Higher education continues to face fiscal shortfalls across the state. Four universities have been placed on a fiscal watch list because of these economic realities.
The good news for parents and students is there will be TOPS money available to help with higher cost of education for those that qualify. The bad news is the program will continue to cover less and less of the cost of that education over time.
Most of us would like to be in control of our own finances. Louisiana's public universities and colleges feel the same way. The legislature is currently debating the idea.
One Louisiana Senator believes everyone who qualified for the TOPS program should at least get something. His plan will be debated in the Senate this week.
The Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee says the state does have enough money to fund the TOPS program. If so this would avoid a potential disaster for the state's colleges and universities.
It doesn't look as if Louisiana's TOPS program is completely dead. However, it's reincarnation could look a whole lot different than the original model.
All this talk about budget deficits, billions of dollars, and the possibility that the TOPS award my son has worked so hard for may disappear has had my anxiety level at migraine-producing levels all week. I'm a firm believer that knowledge is power, so I started doing some research into what defines a middle class family in Louisiana.