Louisiana lawmakers to consider a flat rate for TOPS scholarships
The Louisiana Legislature will consider creating a flat rate for TOPS program scholarships, regardless of what school students attend. It would increase the out of pocket costs for LSU and University of New Orleans students.
Currently, the state sets the TOPS award amount that each university receives. House Bill 77 by Rep. Chris Turner, R-Ruston, would decouple those rates from university tuition, meaning students would have to pay more out of pocket to attend more expensive universities but pay less at regional universities such as Nicholls and McNeese. It would create a significant decrease in revenue for LSU and UNO.
Turner's bill would also create a new award level that would provide additional money to students who earn at least a 3.5 grade point average and a 31 out of 36 on the ACT college admissions test.
If Turner's bill passes, the base-level amount, which approximately half of Louisiana TOPS students receive, would be $6,000 annually, TOPS Performance students, who have at least a 3.25 GPA and a 23 ACT score, would receive $6,500. TOPS Honors students, who have at least a 3.5 GPA and a 27 ACT score, would receive $9,000. The bill's proposed TOPS Excellence award, the new highest amount, would be $12,000.
Because the current base TOPS level is above $6,500 at LSU and UNO, both institutions could lose millions in state funding under Turner's plan, while most other schools in the state would see a boost. LSU's nursing programs would also see a funding loss under the bill.
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Turner said he and coauthor, House Education Chairwoman Rep. Laurie Schlegel, R-Metairie, worked with some of the state's universities and the Board of Regents on the bill, which he said was intended to create fairness between the universities and to help keep high-performing students in the state.
'It wasn't fair to give this university more and not the other one,' Turner said in an interview. 'All the institutions would be treated equally.'
The Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, more commonly known as TOPS, is a merit-based scholarship program that helps Louisiana students attend in-state schools.
Turner said he believed the bill would hurt LSU on the lower end, but that it would make up its loss through the new Excellence award amount. But LSU's main campus has nearly 10,000 students who would lose TOPS funding under the bill and only a small number of students who would qualify for Excellence.
Any potential loss in funding would hit UNO particularly hard as it grapples with a budget crisis and looks to cut millions from its budget.
Students currently enrolled at LSU and UNO would begin to pay more out of pocket for the fall semester if the bill passes in its current form. The proposal is expected to face staunch opposition, because of its impact on LSU and UNO and an overall cost increase for TOPS.
Gov. Jeff Landry has pushed for a standstill budget after voters rejected Amendment 2 in the March 29 election. It would have moved hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue from state savings accounts into Louisiana's general fund for lawmakers to spend.
For some schools with lower tuition and fees, the new award amounts would create an excess for students. Under present law, that money would be applied to students' room and board expenses, which typically are paid out of pocket. But under a new law the legislature approved last year, schools have complete autonomy to raise their fees, meaning they could increase the cost of attendance to meet the new award amount — and increase their revenues.
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