State: House may dim Bright Futures

TALLAHASSEE -- The state House on Monday for the first time proposed income restrictions for the popular Bright Futures scholarships, to save money and reduce potential for abuse.

The idea was immediately rejected by a key senator, who called it "a slap in the face" to deserving students.

The House suggested that families with incomes above $75,000 should no longer receive the Lottery-funded scholarships to in-state schools, which could put the program beyond the reach of many suburban, middle-class families. The House also suggested capping scholarships at the current level of $2,064 a year at a four-year college for most students.

College students from across the state marched on the Capitol last month, demanding that lawmakers preserve the six-year-old "promise" of Bright Futures. Not everyone agrees on what the state promised.

"The promise is that those persons who are scholars within our high schools are entitled to the opportunity to go to a Florida college," said Rep. David Simmons, R-Longwood, who proposed the eligibility limit as head of a committee writing the House education budget. "But it is not a meal ticket for people who are not scholars and who are not deserving."

State Sen. Ken Pruitt, the Senate's budget chief, is one of the program's strongest supporters. Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, said: "I think that is a slap in the face to all those students who have worked hard all these years to earn the Bright Futures. They played by the rules."

The Senate is proposing no major changes to Bright Futures, which had 98,000 enrollees in 2001.

The Legislature created the program to improve the state's historically poor high school graduation rates. The goal was to make college more affordable and to encourage more students to attend Florida colleges. It is one of the state's most popular educational ventures. In 2001, 98,000 students received Bright Futures scholarships.

Students who maintain a B average in high school and achieve a minimum score of 970 on a college SAT exam can receive payment for 75 percent of tuition and fees, regardless of income.

As the program grows in popularity, it is putting added strains on the state budget.

Simmons said the idea of limiting access to Bright Futures arose from a recent study by the Legislature's office of policy analysis, which looks for new ways to save tax dollars. The study showed that while participation has steadily grown, most applicants had family incomes of less than $75,000.

The study analyzed the impact of raising academic, not financial, eligibility.

The idea of limiting access to Bright Futures adds to a long-running debate among educators and lawmakers over whether the financial and academic standards for the program are too low.

Simmons said a family with an annual income of $500,000 should not qualify for Bright Futures. But to underscore the explosive nature of his idea, the suburban Orlando lawyer emphasized that it was "a starting point" in negotiations with the Senate.

Simmons said the House worries about that Bright Futures could "bankrupt" the budget, though quickly acknowledged that was "rhetoric" not to be taken literally.

In an article he sent to his hometown newspapers, Pruitt called it "hogwash" that the program is "busting the bank." To change the rules now, he wrote, would repeat the "shell game" the Legislature played in the 1990s when it redirected some Lottery money away from educational "enhancements."

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Lucy Morgan

From the Times state desk