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Future Dimmer For Florida Bright Futures Scholarships
May 3, 2011
Students eligible for Bright Futures scholarships next year will see their awards slashed by 20 percent in the biggest cut to the popular college aid program since its inception.
Under a budget deal lawmakers agreed to late last week, Bright Futures awards will be cut 20 percent per student. Lawmakers also agreed to raise the number of community service hours students have to complete to be eligible for a scholarship, and will start requiring students to complete a federal financial aid form to get a scholarship.
Lawmakers say these cuts were a necessary evil in a difficult budget year.
“This is the worst budget we’ve ever had, ever since I’ve been in the Legislature, let’s see, 18 years,” said Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, the head of the Senate higher education budget committee. “The revenue to the state is extremely low and everyone in every sector of the state will have to lower their budgets from where they were.”
At the same time that the state’s popular student aid program is being cut, lawmakers also want to raise tuition by 8 percent, giving universities the option to hike tuition another 7 percent above that amount. Florida’s in-state tuition is one of the lowest in the nation and universities have used double-digit increases in a bid to move closer to the national average.
Opposition to the cuts in the higher education budget has been muted. Even many Democrats, who in general oppose the Republican-written budget, say they understand the decision to cut Bright Futures.
“It’s a good program, but I don’t think it really meets all the needs it should be meeting,” said Rep. Betty Reed, D-Tampa. “The students that really need it are not able to receive it.”
Some critics of Bright Futures believe it favors students that don’t need help paying tuition because it’s based on merit, not need.
Many lawmakers said they would support adding a needs-based component to the scholarship. Requiring students next year to fill out the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid to get a Bright Futures is a small step toward gathering the data as a possible precursor to adding that needs-based component.
“The whole purpose of merit was to make sure we have more students stay in Florida, go to school in Florida, graduate and then remain at getting jobs here,” said Lynn, indicating she wouldn’t support a needs-based component.
The merit-based scholarship program was established in 1997 to prevent a brain drain of Florida students to out-of-state colleges. It has largely achieved that goal, with over 180,000 students last year, up from the roughly 42,000 students who applied during the program’s first year.
This is the third year average awards for the Bright Futures scholarship will drop. The program gives students who receive certain SAT scores and grade point averages a scholarship to use for college.
Last year lawmakers agreed to a $1 per credit hour drop and toughened eligibility requirements. Several years ago the Legislature also voted to stop paying the full tuition cost with Bright Futures awards.
Spending on Bright Futures peaked at $429 million in the 2008-09 fiscal year with an average student award of $2,533. This year, lawmakers decided on a budget of just over $350 million for Bright Futures.
That means students who were eligible for the Academic Scholars award of $1,875 for 15 credit hours this year would receive only $1,500 for 15 credit hours next year. Students receiving the Medallion Scholars award this year got $1,410 for 15 credit hours; next year they will get $1,128 for the same amount of hours.
These cuts are a compromise between Senate and House positions. The Senate originally wanted a steeper cut of $1,000 per award while the House suggested a cut of roughly 15 percent.
Students question whether cuts to Bright Futures will eventually unclog the brain drain, tempting students away from Florida. Florida A&M University graduate student Gallop Franklin, the head of the Florida Student Association, said it’s time for “a complete restructuring” of Bright Futures.
Franklin said that since Bright Futures was changed two years ago so that it no longer covers the full tuition cost, it has not proved as valuable to students. He supports adding a needs-based component.
“It’s not meeting the needs and it’s not providing the type of support for students it did years ago,” Franklin said.
By Lilly Rockwell
The News Service of Florida
Comments
11 Responses to “Future Dimmer For Florida Bright Futures Scholarships”
Bright Futures is the reason I stayed in-state for college. I may end up regretting the decision. There are a lot of scholarships out there that are “need-based”. I don’t understand why Bright Futures wants to go in this direction. I worked hard for my grades and SAT scores (no tutors). My family does not go on ski trips, or crazy expensive vacations. Bright Futures has been a blessing, but it seems like we will not be able to count on it anymore.
Why is it that Republicans stress that people need to “earn” their money, but they are turning this merit-based scholarship into a need-based scholarship…?
