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Bright Futures scholarships will be harder to get in 2021

Florida Trend Education

Bright Futures scholarships will be harder to get in 2021

| 6/20/2019

Bright Futures scholarships will be harder to get in 2021

Bright Futures scholarships, which cover tuition and fees at public universities for the state’s highest-achieving students, will become harder to earn after lawmakers agreed to increase the minimum required test score — a change that is likely to affect black students disproportionately. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Tuesday that will increase the required combined math and reading score on the SAT college entrance exam for the top award to 1330, up from 1290. More from the Orlando Sentinel, WJXT, and WFTV.

Florida Lottery concerned gambling warning labels could impact education funds

The Florida Lottery wants another look at the potential impact on education funding from legislation that would require slapping gambling-addiction warning labels on the front of tickets and ads. Gov. Ron DeSantis is getting closer to deciding whether to approve the bill (HB 629), which passed the House and Senate in early May. More from the Pensacola News Journal and WUSF.

Gov. DeSantis commits $10 million to computer science education

While Gov. Ron DeSantis touted the funds that will be used to recruit, train and retain computer science teachers, the state’s legislature this session cut funding for digital classrooms by $50 million. The funding is believed to be the nation’s largest one-time investment in computer science education. Flanked by Florida education commissioner Richard Corcoran and a handful of legislators in the school’s library, DeSantis called the bill a commitment to making the state No. 1 in technology education and jobs. Read more from the Tampa Bay Times and the Center for Digital Education.

The rise of Rick Singer: How the mastermind of college admissions scandal built an empire on lies, exploited a broken system

Only Rick Singer knows exactly when and why he decided to take his college counseling business and turn it into a criminal enterprise. By the time he began bribing college coaches and test proctors to falsify athletic credentials and inflate test scores, Singer had been lying about his own resume and business dealings for years. He had studied the college admissions process for two decades, and saw how it could be exploited. And he saw that process as corrupt. [Source: USA Today]

University of Florida wants to embark on a $2 billion growth spurt

The University of Florida has big plans. The university’s capital improvement plans include a new honors college, athletic dorms, a new student health facility, academic buildings, and a landscaping plan that would change the face of the university. The plans coincide with UF’s goal to become top-5 public university. A top-5 university has top-5 facilities and a top-5 campus, according to UF administrators. But getting there will be costly. More from the Gainesville Sun and the

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Don’t read too much into Florida’s charter school report, expert warns
Several state and local leaders invested in Florida’s school choice system seized upon a March Department of Education report detailing charter school academic outcomes and comparing them to district-run schools. “There is simply no denying that choice works, particularly for minority and low-income students," state education commissioner Richard Corcoran, a strong advocate for charter school expansion, said at the time.

› Sarasota schools to crack down on cellphones
Students in Sarasota County schools will likely see a new cellphone policy in the coming school year. On Tuesday, the Sarasota School Board advanced a new policy that phones will be “silenced, put away, and not used” during school hours unless teachers in middle school or high school are using phones for approved instructional purposes.

› Former Sen. Bill Nelson giving his historical documents to University of Florida
Former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson announced Tuesday his papers are going to the University of Florida, where the “Nelson Initiative on Ethics and Leadership” is being established. “I have deposited my extensive collection of papers and other historical materials with the George A. Smathers Libraries, establishing a significant archive spanning over four decades of public service,” Nelson said.

› University of Central Florida's first on-campus hotel closer to opening
The first on-campus hotel at the University of Central Florida is another step closer to opening its doors. The five-story Celeste Hotel is going up right near the main gate of campus. It’s A $48 million project that will have 179 rooms and more than 10,000-square feet of conference and event space.

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