Bob Sparks
Senate President-elect Joe Negron was back in school this week. Not as a student, but as a legislative leader looking for on-the-ground information designed to help craft the 2017-18 education budget.
Negron will push for $1 billion in extra spending for colleges and universities.
While students are traditionally fond of road trips, Negron and four Senate colleagues embarked on one of their own. They went on a listening tour of all 12 public universities in the span of four days, interacting with students, faculty and administrators.
Negron was joined by Miami Republican Anitere Flores, Fort Myers Republican Lizbeth Benacquisto, Miami Democrat Oscar Branyon and Tallahassee Democrat Bill Montford. The group traveled by bus on a tour looking everything like a political campaign.
Sure it was, but to quote Jerry Seinfeld, “not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
Spending an hour or so at a college campus will not provide sufficient time to ask all of the important questions, let alone obtain the needed answers. It does provide the perfect opportunity to hear personal stories for use in the public relations world as well as in committee hearings.
Negron has a worthy goal of restoring the Bright Futures scholarship to its former status of having the top award cover tuition and fees, plus a $300 stipend per semester to go toward textbooks. In today’s world of higher education, the $300 covers the cost of only two or three new textbooks, but parents would be grateful for the extra help.
The tour began on last Monday at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, where the senators mingled and asked questions. From there, it was on to Tallahassee for stops at Florida State and Florida A&M.
Sophomore Demarcus Robinson told the story Negron and his colleagues needed to hear. As reported in the Tampa Bay Times, Robinson shared with Negron that he may not be able to return to Florida A&M in the fall because he is behind on his payments.
Robinson and those like him who truly want to go to college could have their lives changed by a reinvigorated Bright Futures. The program, founded in 1997, now serves 44 percent fewer students than at its peak of 179,000 and provides $200 million less in scholarship money.
If nothing else, this tour previews a major focus of the 2017 Florida Senate. Negron deserves credit for his commitment to the issue, but there are some realities that should enter into any discussion.
Bright Futures should be revived, but only to cover those who not only meet academic qualifications, but also those who clearly wish to be in a four-year college. Not all have such desires. Both students and the community alike are better served when those with technical and computer skills receive focused training coinciding with their talent and goals.
Another FAMU student lamented all of the “requirements” of a four-year institution. There are plenty of good reasons for a broad-based college education, but it is not for everyone.
Negron also believes in the “2 plus 2” program as a tool for many families looking for lower costs. This program allows students to begin at one of Florida’s 28 colleges (former known as Community Colleges) and then proceed to a four-year university if they wish.
The courses at the two-year colleges are less expensive and will help families cut costs before transferring to a university. Starting at a two-year college may also help a student determine that a college or university is not for them and they can make other career choices.
While the tour is over, perhaps the senators are still listening. Make the commitment to our colleges and universities and fix Bright Futures, but do not lose sight of one important fact.
The 21st century workforce is not the same as it was 20 or even 10 years ago.
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Bob Sparks is a business and political consultant based in Tallahassee.
