By Adam Smith

The North Jefferson News



Parents and grandparents angered by the failure of Alabama’s prepaid college tuition program are demanding answers from state lawmakers.

At least 250 people attended a Save Alabama PACT meeting Monday night at the Gardendale Civic Center to hear how or if Alabama’s Prepaid Affordable College Tuition (PACT) program can be saved.

The meeting featured a host of speakers, including Save Alabama PACT representatives, lawmakers and three candidates for the office of treasurer for the State of Alabama.

The underlying theme of the meeting was to encourage participation from those who bought into the prepaid tuition program and may now be wondering if 48,000 students enrolled in the program will ever be able to attend college.

Patti Lambert, president of the non-profit group Save Alabama PACT, said she bought into the system with the confidence that her grandchildren would be able to attend a state university anywhere in Alabama.

“I felt like no matter what happened, my six grands could always get an education,” she said. “I had no doubt a state school would welcome them with open arms.”

She encouraged everyone in the audience to write letters to lawmakers and to media outlets to help keep the group’s momentum alive.

“This is a very important topic because it concerns our loved ones and our pocketbooks,” she said.

Vestavia Hills resident Joe Miller bought 11 PACTs for his grandchildren. Miller said his wife is confined to a wheelchair, but wrote letters to every state senator and representative in an effort to save the program.

“To mail those letters, I bought at least $80 worth of stamps,” he said. “When you consider what you’ve paid into the program, the cost of stamps is a drop in the bucket.”

The PACT program was implemented in 1990 and at the time was one of only three such programs in the nation. George Wallace Jr., who was state treasurer at the time, helped establish the PACT program.

Wallace, who is again seeking election to the treasurer post, told those in attendance that he wanted to establish the system to help middle class families who struggled to obtain financial aid to educate their children.

“I was tired of watching those families not qualify because their gross income missed the formula by $150 to $200,” he said. “There was a void in the middle class.”

Wallace and other lawmakers studied Florida’s prepaid tuition program when establishing Alabama’s PACT system. At one time, the program was given an A-plus rating by USA Today and was considered fiscally sound. It was also one of only three such programs in the nation.

However, state leaders blame the collapse of the nation’s economy for the loss of more than half of PACT funds, from $899 million in Sept. 2007 to $431 million in March of this year.

Lawmakers and candidates at Monday’s meeting also pointed fingers at each other. Others blamed powerful lobbying groups who may not want the program to continue.

Treasurer candidate Charles Grimsley accused Wallace of implementing a program that would not legally have to honor tuition guarantees.

“We’re in a no man’s land. We’re caught between a promise and a terribly faulty law,” Grimsley said. “Alabama state law does not guarantee PACT like Florida’s system does.”

Jeremy Sherer, a Corner native and treasurer candidate, said the PACT system can be stabilized by deferring funds from the Unclaimed Property Fund, which is controlled by the treasurer. He said there is as much as $400 million in the fund currently.

“Alabama’s budgets are in a state of proration, resources are limited, but your cause is just,” Sherer said. “In today’s environment of proration, I believe tapping funds from the Unclaimed Property Fund is the most politically efficient and financially sound means for saving PACT.”

Other plans have been put forth by lawmakers, including a bill by Rep. Greg Wren and a resolution by Rep. Robert Bentley, a gubernatorial candidate also at Monday’s meeting.

“Whether it’s a man’s word or a state’s word, you still have to live up to what you say you’re doing to do,” Bentley said.

Save Alabama PACT organizer Karen Gandy invited all families who have an interest in the system to caravan to Montgomery on Nov. 4 and meet at the Dexter United Methodist Church at noon. From there, the group will converge on a PACT board meeting to be held at 1:30 p.m. The exact location of the meeting is not known, according to the group’s Web site.

For more information on Save Alabama PACT, visit www.savealabamapact.com.