TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Despite the governor's veto of a wide-ranging higher-education policy bill, Senate President Joe Negron said Wednesday that many of the initiatives embedded in the legislation, including an expansion of Bright Futures scholarships, will still benefit state university and college students as fall terms begin next month.
In a memo to senators, Negron, R-Stuart, said a major benefit will be a “historic” increase in need-based and merit-based financial aid.
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“This school year, tens of thousands of students are entering or returning to colleges and universities across Florida with a higher level of financial security, increasing the likelihood they will graduate on time,” Negron said.
The new $82 billion state budget includes funding to increase Bright Futures scholarships to cover full tuition and fees for about 43,000 state university and 2,000 state college students who qualify as “academic scholars” in the merit-based program.
It represents a $3,000 tuition savings for full-time university scholars and a $1,500 savings for state college scholars.
Additionally, the budget provides funding to allow an estimated 17,000 Bright Futures scholars to attend summer classes with their scholarships.
However, the Bright Futures expansion will be temporary unless lawmakers enact a policy bill in the 2018 session to make the changes permanent. That is because Gov. Rick Scott vetoed this year's wide-ranging policy bill (SB 374), arguing improvements for state universities were coming “at the expense” of the state college system.
“I feel a deep sense of obligation to the tens of thousands of students and families who are reasonably relying on Bright Futures scholarships their students have earned,” Negron said, recalling his own anxiety over financial aid when he was a university student.
“As Florida students and their families plan for their investment in a college or university education, they deserve the financial security that comes with the permanent changes in law contemplated in SB 374,” he said.
The new budget also includes an 80 percent increase in the state's main need-based aid program, known as Florida student assistance grants, Negron noted.
The expansion will benefit an additional 109,000 university and college students for a total of 243,000 students securing the aid, which averages $1,110 per student.
The budget will also increase funding for other aid programs, including the Benacquisto scholarships, which support National Merit Scholars, and an aid program aimed at “first generation” students attending colleges or universities.
Negron said he was pleased that the Department of Education, which is under Scott, is trying implement most of the financial-aid programs that were in the Senate bill “despite the veto of critical conforming language” that specified the changes.
But other policy provisions in the vetoed Senate bill, which were less dependent on the state budget, remain in limbo, including a requirement that universities develop “block” tuition plans and that universities be measured on four-year graduation rates rather than the current six-year metric.
Tom Kuntz, chairman of the university system's Board of Governors, said at the board's meeting last month that the system would be considering many of the proposals in the policy bill since they were not related to the veto decision and because “it's the right thing to do.”
Negron said he was appreciative of the board's effort, while saying the Senate will take up many of the policy issues again during the 2018 session, which starts in January.
“In reality, however, only through legislation can we provide certainty to students, parents and our universities that the provisions we worked so hard to pass in SB 374 will be permanent,” Negron said.
“I look forward to discussing these important issues in more detail when interim committee weeks begin in September,” he added.