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Florida Bright Futures Scholarships Could Be Harder To Get
March 22, 2010
Florida’s popular Bright Futures scholarship program would prove tougher to get under plans approved Friday by Senate panels trying to close a budget gap of as much as $3.2 billion.
The Senate plan boosts funding for the state’s Bright Futures’ scholarship program by $31.4 million over the current year’s $418.9 million level. But the Senate is on track to phase-in a system where the popular scholarships that provide either 75 percent or 100 percent of base tuition become tougher to get.Almost 180,000 Florida students are expected to be eligible for the scholarships next year, according to legislative analysts, bringing the program’s price to $450 million, compared with $75 million when the scholarships were launched in 1997.
Legislators began reining-in the costs last year with program changes that look certain to continue in 2010-11. The Senate Higher Education budget committee Friday approved legislation (CS/SB 1344) that phases-in stricter qualifying standards, making students graduating in 2013 attain a 1280 SAT score for a full scholarship – compared to 1270 currently – and 1290, for students the next year.
Those getting 75 percent of their base tuition covered would face new standards a year earlier – needing to score 980 on the SAT in 2012, compared to 970 currently. That level would rise to a 1050 SAT by 2014.
“We don’t know if the House will go along with us,” said Higher Education budget chair Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach. “But we still have to get a better handle on Bright Futures.”
Comments
8 Responses to “Florida Bright Futures Scholarships Could Be Harder To Get”
>Either the kids pass or not and the teachers need to be held accountable for passing students who do not make the grades.
Great idea, but heaven knows we are not allowed to hold teachers accountable for anything.
Would students who have Bright Futures already and are in college, would they still get it if they maintain their 3.0 or 2.5 average? Or would they have to take the SAT again, which doesn’t make sense though. But are those who have it already, do they have to worry about the up coming changes?
Just wanted to say my son got a 75% schlorship from bright futures and went to UWF on it.There are some students who actually do get money from Bright futures,but the grades have to be there.As far as the SAT scores go THAT program sucks…I know a student who made A honor role all through high school but did not get a good enough SAT score so no schlorships for her.She made the cut during class but was denied because of a low SAT score.I say do away with the SAT scores.Either the kids pass or not and the teachers need to be held accountable for passing students who do not make the grades.
Government got us to vote in favor on the lottery system telling us how it would pump millions annually into education. Funny how that promise has been missleading from the start. In actuality, the lottery dollars have in large part been ‘replacement dollars”. Educational funding was simply rreplaced by the money from the Florida lottery, while the original funds went to ….who knows where! Florida will be able to rival Alabama with their broken promises for all of those parents who participated in the prepaid college fund. Alabamians will be lucky to get 2 years of college taken care of with the 4 years worth of money they put into the program!
More broken promises. Thanks, government.
I bet if they had managed the lottery money better, this wouldn’t even be an issue.
Thanks for this article. Important information for parents!
The program should be renamed the “Florida Dimming Futures Scholarship Program” because by increasing test score criteria there will be more who will not be able to qualify, which in turn are probably the ones who most need the assistance to attend college anyway. And what caused this to occur? I believe the legislature did this to itself by raising state college and university tuition over 20% during the last two years. What did the state think was going to happen after raising cost?