Big story: For students interested in attending a Florida university, decision time is fast approaching.
Many people still struggle to decide on their final choice. The problem remains the federal financial aid form called the FAFSA.
A redesign of the FAFSA meant to make the process easier has instead been counterproductive, riddled with mistakes and barriers, leaving thousands of Florida teens unable to afford to attend the schools they want to attend. I still have some doubts.
Across the state, not only the overall application is down significantly, but the available applications are also significantly down. This is causing problems not only for high school seniors but also for universities. “How do you create a system where 20% of students get the formula wrong?” said financial aid expert Mark Kantrowitz. Please see here for the detail.
In other college tuition news, State University System Chancellor Ray Rodriguez spoke about a federal proposal that would require states to offer in-state tuition to certain Pacific Island students, as reported by The News Service of Florida. He reportedly expressed his concerns. Rodriguez indicated he would object to the proposal.
Higher education details
Campus protests: Many people protesting on college campuses in Florida are demanding that schools be divested from companies that do business with Israeli war interests. WLRN reports that information about these investments is not easy to obtain.
Femme gift: Florida A&M University has suspended a controversial $237.5 million donation it recently received amid questions about the donor's background and ability to make good use of the gift, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. thing.
From court records… Lawyers for six FAMU students have filed a lawsuit alleging that the state discriminated against the school in funding, the News Service of Florida reported.
K-12 Hot Topics
Back to basics: Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. told Fox News that more states need to “cut out distractions” and follow Florida's lead to achieve the top rankings. . Earlier this week, Florida was named a top state in education by U.S. News & World Report.
Book assignment: The Clay County Board of Education has adopted new rules for book challenges, including new “community standards guidelines,” Clay Today reported. The district also agreed to allow parents to choose their children's level of access to school libraries.
Charter school: Florida Gateway College is considering the possibility of opening a career technical charter high school on its campus, WCJB reports.
Construction project: Orange County school district officials say the system will be $2.7 billion short of funding to address construction and maintenance needs unless voters approve a local option sales tax extension, the Orlando Sentinel reports. He says he is facing this.
New law: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed five education-related bills on Thursday, including two aimed at loosening regulations on public schools and two aimed at expanding school choice and voucher programs, WKMG reports. That is.
Speed ​​zone: Bradenton is the latest city to support installing cameras in school zones to deter speeders, the Herald Tribune reports.
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Supervisor: The Duval County School District wants to keep comments from the two finalist superintendent candidates out of the media for two days, so neither candidate will know what the other said during their school board interviews. There is no advantage, Florida Politics reported.
Teacher discipline: The Florida Department of Education is criticizing Duval County School District leaders for not taking action against teachers who are putting the welfare of students at risk, WJAX reports.
Violence in schools: A survey of Florida teachers found more than half were afraid to go to school because of violence, WFTV reported.
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Before you go… Who's going to jump?