Public Policy Formulation and Implementation free essay sample

Gladys Moore Week 2 Assignment Public Policy Formation and Implementation-PA582 March 10, 2011 In the last two weeks the Dooly County School System is faced with uncertainty in planning for the 2011-2012 school year, along with other systems in the state of Georgia. The issue involves one of the latest proposals by Governor Nathan Deal of cutting Georgia Pre-K and Hope Scholarship programs. Governor Deal has proposed these major changes because both programs are paid for with proceeds from the Georgia Lottery, which is not bringing in revenues as it once has nor is it keeping up with the pace with the two programs expenses.The governor plans to scale back on the number of hours a Pre-K student attends school, from 6. 5 hours a day to 4 hours a day. Not only does this major change affect the families of working parents, the lives of teachers and paraprofessional will also be affected. Teacher’s and Paraprofessional’s salaries will drop 30 percent, for those who decide to remain working at the Pre-K level, and working parents will have to pay for additional child-care. We will write a custom essay sample on Public Policy Formulation and Implementation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In regards to the HOPE scholarship, the governor proposal is to cut scholarships for potentially 180,000 of Georgia’s 200,000 HOPE scholars to 90 percent of current tuition levels.However a move that has current and future students mulling their finances, and some feeling short changed. If the cuts are passed, a HOPE recipient would be responsible for to pay hundreds of dollars to cover tuition as well as mandatory fees which are presently being paid by the HOPE scholarship. For example, a HOPE scholar at the University of Georgia would have to pay $353. 00 out-of-pocket to cover a semester’s tuition based on today’s rates. Additionally, that same student would have to pay more than $400. 0 in mandatory fees per semester for services such as transportation, health care and student activities. It doesn’t stop here, tuition and fees next academic year could increase, which would increase even further what students would be required to pay. Governor’s Deal proposal to make such major changes has played a significant role into making such issues a great topic in Georgia because if both proposals are passed many lives will be affected. Since Deal’s proposal he has had some push back from lawmakers, advocacy groups and local school superintendents.Local superintendents are concerned about how possible changes to the lottery-funded education programs will affect their students. According to Crisp Superintendent Jay Brinson, â€Å"There are 300 kids in Pre-K in their county if cuts are made parents will have to find private daycare for the remainder of the day, and there just aren’t as many daycare facilities as there used to be. † Georgia Pre-K cutting retention rates, study shows Georgia lottery-funded pre-k program is paying off, with fewer students being retain in a grade, fewer students dropping out of school and landing up in special education classes. According to the nonprofit Southern Education Foundation, Inc. on average, 10,000 fewer students are having to repeat the same grade each year. The report also estimates the net savings at $35. 6 million in 2010 and an additional $212. 9 million over the next six calendar years. According to Governor Nathan Deal State to State Address on January 12, 2011 he stated, â€Å"My budgets reflect my commitment to preserving the HOPE Program. Since its creation, it has served over 1. 2 million students and provided benefits totaling more than 5 billion dollars.It has also established the first state universal program for Pre-Kindergarten that has served over 1 million children. Over the past several years, HOPE pays out more than the lottery brings in. In FY 2010, over $150 million of reserve funds were spent. In FY 2011, it is estimated that over $300 million of reserves will be needed and for FY 2012, over $400 million of reserve funds will be needed. If this pattern is not preserved by FY 2013 all of the reserves will have been expended and HOPE cannot meet its obligations. If we are to save HOPE we must make programmatic changes during this legislative session. I am ready and your leadership has indicated they are ready to make those changes. My 2012 budget does not authorize HOPE expenditures beyond what the lottery produces; therefore, we must act now to maintain the Georgia jewel known as HOPE. Therefore, I feel that his proposal to make such changes are related to the United States economic as well as the political system because in 1968   under the patronage of Waldo, some young scholars gathered to critique American public   administration for ignoring values and social   equity and accepting too readily the status quo.This movement was known as the New Public Administration. Governor Deal’s position as a public administration involves activity that is related with politics and policy making. Therefore, his Political approach was used to make such issues a hot topic which involved various agencies and stakeholders within the surrounding communities in Georgia such as parents, students, superintendents, teachers, advocacy groups and providers. Collaboration among the governor and stakeholders are essential in order to discuss the various options that surround the issues.