How is it socialist to award students various levels of tuition scholarship based on their high school grades/ACT score?
I worked my arse off to have A & B grades in Dual Enrollment and AP classes. Took the ACT 6 times, spent several weekends at ACT prep courses and ended up with a 32.
The state felt I deserved some tuition assistance as I seemed like an appropriate college candidate.
So let’s say Bill Joe that makes C & D grades, takes the ACT once and makes a 16 gets the same tuition assistance.
Now THAT would be socialism my friend.

TOPS is a great program that rewards students that try in school and have the potential to finish college and become a working, educated member of our state.
Given that not everybody gets TOPs and there are tiers based on your scores, it’s most definitely not socialism as much as a failed investment into the state.
Problem is the extreme lack of quality jobs and the horrible salary. Cost of living is low, but salary to cost of living doesn’t compute outside of property, houses and cigarettes.
Most everything is pretty universally priced across the country with online shopping being so prevalent.
And those prices are typically around a price that is a bit higher than the cost of living of say Monroe, La Century Link.
TOPs is failing the state as it is. BUT that can all change and here is my suggestion on how to do it.

That all said to say: I say you work in La. until a portion of your taxes pays off HALF of what it cost to get you through college.
Have a special tax for post TOPs grads. Set it up similar to a 401k where employers will match (employers don’t have to, but would incentivize people to work for them) how much you elect to pay back each check.
This would essentially be a 50% off student loan, no interest and potentially 75% off if the employer matching worked out.
The state gets a portion of the scholarship back, saving money. They also keep TOPs grads in state for a few years minimum. Depending how long the student wants to pay it back for (interest free), they may have just gotten a new lifelong educated worked paying back $10 a month until he retires.

Just a thought.