Based on the information I received at the Legislative Workshop at the last League of Cities Meeting I attended, I kept up to date on the decisions being made in the capitol which were affecting Broward County. During the latter part of March, Broward Days in Tallahassee occurred where citizens were able to communicate with their state legislatures and agencies. However, despite the fact that Broward Days was very interesting, I was more concerned with recent reforms made in the Florida education budget. These changes are affecting all students in Florida, not just Broward County.

I was initially very surprised and troubled upon hearing of the budget cuts being made regarding the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship. This scholarship provides students who possess academic promise, demonstrated by their achievements in high school, with monetary aid for their future education in a public Florida college. Students can generally earn 75 percent or 100 percent tuition awards based on their high school grades and test scores.  Now, due to budget cuts, students who earned 75 percent will no longer be given the amount they anticipated. Instead, they will only receive a specified amount of money per credit hour. Additionally, the students who were originally awarded with 100 percent will no longer be given money to purchase textbooks as before.

Despite the fact that I do not aspire to attend a Florida college, it still concerns me that legislatures are not putting enough money towards its students. This causes students to lose the drive and motivation to excel that they once possessed. Not being given enough financial assistance is truly detrimental to the youth of Florida by stunting their academic opportunities and future. To think that the state does not believe that they should be allotting more money in the budget towards education is definitely alarming. I believe that the legislatures must realize how crucial college education is, and provide more financial assistance to those who need it.

Furthermore, the budget cuts are not just affecting colleges and universities, they are also negatively impacting elementary and secondary schooling. Overall, drastic classroom cuts are being made which translate to diminished quality of education for younger students.

Education should be one of the main priorities for the Florida legislatures and not be placed at the bottom of the list. It is the State’s foundation, without which it cannot function. The Florida legislature needs to maintain the Bright Futures budget for high achieving students, which helps to provide them with enthusiasm towards education. Ultimately, the cuts in the budget toward education are dimming the ‘bright futures’ Florida students desire.

By: Feyaad Allie