 am to Lsujacket66
Because it’s the one entitlement program that benefits the middle class. Louisiana doesn’t have many fiscal conservatives at the state and local level. We’ve always been a state of socially conservative populist socialists that hate federal intrusion into our ponzy schemes.
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