Florida 4-year university tuitions jumped 53.5% over 15 years

Florida four-year public university tuition and fees went from $4,137 in 2004-05 to $6,352 in 2019-20, the 26th largest increase among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the College Board said in a new report. That 15-year change represented a tuition and fee hike of 53.5 percent. Between the 2018-19 and the 2019-20 academic years, four-year tuition and fees in the state decreased 2 percent, according to the College Board numbers. [Source: The Center Square]

Does agenda give insight into which Florida education bills might stick?

As the Florida Legislature nears the opening of its 2020 session, lawmakers largely have allowed Gov. Ron DeSantis to set many of the priorities for education policy. With one week of interim committee meetings scheduled, the House appears poised to remain on that path. The Education Committee has yet to schedule anything, and hasn’t convened since October. But the Senate counterpart is taking the time to take up a handful of bills from influential members, potentially signaling what subjects it intends to advance beyond the discussions on salaries and choice. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

College of Central Florida is ending basketball, volleyball programs

The College of Central Florida has announced it is ending its men’s and women’s basketball programs, as well as women’s volleyball, after this season. Baseball and softball will still be offered. CF spokeswoman Lois Brauckmuller said the decision was the culmination of months of budget analysis and discussion. The move was necessary to trim the budget so CF can concentrate on its core mission of education. [Source: Daily Commercial]

Food stamp change could affect 200K Florida students

Florida education officials and advocates say about 200,000 students could become ineligible for automatic free school lunches under a Trump administration proposal expected to reduce the number of food stamps enrollees. News outlets reported the figures this week and say a finalized rule could come as soon as the end of the month. [Source: AP]

FEA president discusses teacher pay

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said 2020 will be 'the year of the teacher' when he rolled out his proposal to boost starting teacher pay to $47,500 in the state. On the surface it seems like a move in the right direction, but the Florida Education Association says otherwise. FEA president Fedrick Ingram joined anchor Justin Warmoth on “The Weekly on ClickOrlando.com” to explain why he’s against the governor’s proposal and what he’d like to see instead. [Source: Click Orlando]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Florida Funders and USF team up to launch startup seed fund [Tampa Bay Times]
Promising Florida startups in technology, engineering and life sciences could get a boost at a critical early stage, thanks to a new investment fund launched by Florida Funders and the University of South Florida. The Seed Florida Early Stage Investment Fund has its roots in a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to USF to help support seed-stage companies.

› Tampa Bay schools would get hefty sum of governor’s proposed education budget [WFLA]
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is hoping legislators will approve a $602 million education budget, as Tampa Bay area teachers are fighting for increased salaries. The Pinellas County School Board reached an agreement last month for a salary increase. Prior to that, the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association proposed a pay scale to the Hillsborough County School Board.

› FSU'S College Autism Network partners with leading student affairs organization [FSU News]
A nonprofit organization founded by a Florida State University associate professor will soon expand its ability to help college students with autism. This January, the College Autism Network (CAN) will become part of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), the largest professional organization for student affairs.

› Academic teaming approach credited with rural Florida school's turnaround [Education Dive]
Academic teaming helped Moseley Elementary School in Florida's Putnam County School District transition from an underperforming school to a turnaround success story.