Bright Futures

Graduation for high school seniors this spring will not be contingent on passing exams, and end-of-course exam scores can be waived when determining whether students get promoted to the next grade levels.

When lawmakers have slashed Florida's Bright Futures scholarship during past difficult budget cycles, Black and Latino students lost out the most.

The Florida House and Senate each are proposing different ways to slash as much as $593 million from the state university system this fiscal year.

After the outcry that included a student-led opposition campaign, most controversial parts of the bill have been eliminated.

Senate President Wilton Simpson says since the scholarships are funded through state money, the state has a right to examine where those dollars are going and what they’re being used on.

Under the bill as it was filed initially, state college and university students would not be eligible for Bright Futures scholarships if they enrolled in degree programs not on lists of “approved” programs.

Bill sponsor Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, says he is he is “absolutely” confident it will be back during the legislative session.

Said Senate President Wilton Simpson: “We’re saying that we’d prefer the degree you’re getting leads to a job, and I think that’s fair."

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Some college students in the nation's third-largest state may get a big break on their tuition this year under a sweeping proposal passed Thursday by the…