TOPS

Louisiana's BESE has decided to drop the FAFSA requirement for high school graduates because it believes the process may be unnecessarily cumbersome on parents.

Students and parents have been given more time to take the ACT test and submit scores while still remaining eligible for TOPS benefits.

Louisiana's Department of Education says a record number of graduates have met the requirements necessary to receive a TOPS award. The news comes as representatives are scheduled to debate bills Thursday that would change the state's scholarship program.

My son is a high school senior, and my stomach lurched when the Louisiana legislature essentially laid waste to the TOPS program. Like many parents, I am searching for alternate ways to pay for college. His guidance counselor gave us the link to a nifty website featuring several odd scholarships I didn't know about! Who knew they offered a scholarship just for being funny? Or tall?

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.

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.

Among the many programs being hurt by the budget shortfall, TOPS could see some sweeping changes

It seems that some in government think that the job of government is to control the people they govern. I understand laws that protect people; but don't understand laws that regulate our everyday lives. Worse than just passing the law is all the government spending it takes to enforce the law. Such a law is being proposed right here in Louisiana.