Bright Futures or student debt?
By Ida Vishkaee Eskamani – College Democrats at University of Central Florida
In 1997, Florida’s legislature created a scholarship program called Bright Futures. It was a program that allowed high school seniors with high academic merit to earn a scholarship for any public university in the state of Florida. Based on Georgia’s successful HOPE scholarship, this program would be paid for by the Florida Lottery, and based merit on GPA as well as standardized test scores. Bright Futures was divided into three types of scholarships, designed for three different types of students. There was one created for those high school seniors’ pursuing vocational degrees, one for the “B” students, and another for the “A” students. The “B” students earned a 75% scholarship for university, 100% for community college. The “A” students were granted a 100% scholarship for any public university.
I was one of those “A” students.
Growing up, I knew the importance of a college education. Immigrants, my parents moved from Iran and met here in the United States. While working two jobs with three young kids, my father earned a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Central Florida (UCF), the school I proudly call my own today. I can even remember his graduation when I was just 4-years old.
That degree allowed my father to find a stable job and provided my siblings and I with opportunities otherwise unattainable. We realized at a very young age that with an education, anything was possible. It’s no surprise then that we worked hard and excelled in our public schooling, earning straights A’s the majority of the way. By senior year of high-school, I was accepted into UCF and qualified for the 100% scholarship – my future certainly looked bright.
But I can’t say that anymore. Now a senior at UCF, the 100% Bright Futures scholarship I worked for and earned only covers 50% of my tuition.
Why is that? Because Florida’s right-winged legislature has decided it’s appropriate to balance the budget on the backs of students. Rather than coupled with tuition rates, Bright Futures is now set at a fixed-rate, paying less and less as tuition increases. Our state legislature would rather give tax cuts to corporations than invest in their students. These cuts are essentially tax cuts for the rich and tax hikes for the middle and working class. When I graduated high school, I was guaranteed a 100% scholarship. I planned my entire finances for 4-years based on those premises. Now my senior year, I’m struggling to cover tuition. I can’t imagine the struggle of those classes after me.
I know budgets are tight. Florida faces a $2 billion budget shortfall. But the solution is not cutting our Bright Futures. The solution is expanding Pell Grants, and signing SAFRA into law as President Obama did. It’s found in cutting defense and investing in America’s students. In Michigan, they’ve cut tax loopholes to fund higher education. There are solutions that support higher education and balance our budget.
The problem is our conservative state legislature refuses to serve a student – which is why in 2012, we need to vote. This is my story, but I’m not the only one. We know our futures can be bright again, and in 2012 we’ll remind our legislature of that fact.
Pictures taken and provided by College Democrats at UCF!
