Senate ready to shift universities to ‘block’ tuition

TALLAHASSEE — State universities would have to move forward with “block” tuition programs by the fall of 2018 under a higher-education initiative that the Florida Senate is poised to approve today.

Block tuition is just a portion of a major bill (SB 2) that embodies Senate President Joe Negron’s effort to elevate Florida’s higher-education system.

Other measures would expand the Bright Futures merit scholarship program, tighten graduation standards and c reate a pro gram to attract top-quality professors and researchers.

The block tuition proposal would require universities to switch from charging students on a credit-hour basis for each class they take to using a flat per- semester charge.

Negron and Sen. Bill Galvano, a Bradenton Republican sponsoring the bill, have said block tuition will provide flexibility and another incen- tive for students to graduate on time, noting many of the top-tier public universities in the nation use block tuition.

But the le gi slation will leave it up to each of the 12 state universities to develop the specifics, which would have to be approved by the university system’s Board of Governors before they take effect in 2018.

Some universit y advo - cates have questioned the potential financial impact of a block tuition mandate, noting if a school charges students a flat fee that is the equivalent of 12 credit hours in a semester but the student takes 15 credit hours of classes, it will represent a revenue loss.

An a nalysi s by Fl ori da State University showed a potential $40 million cost if the school charged students a 12-hour block tuition fee but students could take up to 15 hours. The cost included a $20 million loss in tuition and fees and another $20 million that would be needed to hire instructors for the anticipated higher class demand.

“There are many ways this can be accomplished,” Galvano said, saying universities can develop plans to lessen the financial impact.

Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, proposed an amendment Wednesday that would have required each univers i t y t o c onduc t a “f i s c a l impact study” on block tuition, reporting back to the Legislature by November on the impact and how they would replace the revenue.

“The intent of the program is good. But there is a real fiscal impact and I just want to make sure we’re planning for it,” said Clemens, who withdrew his amendment when it was clear it would not pass.

The Senate adopted an amendment from Galvano that would require each university to approve a block tuition plan by Oct. 1 and then submit the proposal to the Board of Governors. The board would then submit a report to the Legislature by Dec. 1, including any “recommendations for improving block tuition and fee benefits for students.”