- December 20, 2024
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JD8 - stock.adobe.com
Higher-education officials moved forward Wednesday with giving a special designation to two teaching programs, which would make some students eligible for tuition and fee waivers.
The Strategic Planning Committee of the university system’s Board of Governors selected the Special Education and Teaching and Elementary Education and Teaching degree programs to become programs of “strategic emphasis.”
The programs were selected, in part, because they reflect “priorities of the state” and are offered at a majority of Florida’s 12 universities, according to a presentation given to the panel. In-state students who meet certain criteria would be able to receive tuition and fee waivers for upper-level courses in what essentially is a buy-one-get-one structure.
“The waiver requires that for every course in a qualifying program of strategic emphasis in which a student is enrolled, a state university must waive 100 percent of the tuition and fees for an equivalent course in such a program,” a description of the waivers on the board’s website said.
The issue is expected to go before the full Board of Governors on Thursday.
The Legislature created the strategic-emphasis program in 2021 and began with eight fields of study in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The Legislature this year elected to add two teacher-preparation programs to the list.
Lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis also approved $38,485,298 in the state budget for the upcoming fiscal year for the waiver program.
A Board of Governors staff estimate said the price tag for waivers in all the strategic-emphasis programs could range from $33.1 million to $40.5 million for the fall 2023 and spring 2024 semesters combined.
The potential costs raised some questions Wednesday. “Does this cover the universities for the cost (of the waivers)?” Mori Hosseini, chairman of the University of Florida Board of Trustees, asked. University system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues expressed confidence that money in the budget will cover the waivers.
