Seminole State College, among other Florida colleges, will raise its tuition by 8 percent starting in the fall to counterbalance the budget cuts that the state has mandated.
The state funding for the schools was reduced by 9.5 percent, therefore in a June 20 meeting, the SSC's Dictrict Board of Trustrees agreed to this change which was passed in the Senate Bill 2000, or the appropriations bill, authorized by the 2011 Legislature.
Loraine O'Connell, a representative of the college, said the choice was out of their hands. "That all comes down to our legislature," she said. "All of the colleges and universities have to deal with who has the money and that's our legislature."
But according to Cheryl Etters of the Florida's Department of Education, the colleges and universities were permitted to decide if they wanted to raise the tuition and even more than what the state legislature proposed. "The legislation allowed schools to raise the tuition, it didn't require them to," she said. "So each college's Board of Trustees would have voted whether to do that."
Valencia College President Sanford Shugart said he did not want to meet the suggested 11 percent, but instead, like SSC, raised it by 8 percent. "Anytime you raise tuition, you do it thoughtfully and it's always regretful," he said. "You hate to pass more costs onto any students ... We are careful enough to raise it unless we have to ... We are still not at the maximum allowed by law this year and I hope not to get there ... We would not have raised the tuition at all if there was any way to offer them the education they're seeking without doing it, but we just couldn't."
In addition to colleges, Florida Universities made increases in their tuition, too. The University of Central Florida raised theirs by 15 percent, and an 11 percent increase would be seen with tuition and fees combined.
Chad Binette, associate director of UCF's news and information division, said regardless of the alterations, the university continues to be prominent. "Despite recent increases in tuition and fees, Florida's public universities still rank among the most economical in the country," he said. " 'Kiplinger' and 'The Princeton Review' this year have recognized a UCF education as one of the best values in the nation based on the quality of academics, cost of attendance and financial aid. Also, Florida universities now have the 48th least expensive tuiton and fees in the country."
Shugart had the same sentiments about Valencia's costs. "We are fortunate to live in a place that has had historically low tuition rates, so that when the state makes that shift, it doesn't make it too expensive for the students still ... The good news is, we still remain below the national median for tuition for two-year colleges," Shugart said. "We are well below the university system tuition so we remain a pretty good bargain. We can attend our students full-time for less than $2,500 per year."
Bright Futures Scholarship program also took cuts, as well, amounting to about a 20 percent decrease. At SSC in 2009-10 school year, there was 1,614 students, or 5 percent of the entire body, with the scholarship. These scholars received a total of $2.6 million in award in 2010-11.
Vanessa Karpf, an honors sophomore majoring in biology with Bright Futures, said the modifications complicates people's need for getting an education, and worries that her and her family's situation will get worse since they rely on her award for her college education and partially depend on it for their financial needs.
"Even though I do have scholarship, I would have to adjust some things," said Karpf, 20. "It's kind of heartbreaking for all that stuff to happen ... I think it's a flaw in the system and it needs to be fixed, it really does. I don't know how but I just know that it does ... I guess things change and you have to adapt but there's only so much you can adapt to."
Additional conversions made by SSC are a first-time tuition for students registering for Adult Education courses, such as ESOL, ABE/GED and adult high school, which will be $30 for Florida residents each term, compared to $120 for a non-Florida resident.
The state funding for the schools was reduced by 9.5 percent, therefore in a June 20 meeting, the SSC's Dictrict Board of Trustrees agreed to this change which was passed in the Senate Bill 2000, or the appropriations bill, authorized by the 2011 Legislature.
Loraine O'Connell, a representative of the college, said the choice was out of their hands. "That all comes down to our legislature," she said. "All of the colleges and universities have to deal with who has the money and that's our legislature."
But according to Cheryl Etters of the Florida's Department of Education, the colleges and universities were permitted to decide if they wanted to raise the tuition and even more than what the state legislature proposed. "The legislation allowed schools to raise the tuition, it didn't require them to," she said. "So each college's Board of Trustees would have voted whether to do that."
Valencia College President Sanford Shugart said he did not want to meet the suggested 11 percent, but instead, like SSC, raised it by 8 percent. "Anytime you raise tuition, you do it thoughtfully and it's always regretful," he said. "You hate to pass more costs onto any students ... We are careful enough to raise it unless we have to ... We are still not at the maximum allowed by law this year and I hope not to get there ... We would not have raised the tuition at all if there was any way to offer them the education they're seeking without doing it, but we just couldn't."
In addition to colleges, Florida Universities made increases in their tuition, too. The University of Central Florida raised theirs by 15 percent, and an 11 percent increase would be seen with tuition and fees combined.
Chad Binette, associate director of UCF's news and information division, said regardless of the alterations, the university continues to be prominent. "Despite recent increases in tuition and fees, Florida's public universities still rank among the most economical in the country," he said. " 'Kiplinger' and 'The Princeton Review' this year have recognized a UCF education as one of the best values in the nation based on the quality of academics, cost of attendance and financial aid. Also, Florida universities now have the 48th least expensive tuiton and fees in the country."
Shugart had the same sentiments about Valencia's costs. "We are fortunate to live in a place that has had historically low tuition rates, so that when the state makes that shift, it doesn't make it too expensive for the students still ... The good news is, we still remain below the national median for tuition for two-year colleges," Shugart said. "We are well below the university system tuition so we remain a pretty good bargain. We can attend our students full-time for less than $2,500 per year."
Bright Futures Scholarship program also took cuts, as well, amounting to about a 20 percent decrease. At SSC in 2009-10 school year, there was 1,614 students, or 5 percent of the entire body, with the scholarship. These scholars received a total of $2.6 million in award in 2010-11.
Vanessa Karpf, an honors sophomore majoring in biology with Bright Futures, said the modifications complicates people's need for getting an education, and worries that her and her family's situation will get worse since they rely on her award for her college education and partially depend on it for their financial needs.
"Even though I do have scholarship, I would have to adjust some things," said Karpf, 20. "It's kind of heartbreaking for all that stuff to happen ... I think it's a flaw in the system and it needs to be fixed, it really does. I don't know how but I just know that it does ... I guess things change and you have to adapt but there's only so much you can adapt to."
Additional conversions made by SSC are a first-time tuition for students registering for Adult Education courses, such as ESOL, ABE/GED and adult high school, which will be $30 for Florida residents each term, compared to $120 for a non-Florida resident.