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Panel to weigh big tuition increases
By ANITA KUMAR, Times Staff Writer
Florida needs to add universities and dramatically increase tuition over the next decade, according to recommendations being weighed by a state task force. Lawmakers also should allow universities to set their own tuition and shift money from merit-based scholarship programs to help students in financial need, the recommendations say. "It will take a lot of courage to do these things," said former state Sen. Don Sullivan of St. Petersburg, an expert on education funding. "There will be great squeals of pain. But it's the right thing to do. The Legislature has neglected those issues. All of these things in the long run will be good for the state of Florida." The Higher Education Funding Advisory Council, appointed by Education Secretary Jim Horne, spent a year studying how higher education is funded in Florida. Those meetings led to a series of recommendations by its staff, which will be discussed by the task force Tuesday and then turned over to the Florida Board of Education, which oversees all education in the state. None of the recommendations suggest increasing the amount of tax dollars devoted to higher education. Other states, such as North Carolina, spend more. Florida students pay less than 25 percent of the cost of educating them, said state education spokesman Bill Edmunds, even as tuition has increased every year for the past seven years. It's unclear what will happen to the recommendations because of a pending change in university governance. Florida voters passed an amendment Nov. 5 that shifts oversight of the state's universities to a new statewide board. The 19 council members differ greatly on the recommendations but are expected to agree to suggest sweeping changes in tuition and scholarships. "It will definitely be a spirited debate," said state Rep. Sandy Murman, R-Tampa, who serves on the panel. "Everyone is all over the place." Topping the list of recommendations: Raise tuition and fees at Florida's 11 public universities. The recommendations are to match the national average within a decade. The recommendations also suggest that universities are overcrowded, and that the number of people seeking admission is growing, requiring more schools. Further, the committee recommends approving four-year degrees at community colleges. Other recommendations include: Allowing schools to charge different tuition for various programs. Using at least 20 percent of tuition and fee increases for need-based financial aid. Contributing a portion of Bright Futures money to need-based scholarships. Expanding agreements between community colleges and universities. Refunding out-of-state tuition costs for those who are employed in Florida after graduation. What is unclear, though, is how those changes would affect two popular tuition programs: The Bright Futures scholarships, which pay for a majority of tuition for more than 115,000 students in Florida, and the Florida Prepaid College Fund, which allows people to purchase credits toward a future college education at today's prices. Council member Stanley Tate, chairman of the Florida College Prepaid Board, expressed outrage over the proposal. He said such a rapid tuition increase would be unfair to Floridians and warned that it would bankrupt the popular prepaid-tuition program, which doesn't anticipate such huge jumps in tuition. "I'm having a very difficult time with the idea that the universities should get as much as they want," Tate said. Horne, who heads the group, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Most members could not be reached or declined to comment because they had not studied the recommendations yet. -Information from the Orlando Sentinel was used in this report.
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From the Times state desk
From the state wire
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