Florida Bill Restricting College Scholarship Fund Could Impact ‘Woke’ Majors

A bill currently in the Florida state Senate (Senate Bill 86) would restrict scholarship funds from college students who select majors that would not lead directly to employment, meaning some “woke” majors will have to find another way to pay their tuition bills.

As Angela Morabito notes in Campus Reform, “The bill would restrict the state’s Bright Futures Scholarship dollars to students who choose a college major from a list of approved programs of study dictated by the Board of Governors and Board of Education.”

The Bright Futures Scholarship obtains its funds through the Florida lottery; “it currently covers 100 percent of tuition and applicable fees at in-state public institutions for eligible students, Morabito added.

The bill states that it would require “that eligibility for such funds is contingent on enrollment in certain career certificate or degree programs,” and require “the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education to each approve, by a specified date, a list of career certificate and undergraduate and graduate degree programs that they determine lead directly to employment.”

“Students who decide to take career paths that are not included in this list would be limited to 60 hours of financial aid,” Action News Jax reported.

“The logic in this is that funding the first two years of credits would allow students to adapt to a degree that would be on the list,” FSU News explained, adding, “Baxley mentioned that there are multiple stories he has heard about people putting Bright Futures money in the bank because they already have another source of income for college, such as Florida Prepaid.”

The bill proposes that if students pass a dual enrollment course or AP classes in a topic, they will not receive Bright Futures for re-taking those same classes. Baxley asserted that taxpayers don’t want to fund students to take a class again in college they passed in high school.

Morabito noted, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity “projects that finance and business professionals, teachers, marketers, and HR specialists will see strong employment growth through 2028,” findings that align closely with the National Center for Education Statistics‘ data.

GOP State Sen. Dennis Baxley, who introduced Senate Bill 86, stated, “We want all of our students to succeed in meaningful careers that provide for their families and serve our communities. As taxpayers we should all be concerned about subsidizing degrees that just lead to debt, instead of the jobs our students want and need. We encourage all students to pursue their passions, but when it comes to taxpayer subsidized education, there needs to be a link to our economy, and that is the goal of this legislation.”

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