More than just retaining more higher education students in state, the Louisiana Legislature should expand on a bill to make the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students a true merit-based award.

TOPS guarantees that if a graduating Louisiana high school senior meets certain mediocre standards, the state will pay a substantial portion of their higher education tuition. Until about a decade ago, TOPS covered all tuition, leaving only fees unsubsidized—although higher achievers could receive additional stipends. But then tuition coverage was decoupled from tuition increases, and a gap began to grow. For example, current reimbursement of in-state non-accelerated program tuition at my institution leaves a gap of $283.68–just over 5% of the annual 30 credit hours—not including $1,712.64 in other fees. (This applies to the basic Opportunity qualifier; higher ACT scores move students into the Performance or Honors levels, earning $400 or $800 stipends, respectively.)

These financial gaps are often cited as one reason for the slow but steady decline in Louisiana graduates accepting TOPS awards. In response, Republican state Rep. Chris Turner has filed HB 77, which would increase the minimum award for each TOPS level—often beyond current tuition and fees. (There are a few exceptions, such as certain Louisiana State University admissions that fall outside Board of Regents standards, but many of those students are supported through other scholarship programs). Turner’s bill also creates a new, higher-tier “Excellence” category with a larger bonus. (Notably, some Honors-level students wouldn’t even meet admission standards at flagship universities in other states, whereas Excellence qualifiers likely would.)

This could stem, at least partially, the drain of graduates turning down TOPS to head to out-of-state schools–but it would come at a cost. While no fiscal note has been issued yet, a back-of-the-envelope estimate puts added annual cost at around $35 million. This could stall the bill, although perhaps new revenue forecasts before the legislative session ends could free up recurring dollars to cover it.

Still, there’s a more reliable way to fund what TOPS should be doing: ensuring truly meritorious students have their educational expenses covered at a Louisiana public university. Because that’s not what TOPS does now. Instead, it operates like an entitlement program—with such low qualification standards that any student who limps out of high school with an ACT score below the national average gets a state-funded tuition ride.

The bill needs to be more ambitious.  It should eliminate the lowest-tier Opportunity award entirely, and set the Performance level—ACT of 23 rather than 20—as the new baseline. Of the $270 million the program cost this academic year, $115 million went to students scoring under 23. By rolling this reform into the bill, the state could potentially save up to $100 million—while still covering the higher cost for the top half of students and those who wouldn’t have attended a Louisiana school under the old system.

As for those savings, half could fund the budget request for the new LA GATOR educational savings voucher program, which would improve elementary and secondary education—and, over time, raise ACT scores across the board. The other half could go to a significant expansion of need-based aid, offering help to students with sub-23 ACT scores who would no longer qualify for TOPS under the new standards.

Turner’s bill deserves credit for introducing the new Excellence award. But paying more money to mediocre—or worse—students is not a responsible use of taxpayer dollars. Using this bill as a vehicle to phase out the mediocrity long encouraged by TOPS would make it truly excellent.