“It’s a small change, but I think it’s an important just to make sure to level the playing field regarding scholarships, grants and loans.” – District 93 House Representative Dar’shun Kendrick
During the Georgia General Assembly’s 152nd meeting this year, a new bill will be proposed that could potentially change future freshman students’ GPAs.
House Bill 6 (HB 6), a bill pertaining to students’ GPAs and eligibility for HOPE scholarship, was introduced to the Georgia General Assembly on Nov. 19 last year, according to District 93 House Representative Dar’shun Kendrick.
If the bill passes it would authorize the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) to provide a weighted GPA exceeding a 4.0 for International baccalaureate (IB), advanced placement (AP) and dual-credit coursework for incoming freshmen, according to Kendrick.
Kendrick said HB 6 was the only bill proposed and pre-filed out of the three bills she considered proposing last year.
HB 6’s purpose is to enable an act to modify Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia and to make slight changes to the Zell Miller Scholarship, according to Kendrick.
Title 20 of the Official Code of Georgia states the procedure in which the GSFC is suppose to follow to determine eligibility of students seeking financial assistance, according to the website.
Kendrick said HB 6 will give an equal opportunity for advanced students to obtain all portions of HOPE scholarship.
“I’m calling it the HOPE Equality Bill,” she said. “In a nutshell what this bill does is it levels the playing field for people who are in AP, IB or college level classes. So this would make it so students who graduate from non-eligible Zell Miller Scholarship schools have a chance to get every single part of the HOPE and scholarship benefits for excelling in their school advance class.”
Kedrick also said she believes students who take IB, AP or dual enrollment classes should get a higher GPA ranking due to their class difficulty.
“The Georgia Student Finance Commission calculates HOPE but even if a student has an A in one of these advance level classes the most they could get would be a 4.0, not a 4.5 they were entitled to because the coursework is harder,” she said.
This legislative season a total of 54 new bills will be presented to be voted on by the assembly. Kendrick said the state’s constitution requires that house and senate members only stay in session for 40 days.
“They don’t have to be consecutive but 40 days is the maximum we can be in session,” she said.
The 30th day is the last day for a bill to pass through the house or senate for the other party to review. Bills that don’t pass on this day will either roll over until next year’s session, according to Kendrick.
Kendrick said the benefit of the HOPE Equality Bill for AP, IB and dual enrollment students would create a more efficient GPA weighing system.
“If the bill passes then the GSFC will weigh GPA’s more thoroughly, thus rewarding Zell Miller and HOPE scholarships recipients more equally,” she said.
John Klippel, a junior philosophy major, said he is happy to see a bill concerning HOPE for AP students is going into legislation this year.
“I’m glad it’s being proposed at the Georgia General Assembly because I take AP classes and it’s frustrating to see that all your hard work in these advance classes is not being rewarded equally as to someone with the HOPE scholarship taking regular classes,” he said.
Kendrick said if the bill passes students currently using the form of financial aid will not be affected.
“Students who are currently on HOPE would not face any changes to their scholarship; they’ll still be awarded,” she said. “If the bill passes, then it gives GSFC the opportunity to give IB, AP and dual enrollment students the full scholarship they deserve, as to [what] students who have a 3.0 would receive.”
Kendrick also said the HOPE Equality Bill will give more authority to the GSFC to award scholarships to students with GPAs higher than 4.0.
“It’s a small change, but I think it’s an important just to make sure to level the playing field regarding scholarships, grants and loans. But I think this will be the first step in the right direction by giving them the authority to do it because right now the way the law is worded, the commission doesn’t even have the option to award over a 4.0,” she said.
