State’s college scholarship fund out of luck
Florida either has too many smart students, or not enough people playing the lottery.
The state’s Bright Futures scholarship program, funded through the Florida Lottery, cannot keep afloat with increased demand and rising tuition costs.
What started a decade ago with scholarships for 42,319 Florida students has swelled into a program paying tuition bills for 148,631 college students, many of whom could not afford college without the scholarships. The annual cost has risen accordingly, from $70 million to $347 million last year.
State leaders had planned to begin tweaking Bright Futures this spring, but the Board of Governors announced Thursday it would sideline that discussion to focus on broader budget shortfalls.
“We will hold off on that conversation until we get a signal from legislative leadership that the scholarship program is coming under legislative review,” Board of Governors Chairwoman Carolyn Roberts said in a press release. “We want to contribute to the work of the Legislature, not hinder its efforts in this important session or create a distraction from the resolution of the serious budget issues facing the State University System and the rest of Florida’s government.”
All high school graduates with B averages and good test scores qualify for Bright Futures scholarships, which pay up to 100 percent of tuition and fees at state colleges and also some money for textbooks.
Prior to shelving discussion of Bright Futures reform, Florida Education Chancellor Mark Rosenberg proposed freezing scholarship funding at $400 million annually during the next four years. Here were specifics from his proposal:
• Shift $100 million into scholarships for students with financial need.
• Earmark $100 million for students majoring in high-demand fields of science, technology, engineering, math, education and allied health.
• Maintain $200 million for merit-based scholarships to be divided by the number of recipients instead of a set dollar amount.
“Changing Bright Futures is the only way to save it,” Rosenberg wrote in his proposal. “As it is currently operated, it cannot be sustained and is a major reason that Florida’s tuition is the lowest in the country, threatening the quality of the education that is provided to our students.”
Florida created Bright Futures in 1997 as a way to keep top academic prospects in the state. Meg Krieg, guidance counselor at Estero High School, said it has worked.
“We have quite a few kids counting on it,” said Krieg, who last week brought in Estero’s senior class to apply for Bright Futures. “For some of them, it makes a huge difference on if they’re able to attend college.”
Florida Gulf Coast University estimates tuition and fees for the average student at $3,738, just a fraction of the $15,679 annual bill when factoring in books, room and board, transportation and personal expenses. Students can cut costs in half, however, by living at home with their parents.
Krieg said many students look toward Bright Futures as their first scholarship option, supplementing expenses by pursuing local scholarships or grants. Others are turning toward Edison College, where students can stretch their dollars by knocking out general education courses at a lower cost before enrolling in a four-year university. Edison estimates annual tuition and fees for a full-time student at $2,120.
“It’s a bargain any way you put it,” said Bob Jones, Edison’s Lee County campus president.
Lehigh Senior High School student Julie Weber, 18, said she probably could not afford college without Bright Futures, and many of her friends are in the same boat.
“They are pretty much applying for scholarship after scholarship,” Weber said. “If they don’t get Bright Futures, they’ll go to Edison, or they will not go to college at all.”
Most scholarships are competitive, meaning students are battling other teens for the award. Bright Futures money is guaranteed if students meet grade point average and test score minimums.
“It’s a sure thing,” said Mary Fischer, guidance counselor at Ida S. Baker High in Cape Coral, where 225 of its 489-member senior class meet the GPA requirement. “Their textbooks and tuition are covered.”
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