While Bright Futures was originally conceived as a merit award, changing times may require a changing concept. There are many, many students for whom the cost of Florida college tuition is less than their family spends on an annual winter ski trip. On the other hand, there are student for whom this scholarship means the difference between attending and not attending college. In that category are some hard-working students who have irresponsible parents who do not complete the FASFA forms — sometimes because some of their income is under-the-table, sometimes because they distrust government forms, sometimes because they can’t be bothered. Bright Futures has been one financial resource for students that did not depend upon having responsible parents. Keep the award for all students who earn acclamation. Give them all a certificate or plaque or a notation on their high school diplomas. But save the cash for the students who need it.
When we voted to have a Florida lottery, it was suppose to be for education. Where is the money going to be spent, if not on Bright Futures? Will it still be spent on education? If not, shouldn’t the voters have to vote on it? Just asking!!
Work get nothing. Sit on your rear get ever thing free. Joe is right. What wil the loto money be spent on?
Awards going down, tuition going up – the American way? Our government certainly thinks so. If the awards are going down, then it stands to reason that tuition should follow – in the same direction!!! There was a time not too long ago, that students were rewarded for good grades – for one, they were exempt from taking final exams. This was an excellent reward for the hard work students put forth day after day all through the year. If they have proven themselves already, then why not give them this reward? They most definitely deserve it! But not only was this done away with, more test have been added. And FCAT! What a tremendous waste of our educational dollars. This is one way our government can save a boat-load of money and put it back into the educational system so that all of these other VERY NECESSARY jobs and programs don’t have to be cut. Who and what caliber of people do we have running our government? It is certainly not the ones who have the “hands on” experience.
Concerned Citizen said…”This scholarship was set up because of the lottery monies. Lottery continues to thrive, therefore, more scholarships should be awarded. I don’t hear of these cuts happening in the Georgia school system.”
I said…I lived in Georgia when they began their lottery and one of the bad examples of lottery management that kept getting referenced during the debate was Florida’s. The stae of Florida has been slowly raping the lottery funds since they started coming in. One of the promises that was made to get the Georgia lottery in was, “We won’t be like Florida”.
Sadly though, I do believe Georgia is starting to slip on their commitments as well.
I do believe that one thing we should *never* cut is education. When we do that we are truly selling out our competitiveness with the rest of the world and we are assuring our reduction to third world status. We still have the best colleges in the world but they are filling with high achievers….from other countries.
so families who are middle range income are in a world of hurt.
Everyone knows that just because your income on paper is one thing does not mean that is the disposable portion. The problem with the federal student aid application is it does not take into account all of your bills.
the feds do not care if you have 2 car payments, that is not a necessary bill to them, even though with out the car, most of us would not be able to go to work.
to require this paperwork is crazy, this is not what the voters of florida voted on!
so much for education1
Way to punish the kids.
Bright Futures should not be based on “needs”. Like others have stated, there are plenty of programs out there for “needs” basis. Plenty of people get a “free” education without paying because they can’t afford to pay for it.
Bright Futures is the REWARD for the students that make the decision to push themselves academically beginning, at a minimum, in middle school & continue to excell by keeping a B average or higher. They must volunteer & have proof. Not just skate by in classes (when/if they decide to show up) on a daily/yearly basis and have something “handed” to them based on their needs/income.
Bright Futures needs to continue to be funded by the lottery & not tampered with. There is nothing wrong with someone having to EARN something. That’s what this Bright Futures teaches. “IF you want a scholarship, you can EARN one by getting good grades & volunteering so many hours”.
That’s the problem with government, they want to GIVE away everything to those that they believe need it the most and take it from the ones that EARNED it.
This scholarship was set up because of the lottery monies. Lottery continues to thrive, therefore, more scholarships should be awarded. I don’t hear of these cuts happening in the Georgia school system. My niece and nephew attend school in Georgia. I agree with Doer the government keeps up enough with everyone our son didn’t have to complete a federal form. This is one more way of the government trying to choose who goes to technical schools and who gets prestige.
This is not what the public was told when Bright Futures was first established. This scholarship was based on academics/ability, not need. Once again, the public votes for something, and then the rules are changed to fit whatever shortcomings the powers-that-be may have. Students who are from middle-incomes, find themselves in an extreme predicament. Even with outstanding grades (GPA), they are usually in a Catch 22, and they find themselves having to borrow, borrow, borrow to try to go to college. The Lottery was supposed to deter this situation for our best and brightest academically. Need-based programs are already available for students. Those who have the academics are finding (unfortunately) that those top grades don’t matter as much as they used to.