Looking for ways to help HOPE

ATLANTA - The HOPE scholarship program is so popular, the state may be unable to fund it within three years. Some state lawmakers think one way to help the program survive would be to tighten up rules that allow marginal students to qualify. <br> <br> Shelley Nickel is executive director of the Georgia Student Finance Commission and an advocate of tougher standards. She also happens to be a member of a special state commission that is considering how to help HOPE. <br> <br> She thinks tougher rules for the scholarship could weed out a significant number of students and help the program stay financially afloat. <br> <br> A state analysis shows that by the year 2006, the lottery that funds both the HOPE scholarship program and a pre-kindergarten program will fall 39 (m) million dollars short. <br> <br> By the next year, the gap will reach 221 (m) million. Making it tougher to qualify is just one of several possibilities the commission is considering. <br> <br>

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