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Technology can be a wonderful thing -- when it is working properly and we understand it. Though it doesn't always deliver on its promises, it seems one improvement in the technology in the Hope Scholarship Program IS delivering what taxpayers demand.
State Treasurer Larry Pack, also chairman of the Hope Scholarship Board, said last week that TheoPay Fulfillment has increased productivity for processing orders by 42% as families start using 2026-27 school year funding.
There is an AI component to that success (it reviews eligible orders under $75), but the TheoPay Self-Serve process is getting approvals to families more quickly and increasing processing capacity, according to Pack's office.
"The Hope Scholarship Program continues to grow rapidly, and it's important that the technology supporting the program scales with it," Pack said. "By embracing artificial intelligence and regularly reviewing the program with Student First Technologies, we can find smarter, more efficient ways to serve families. Thanks to these efforts, our team has processed thousands more orders while giving parents greater flexibility and faster access to the educational resources their children need."
It's hard not to wonder whether similar improvements in technology aren't in order for other state government processes.
"This is exactly the kind of innovation we should pursue across state government," Pack said. "By using technology to improve efficiency and reduce processing times, we can deliver a better experience."
Provided we are careful about how much of our decision-making we hand over to AI, there is no doubt the folks in Charleston should be looking for more efficient, effective technology -- not only to improve the ability to serve us, but to more prudently spend OUR money.
King Bureaucracy hates to shrink itself. It hates to move more quickly or effectively. But there are (much) better ways of getting the job done. Here's hoping all those who squawked about fraud, waste and abuse before they got to Charleston are now on the hunt for more.