Robin Hood in Reverse

The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program, supported by the Florida Lottery, offers scholarships based on high school academic performance. Lottery windfalls have provided funds for 90% of incoming freshmen in the University of Florida and over 40,000 state college scholarships per year. Students must score in the top 10% nationally on SAT or ACT tests to earn the Bright Futures Florida Academic Scholars award. With financial need not an application criterion, lower income and minority students benefit less from lottery revenues, largely originating from low-income Floridians. One can argue the program takes from the poor and gives to the rich, Robin Hood in reverse.
That withstanding, Florida’s state universities are doing a lot of things right, including being named the nation’s top higher education system for the fifth consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report. Rather than working to make Bright Futures more accessible and equitable to those with financial need, Florida State Senator (Rep) Dennis Baxley, is sponsoring a bill with his goal to “redesign the Bright Futures program to connect the world of work and the world of education.” Baxley wants Florida Republican Legislators to cherry pick their version of job producing majors and minors considered worthy of Bright Futures scholarships.
This Florida Republican Legislature has proven they can’t comprehend anything more intellectually rigorous than tax cuts and gun carry permits on campuses. I say smack them with a ruler if they put their hands on our state college curriculums. Turn over authority to them and say goodbye to Bright Future scholarships for the tough-to-find-work majors in Philosophy, Liberal Arts, English Language, Fine Arts, Religious studies, Art History, Art, Anthropology/Archaeology, Parks Recreation, Film, Video and Photographic Arts, Music, Fashion Merchandising and History? It may be tough to find a job in these fields. Yet many who persist live creative and fulfilled lives, sharing diverse experiences and talent that enrich our culture and make life worth living.
Every parent wishes for their children an education that will result in their child’s independence and making a good living. A wise parent also knows forcing an unwanted career on a child can lead to unhappiness. Parents and colleges wisely offer many paths. We need Republican legislators to stick with the equity issues for Bright Futures funds and stop mucking around with college curriculums. If not, we’re likely to see our colleges graduating students reflecting some Legislators’ recently demonstrated values, such as majors in Voter Suppression with minors in Disenfranchisement and Applied Misinformation.