A bill filed for the regular session seeks to fully fund TOPS by using riverboat gaming revenues. For the first time ever, the taxpayer funded scholarship didn’t cover all of a student’s tuition costs this year. Baton Rouge Representative Franklin Foil says he wants to make sure the program isn’t underfunded in the future…:
Cut 7 (08) “a year”
He says if this bill passes, TOPS would have to be fully funded before riverboat gaming revenues can be used on other items in budget.

And there’s an LSU survey that finds a majority of Louisiana residents want to see the state-funded scholarship fully funded. But Michael Henderson, with the LSU Public Policy Research Lab, says the public supports a higher GPA to qualify for TOPS…
cut 11 (08) “…for that”
There’s a bill that’s been filed in the legislative session to raise the GPA requirement for TOPS.

Louisiana’s revised coastal restoration masterplan will be taken up by lawmakers in the regular session, as part of the governor’s legislative package to protect and restore the state’s coast. The plan contains 120 projects to be completed over the next 50 years that will maintain over 800 square miles of coastal land. Jennings Senator Blade Morrish co-authored the legislation.
Cut 13 (07) “can afford”
A survey from the state department of education finds 88-percent of families are satisified with the quality of their child’s early education program. But despite that high number, four out of 10 families are not sure if their child is learning the necessary skils to prepare them for kindergarten.
cut 5 (10) “….quality benchmarks”
That’s Jenna Conway, who is the Assistant Superintendent of Early Childhood.