Red Alert! Governor, Legislature Continue Destruction of State Education System

[BridgeTroll]

What can be more equal than merit based?  Isnt this what we strive for?  Equal pay for equal work right? 

[stjr]

What can be more equal than merit based?  Isnt this what we strive for?  Equal pay for equal work right? 

Bridge, you missed my point entirely.  This isn't a job you get paid to do, its an opportunity and a service you pay for!  Creating "equal opportunity for equal work" is what scholarships should be about.  As such, they should generally be reserved for appropriately qualified students who lack only one thing, money.  The only other purpose, as I stated, is to attract students to create a diverse campus that might not be achieved based on economic forces alone.  Everyone having equal merit, subject to space availability and student body diversity (academic and extracurricular interests, demographics, etc.) goals, will have an opportunity for the same education.  QED.

[Clem1029]

BT, you forget, when dealing with the left, "merit" is defined as "whoever we deem worthy" rather than "whoever earned it."

[BridgeTroll]

Bridge, you missed my point entirely.

Au contraire... I GET your point.  I KNOW what your point is... I am entirely clear on the POINT.

As such, they should generally be reserved for appropriately qualified students who lack only one thing, money.

As I thought... way too many things to say here... but would only get labeled a myriad names.  I will let your points speak for themselves...

[Deuce]

From what I have read, the majority of Bright Futures money goes to those who could afford to pay some or all of their tuition.  This is because higher income families are more likely to produce better educated students.

That's an interesting analysis and something tells me that data would bear that out to a degree. I came from an environment where my family could afford to send me to college. My parents would have forbidden me to have any social life outside of school if they knew I could go to college for free.

And what did Jeb Bush, Crist, and their legislature buddies do - they gave away any surpluses from the good times by cutting taxes instead of prudently putting the money in a savings account like the rest of us are supposed to do.

Must run in the family, since his brother did the same with the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and that was before 9/11 and the recession. I've made a lot more money as a result but I was incredulous at the fact that they were going to give away the surplus instead of shoring up government programs like Social Security or just saving it for when times were bad.

[BridgeTroll]

http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/ssfad/bf/

In 1997, the Florida Legislature created the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program. This Florida Lottery-funded scholarship rewards students for their academic achievements during high school by providing funding for them to pursue postsecondary educational and career goals in Florida.

Here is the stats page...

http://www.floridastudentfinancialaid.org/ssfad/bf/bffacts.htm

[stjr]

Bridge, you missed my point entirely.

Au contraire... I GET your point.  I KNOW what your point is... I am entirely clear on the POINT.

As such, they should generally be reserved for appropriately qualified students who lack only one thing, money.

As I thought... way too many things to say here... but would only get labeled a myriad names.  I will let your points speak for themselves...

Bridge, if you think I am pushing some form of welfare, that is not my point.  In fact, I am a fiscal Conservative.  What this leads me too is the concept of WISELY investing in our society where we get a great return on investment, just as in the private sector.  Nowhere is this more true than with education.  This country was built on open access by all to education and offering scholarships to those with financial need (again, keeping in mind they are otherwise qualified!) is no different than the oceanfront home owner paying more taxes than the low income resident and both sending their kids to the same schools.  Failure of our society to "raise all boats" through prudent investment is a detriment to all of us, regardless of our income or other status.  Societies with the widest gaps between the "haves" and "have-nots" are shown to be far less stable and strong over time.

I suspect most of us posting on this board have benefitted from either ourselves or one of our ancestors getting "a helping hand" to advance themselves.  One way to honor this blessing is to share some of our blessings with others who wish to follow in our footsteps as those before us did for us.

[BridgeTroll]

While I applaud the fiscal conservatism I am a bit flummoxed by the social liberalism.  The best way to

"raise all boats"

is to use the same method of raising them.

The great thing about bright futures is the student must keep his grades up the through entire scholarship.  The rich kids keep going regardless of grades... same with the poor.  Bright Futures kids must earn it every semester... poor, middle, rich, black, white, hispanic, Eskimo.

Get good grades and your foot is in the door, keep good grades and some of your tuition is paid.

Merit... it is life.

[stjr]

Bridge, thanks for the link.  The chart below from it shows the 5 fold growth in dollars of the program in just 11 years!  Therein, lies a big problem.  $2.3 billion in just that period and now nearly $380 million per year.  Even the legislature has recognized they have created a financial monster here and are trying to get the genie back in the bottle.

Bright Futures Initially Eligible and Renewing Disbursed Students - 1997 to 2008

Academic Year/Initially Eligible Disbursed Students/Renewing Disbursed Students/Total Disbursed Students/Total Disbursements

1997-98 23,710 18,609 42,319 $69,566,969
1998-99 25,343 30,722 56,065 $93,332,570
1999-00 28,529 42,476 71,005 $131,850,932
2000-01 32,255 54,801 87,056 $164,769,347
2001-02 33,050 65,244 98,294 $174,914,917
2002-03 36,834 73,034 109,868 $202,204,806
2003-04 39,921 80,716 120,637 $235,188,754
2004-05 42,994 87,603 130,597 $268,944,369
2005-06 44,960 95,089 140,049 $306,335,218
2006-07 47,216 101,415 148,631 $347,014,439
2007-08 50,499 108,671 159,170 $379,874,911

Total 405,311 758,380 1,163,691 $2,373,997,232
Total Number of Awards Since Inception 1,163,691
Total Disbursements Since Inception $2,373,997,232

[BridgeTroll]

No doubt... we most definitely kill the most successful college scholarship in history.  Apparently the lottery pays for it so it doesn't even come out of the budget... unless of course you want to raid the budget for more... um...er politically correct beneficiary.

Lord knows we don't want motivated students with good grades in our universities, colleges, and community colleges...

[tufsu1]

The Bright Futures program is terrific...the program has resulted in higher GPAs among Florida students....which mean the standards should be adjusted.....right now the program is almost too easy

[BridgeTroll]

It is an outstanding program... transparent and merit based.

[stjr]

The Bright Futures program is terrific...the program has resulted in higher GPAs among Florida students....which mean the standards should be adjusted.....right now the program is almost too easy

Grade inflation so the teacher's pets can get a free education?  Never! 

[stjr]

No doubt... we most definitely kill the most successful college scholarship in history.  Apparently the lottery pays for it so it doesn't even come out of the budget... unless of course you want to raid the budget for more... um...er politically correct beneficiary.

Lord knows we don't want motivated students with good grades in our universities, colleges, and community colleges...

The lottery was supposed to go straight to funding extra programs for education, not paying for Bright Futures.  Paying Bright Futures means the lottery is just supplanting revenue that schools would have received from tuition anyway.  Another bait and switch boner by the Legislature.  $2.3 billion sucked out of education funding.  Thanks for making the point, Bridge!

[stjr]

Lord knows we don't want motivated students with good grades in our universities, colleges, and community colleges...

It's not if they go, it's who pays for it.  Let's not confuse the issues.