Tuition aid eligibility to have direct link to jobs

Florida’s Senate president has backed a proposal that would tie eligibility for state aid to college enrollment in programs that “lead directly to employment” and require lawmakers to determine the value of Bright Futures awards each year as part of the budgeting process.

The bill would limit students’ eligibility to receive state-backed financial aid, including Bright Futures scholarships, to a total of 60 credit hours or two years of tuition unless the student enrolls in one of the designated “market-driven degree programs.”

Members of the Board of Governors, which oversees the state university system, and the State Board of Education would each approve a list of certificate, undergraduate, and graduate degree programs that they determine “lead directly to employment,” according to a news release from the office of Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby.

Students who receive the popular Bright Futures scholarship also could see their awards reduced.

Eligibility for those awards, which cover up to 100% of tuition and fees at state universities, is based on students’ GPAs, entrance exam scores and completion of community service hours. But Baxley’s bill would put the Legislature in charge of setting the value of those awards each year as it writes the budget.

As a result, lawmakers could decide that Bright Futures would cover fewer college costs.

Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, who filed the bill, said Wednesday in an interview that Florida Republicans wanted to establish a more direct connection between higher education and successful employment.

“I think people who go to college, one of their goals is to improve their financial standing instead of winding up with debt and disappointment,” Baxley said. “We want to design a system that will guide them to real career paths that will reward them financially and meet their goals.”

Students who enroll in healthcare-related programs or courses in trades like electrical work and plumbing could be among those eligible to receive state aid starting with the 2022-2023 school year, Baxley said.

Simpson said the proposal seeks to “rebalance” state aid programs by targeting students in programs that “we know will lead to jobs in our communities.”

“All too often the debate surrounding higher education focuses on the cost to the student, in terms of tuition and fees, but never the cost to the taxpayer or the actual value to the student,” Simpson said in a news release. “The reality is a degree does not guarantee a job.”

Baxley’s bill does not yet have a House companion. However, House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, said during his speech at the Legislature’s organization session in November that students should pay less for courses that will help train them for fields deemed high-demand.

“Our taxpayer-funded colleges and universities should not be job training centers, but they also should not divorce themselves from the economic needs of our state,” Sprowls said. “While our public universities should offer a full range of degree options, it does not follow that we should subsidize every degree to the same degree.”

The bill would also open up additional pathways for students to become eligible for the scholarships by posting high scores on Advanced Placement exams or earning associate’s degrees through dual enrollment programs at state colleges. However, earning college credits in high school would reduce the number of credit hours for which they are eligible for Bright Futures scholarships.

The proposal would also establish additional grant and scholarship programs for students who are low-income or who do not have high school diplomas.

Baxley, the owner of Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services, received a bachelor’s degree with a major in sociology and a minor in psychology before returning to school to earn an associate of science in funeral service. That degree, he said, was the “one that credentialed me for success.”