Report on Future Solutions for the Continuation of Florida Bright FuturesPrepared for the Florida College DemocratsSpring Conference 2010Gainesville, Florida April 9-11An Introduction by FCD Bright Futures Task Force Chair David Mariutto

Hello Florida College Democrats, and thank you for taking part in theconsideration of this important initiative for our organization and students across thestate. Over the past semester, students from Miami to Tallahassee participated in the Task Force’s first phase of action—the development of a platform and policy proposals for theconvention’s consideration. This process was taken very seriously. All the proposalscontained herein did not come about simply because we thought they would be a goodidea. They are backed by professional data from OPPAGA, the state of Florida’s CBO, if you will. Data from OPPAGA, the Florida Office of Student Financial Assistance, theCollege Board, and other sources were used to not only develop the framework for change, but determine the specific GPA’s, SATs and class ranks we proposed as well.Our mission from the get-go was to offer a strong, alternative policy to thedestructive, harmful cuts proposed annually by the Republican controlled legislature.While legislators have tried to offer other alternatives, they often rely heavily on changesthat adversely affect racial minorities, such as large increases in standardized test scorerequirements.When developing alternatives, we asked ourselves: what solutions can we proposethat will not cut rewards for current students or heavily discriminate against minorities,and save money, all while retaining as many recipients on the rolls as possible? This isnot an easy task, as our state spent an additional $113 million this year in federal stimulusfunds just to keep Bright Futures running, on top of lottery revenues. That’s $113 milliondollars worth of scholarships, which, unfortunately, must go away if we would like tocontinue the program within the means of the lottery.To that end, we created a new Bright Futures—one that is largely unrecognizablefrom the structure we currently have. Each component of the new Bright Futures passedthe Task Force unanimously, with zero objections or nay votes from members, even thosethat were not on the call for a vote.While I, unfortunately, cannot be here in person to answer any questions you mayhave, one of our most active members, Michael Santana of FIU, is acting in my placeduring the convention. Please see him with any questions you may have about theenclosed proposals. With that, I leave the rest to you!Democratically Yours,David Mariutto

Item 1: Qualifying StructureThe structure for qualifying for a Bright Futures scholarship would consist of 5 tiers, eachof varying reward amounts. These rewards would be percentage-based and cover ALLtuition and fees, including differential tuition.

1.)

3.0 GPA. 1000 SAT or equivalent ACT. Worth 100% of tuition at any Florida community college. If the recipient receives an AA, he/she iseligible to upgrade to reward level 2 of he/she chooses to continue toa university.2.) 3.0 GPA. 1100 SAT or equivalent ACT. Worth 25% of tuition at any Florida Public institution, or equivalent amount at any in-state privateinstitution. Alternative to the SAT/ACT score, a student may place within the top 20% of his/her class.

3.) 3.25 GPA. 1200 SAT or equivalent ACT. Worth 50% of tuition at any Florida Public institution, or equivalent amount at any in-state privateinstitution. Alternative to the SAT/ACT score, a student may place within the top 15% of his/her class.

4.) 3.5 GPA. 1250 SAT or equivalent ACT. Worth 75% of tuition at any Florida Public institution, or equivalent amount at any in-state privateinstitution. Alternative to the SAT/ACT score, a student may place within the top 10% of his/her class.

5.) 3.75 GPA. 1300 SAT or equivalent ACT. Worth 100% of tuition atany Florida Public institution, or equivalent amount at any in-stateprivate institution. Alternative to the SAT/ACT score, a student may place within the top 5% of his/her class.

Probably the most significant change in these initial standards, aside from the additionaltiers, is the addition of a class rank component. This component is intended to act as a“safety net,” of sorts for students who are simply bad test-takers, but have demonstratedsignificant academic success in the classroom. The requisite class rank to substitute anSAT/ACT score in levels 2-5 are structured in such a way that they are approximately 5%higher than the percentile of the test score. For instance, in level 3, the top 20% of students in the country typically score a 1200 SAT. If a student fails to reach such ascore, but is in the top 15% of his/her class, the SAT/ACT requirement is waived. Thisnew structure is remarkable in that it raises standards, prevents grade inflation, andminimizes inequality between different ethnicities when it comes to the number of students affected.