Crist to announce plan to raise tuition

TALLAHASSEE — Bowing to the pleas of Florida's cash-starved state universities, Gov. Charlie Crist will announce a plan today to allow all 11 schools to raise tuition up to 15 percent a year.

Crist will reverse his stated opposition to higher tuition by asking the Legislature to extend the same 15 percent tuition hike that five of the largest universities, including the University of South Florida and Florida International University in Miami, could charge this year.

The proposal would increase financial aid to the state's poorer students because 30 percent of the money raised would be used to lower tuition and fees for low-income students, according to drafts of the plan obtained by the Times/Herald. (story here)

Times/Herald? That's right, the capital bureaus are merging. Story here.

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Comments

Finally a plan to improve our state universites!!

Crist is right again

does this mean that the decade old lawsuit will finally be resolved?

[Thanks, Jeb and George]

Conservatives have ruined Florida's schools AND the national economy.

This is nothing more than another redistribution scheme where the government is seeking to pick winners and losers. No wonder Obama likes Crist so much. What happened to equality where everyone pays the same. Democrats, especially Charlie Crist, are really going to be out of luck when they finally realize that socialism doesn't work because you can only give away something once.

Instead of increasing tuition they need to cut cost at these institutions. They are all heavy on overpriced administration.

Nice job Crist I have not gotten a raise in 2 years and you are going to hike my kid's tuition 15%. You are a real friend of the middle class buddy.

[ONE MORE REPUBLICAN SUPPORTING ALEX SINK FOR GOVERNOR]

He is an idiot. How are students who aren't eligible for financial aid supposed to pay for school? How are students who get $0 from their parents to help pay for school supposed to finish their education?

It must be nice to have a doctor for a dad who paid for his education.

This makes no sense whatsoever. People are losing their jobs, young people cannot find them, student loans cannot be had and the State wants to increase tuition. What on earth is our government trying to do to us?

This comprehensive approach will keep higher education affordable and keep our universities competitive in the global economy. 10:42 if you child can't afford college this will make more aid available...if you can...stop complaining..our tuition is 50th in the nation right now...if your child is on Bright Futures your child doesn't pay tuition..the state pays it.

Great move by the Governor. This increases access to higher education since schools won't have to freeze admission as a result of shrinking budgets...and with increased student assistance more kids who can't afford school will now be able to go...

You are not one more republican supporting Alex McBride for governor you are the only one doing so.

She is worse than Governor Crist. She use to be a bigshot banker or quota skirt depending on your perspective. Nonetheless, she let the state lose billions of dollars in investments. Get it, billions of dollars gone, goodbye, see ya. Now that is who you are all reved up to support? Please, hold your wad a while and some qualified and effective people will emerge. Just don't bring up Mrs. McBride again. She is part of the problem not the solution.

why are all of you so wound up about this obama is going to give everybody free education. Crist wasn't in Florida to get the memo. Evidently he was in New York picking out flower arrangements for the civil ceremony he is going to have. Has anyone heard if he will be wearing white?

What on earth is Charlie Crist thinking???

How are middle class families supposed to afford their children going to our state universities?? ....even if they went for the first 2 years to community college?

This is going to barely affect the rich, barely help the poor, and HURT the middle class.

NOT FAIR, NOT RIGHT

Just look at the blog before this one. Legislators are on the payroll of colleges and universities. Just cut their jobs there and we can save a bundle. Maybe we wont have to raise tuition.

[terminator]

face it guys, you've been duped by a stuffed suit, empty chair, drone speaking mindless drivel, corporate sellout with no backbone.
Crist and his administation has been a colassal failure for "the people" he professes to love so much.
And this while TK and Machen make over a cool $700K!
When are we going to get rid of this useless turd?

Over 90% of the freshman at UF and FSU are on Bright Futures..which means they don't pay tuition....if this plan continues and we remain 50th in tuition in the country...universities will have to cut enrollment, cut financial aid, and increase class sizes. This plan will boost funds available for kids who need financial aid...

[Government for The People]

10:50 That should read "What on earth is our CONSERVATIVE government trying to do to us?"

Why do we elect to govern those who hate govenment and want it to fail?

Dump the GOP ASAP!

Is NOTHING "dropping like a rock", Charlie?

10:54 - he's not. And you would be surprised who some of us are. I guess Charlie will find out when tries to get volunteers to work on his re-election.

[Doug]

8:43 got it right. Education isn't something you want to do on the cheap and is one of those things where you get what you pay for. I've got two degrees from different state universities and if I had or wanted to go back for a third, I'd be more than happy to pay more for a better education and experience.

[MELVIN]

Thanx chuck.Now that I'm laid off I can't even afford to go back to school.

Carrying on Amy Poehler's rap but for Crist...

When I say FLIP, you say FLOP...

FLIP!

[needed to be done]

I agree with many who see a lot of waste in all areas of the state but for now Crist did the right thing. Without more money there would be more teachers laid off, less classes available, a reduction in the numbers of students allowed in. less money for student loans and so on. This had to be done. Let's not focus on this 1 issue but see the GOP for what it really is. They are the real TAX and SPEND party and we should have voted them all out. If they didn't give so many tax breaks to the wealthy and big business and didn't have to make up all the shortages by taxing the rest uf us we wouldn't be in this situation now.

[Draft Alex Sink for Governor]

Billions in investments? Everyone has lost billions in investments across the country. I don't know if you know how to navigate to the news section of this site where the dow is now below 8,000. The economy is in the toilet no matter how many times Charlie Rome says everything is fine. Alex Sink has made sure that Florida has lost less than almost any other state.

Alex Sink can beat the Mr. Charlie Rome and will.

And btw if your going to make Alex Sink asnwer to Bill McBride, then Charlie Crist should answer to his fiance Carole Rome who needed to be explained what a staggered term was and whose friends hang out on the Real Housewives of New York City. Stop your sexist blather.

Charlie Rome... i like that.

8:43- but how many of those kids earning and using Bright Futures are actually receiving the 75% level, not the 100% level?

Even if difficult for you to believe, there are middle class families in this state for whom this amount of money is barely possible, even including grants, loans, etc.

Rent and living expenses are often part of this struggle.

Simply not the time to raise tuition or fees.

Please Governor - wait for our economy to catch up, or, better yet, propose help to the over-regulated small businesses of Florida for whom many of this kids and their parents work.

these kids, that is.

I hope Alex McBride runs on a campaign based on the slogan "We Lost Billions But Fewer Billions Than Someone Else"!

Ever think that if she really had meaningful experience and sound judgment instead of being a quota filler and meeting attendee she would have known the finacial markets were pearched atop a house of marked cards.

Wise up.

Carrying on Amy Poehler's rap but for Crist...

When I say FLIP, you say FLOP...

FLIP!

[Tino]

waaahhhh!

I don't want to pay more for college than for my 4 year old's daycare!

waaaahhh!

leaders in Congress just announced they want to reconvene in December due to the "economic turmoil", among other reasons... ok, the clock is ticking, how soon til Crist announces he's calling a special session to deal with Florida's economic turmoil... i'll bet Crist announces this before the end of today...

Good thing UCF built that stadium. I guess my next class will be there.

[Omega83]

So middle class students will get to subsidize their own competition...

Nice. Crist has gone from Socialist to full blown Marxist.

What a joke...

Well, nobody promised tuition would "drop like rock"...

Oh wait ... nothing e;se has "dropped like a rock" either.