Feds freeze $396M in Florida education funds

The U.S. Department of Education sent school officials in Florida and across the nation scrambling this week as it announced plans late Monday to freeze funds that Congress approved in March to help some of the nation’s neediest students. Florida schools were set to receive about $396 million of the $6.8 billion in federal grants — which support programs such as migrant education, after-school programs and English language instruction — as part of a scheduled distribution on Tuesday. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

See also:
» Central Florida groups already feel the loss of $396M in federal education funding
» South Florida public schools expect ‘significant’ impact after feds funding freeze
» Florida school officials seek answers to Trump’s funding freeze

Florida public universities may shift as DeSantis pushes new accreditation system

A major shift could be coming to the way public universities are held accountable. Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced the creation of a new college accrediting body. It's a move that could shake up how higher education is overseen across several southern states. Supporters of this move say it's a step toward educational freedom. Critics say it's a political power play. [Source: WEAR]

Florida education laws on start times, school security and more take hold

July came Tuesday, and with it arrived the start of several new state laws. Many impact Florida education. Among them, the state now requires newly purchased school books and materials to refer to the Gulf of America rather than the Gulf of Mexico. School districts are officially off the hook from shifting their high school start times to later in the morning, so long as they submit a report explaining why it’s not feasible. Schools no longer have to monitor or lock every single door and access point as long as students are on campus. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

13 Florida public colleges place in the top 50 lowest tuitions

The national average tuition for four-year, public colleges is $8,784. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Florida recorded 13 institutions in the top 50 lowest costs. Ranked as the 32nd lowest tuition, Gulf Coast State College has an average price of $2,370 per year for in-state students and $8,635 for out-of-state. From the 2023-24 to 2024-25 school year, the college has also had a 0% tuition increase. GCSC has an undergraduate population of 4,959 undergraduate students with a 20-to-1 student-faculty ratio. [Source: My Panhandle]

Florida budget delivers $162M to HBCUs

Governor Ron DeSantis has signed the state’s $116.5 billion budget for the 2025–26 fiscal year. The new spending plan delivers significant funding to the state’s four historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU). The budget includes more than $142 million in direct operational support, plus an additional $20 million for campus security upgrades. This marks one of the most substantial state investments in Florida’s HBCUs in recent years. More from HBCU Gameday and the Miami Herald.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Identity theft scheme targets Florida college savings plans, federal prosecutors say [Tallahassee Democrat]
Two Tallahassee women now face up to 20 years behind bars after admitting they committed identity theft to rip off the Florida Prepaid College Program, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida. The women hatched a plan to hijack personal information, changing the ownership of existing Florida Prepaid accounts and plans. After taking over, they would cancel them, triggering refund checks to be mailed to addresses of their choosing, which the women then cashed.

› DeSantis signs law allowing Florida's private school students to play sports at public schools [Spectrum News]
Students that are attending a virtual school program, like Florida Virtual, or students at a private school, are now given the chance the play sports with local public school teams. Students will be able to play for sports teams at the school they are zoned for. School choice advocates say this law is an example of the growing demand for flexible learning and extracurricular options.

› Appeal filed after judge rules for USF in class-action suit over fees during campus COVID closures [WUSF]
The named plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit has appealed after a Hillsborough County circuit judge rejected arguments that the University of South Florida should refund money to students because services were not available during a COVID-19 campus shutdown in 2020. Attorneys for plaintiff ValerieMarie Moore filed a notice Saturday of appealing Judge Darren Farfante’s June 3 ruling to the 2nd District Court of Appeal. The case is one of numerous similar lawsuits filed in Florida and other states seeking refunds for students.

› Florida International University enrollment spurts [Miami Today]
Florida International University continues to welcome students as enrollment rates trend upwards. “FIU is a university of first choice,” said Jody Glassman, assistant vice president for enrollment and university admissions at FIU. “I think that is definitely being seen in enrollment trends overall, which is also the national trend. Public and state universities, a lot of us, are seeing growth, but a lot of things have been put in place at FIU, the growth, the retention, the graduation, the sense of belonging, the opportunities that are here” are things people value.

Paul Tash on the 2013 Pulitzer Prizes