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Florida's Community Colleges

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Background

In 1955 the Florida Legislature established the Community College Council. In 1957, the council's first master plan recommended a comprehensive system of public community colleges in Florida. The plan stressed the importance of maintaining reasonable costs, an open-door policy and geographic access. Its primary goal was to plan for the provision of post-high-school education within commuting distance of 99 percent of the state's population.

In 1968, the Florida Legislature established independent local boards of trustees for community colleges, providing each board of trustees with legal responsibility for maintaining and operating its local college. The Governor, after consultation with representatives from various districts, appoints the trustees of the local boards. In 1972 the last of the 28 community colleges was established, thereby providing all Floridians with accessible and affordable college education opportunities. All the colleges offered the first two years of a baccalaureate degree, vocational education, and adult continuing education. No local taxes support community colleges in Florida. Funds are primarily from the state and students. Community colleges also receive federal dollars to address specific work-force priorities.

To further strengthen the community colleges, the 1979 Legislature established the State Community College Coordinating Board. The board was reorganized in 1983 when the Legislature established the State Board of Community Colleges (SBCC).

Half of the technical centers in the state are managed by local community colleges; the other half are managed by local school districts. As one informed respondent stated, "We have some districts where community colleges are the vocational technical center and the providers of adult education. About half of our community colleges fall into that category; then about half of them do not have that responsibility. So we have a dual system, which I think is going to change as we get into the block grants, the work-force training programs, and welfare transition programs."

The State Board of Community Colleges must preserve the balance of maintaining control by local boards of trustees, while establishing statewide policies and ensuring effective coordination. The SBCC consists of 13 members, including the commissioner of education and a student member. The primary mission of the community colleges is to respond to community needs for postsecondary academic education and postsecondary vocational education. In 1989, the Legislature broadened the authorizing statute by adding economic development as part of the primary mission of community colleges.

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Enrollment and Tuition at the Community Colleges

Enrollment in the state's 28 community colleges has steadily increased by 24 percent between 1988 and 1994. Enrollment increased nearly every year during this period, from 263,000 head-count students in 1988 to 325,000 in 1994. Tuition in Florida's community colleges increased by 37 percent between 1990 and 1994, from $766 to $1,052. In 1994, Florida's community colleges ranked 31st in the nation in terms of tuition. The Legislature is responsible for establishing tuition rates.

Currently, most community college data are collected at the local level. Legislative staff involved in the credit-hour study complained about the lack of good data on the community colleges.

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