Education bill leaves questions unanswered on dual enrollment costs for private schools

Mark Heller’s hands were tied.

The head of a private college preparatory school in north Tampa wanted to allow many of his students to dual-enroll in a course at a nearby college. But he knew the school could not absorb the costs.

“We couldn’t approve it,” he said. “You start getting 10 or 15 students, and you are talking” tens of thousands of dollars.

A change in the law in 2013 shifted the cost of dual enrollment programs from colleges to school districts. But it did not address private schools, meaning many of them now must absorb the cost of college courses for high school students themselves.

Since then, there has been a 60 percent drop in nonpublic students taking part in dual enrollment classes.

It has made it hard for schools like Heller’s — Academy at the Lakes — to give their students the opportunity to participate in dual enrollment.

Now, there is renewed hope, but still uncertainty.Last month, Gov. Rick Scott signed a wide-ranging education bill, HB 7055. Among other things, it contains provisions designed to eliminate  multiple barriers to home- and private-school students who want to take college classes while they’re still in high school.

In one of the law’s changes, articulation agreements — the documents that allow students to take certain classes at nearby colleges — can no longer specify that private schools are responsible for tuition.

But educators say they are still seeking clarity on whether the law means colleges can no longer pass the costs of dual enrollment along to private schools.

The new law does not explicitly bar them from doing so. As a result, some colleges have interpreted it to mean they can no longer charge private schools, while others think they can continue the same practice. Some colleges never passed the cost of dual enrollment on to private schools to begin with.

Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said he sponsored SB 1064 to remove the barriers private school students face in participation in dual enrollment courses. He said he believes there will be negotiations between private schools and colleges in how they settle the issue.

“The intent of the legislation is to make clear that all students have access to valuable tools for helping students reach a higher education goal in a more timely fashion,” he said.

Rep. Jennifer Sullivan, R-Mount Dora, said the intent of the legislation is that private schools not be charged, but she said some people might misunderstand the intent.

“If we need to go in and clarify it next session, we will,” she said. “I think our intent was clear.”

Certainly, James Herzog, who works on education policy for the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, said changes made by HB 7055 will improve access to dual enrollment courses for nonpublic school students. But he, like others, said he is still seeking clarity on the law. He plans to have a meeting soon with the Florida Department of Education.

Benefits of dual enrollment

Since 2013, Heller said 10 to 15 students have approached him about taking dual enrollment courses.

But he has had to consistently turn them down.

Before the state law changes in 2013, Heller said he observed how dual enrollment better prepared his students for college.

“It really helps students to understand what the expectations are at the next level,” he said. “It helps them get through college in a more efficient and effective way, especially with our students who are below the poverty line.”

Florida leads the nation in college completion by students who take advantage of dual enrollment, according to a study from the Community College Research Center.

The report also showed 75 percent of Florida’s dual-enrolled students first enrolled at a four-year college after high school and completed a college credential in five years. That is in comparison to the national average of 64 percent.

Colleges divided on explanation

Rachel Ondrus is the executive director for community engagement and special assistant to the president at Palm Beach State College.

She said because the legislation removes the provision that would allow the private school to compensate the postsecondary institution for the standard credit hour for dual enrollment, she believes colleges can no longer charge private schools.

However, she said she had concerns about codifying an unfunded mandate for colleges. She previously stated that the college would lose an estimated $10,500 in revenue if it paid for private school students.

Brian Thomas, special assistant to the president for State College of Florida, said he also believed the legislation would create another unfunded mandate for colleges.

“It is another category on our list of those things that the state has asked us to do for free that still cause us an expense,” he said. “That is always a concern for us.”

Meanwhile, Claire Brady, vice president of enrollment and student affairs at Lake-Sumter State College, viewed the law differently, although she cautioned that the college was still reviewing the details of the final legislation.

She said HB 7055 seems to be consistent with the colleges’ current agreement with private schools in the area. The college charges private schools whose students participate in dual enrollment courses.

“Based on our initial review of the signed legislation, we do not anticipate significant impacts to our operating costs,” she said.


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BY Livi Stanford

Livi Stanford is former associate editor of redefinED. She spent her earlier professional career working at newspapers in Kansas, Massachusetts and Florida. Prior to her work at Step Up For Students, she covered the Lake County School Board, County Commission and local legislative delegation for the Daily Commercial in Leesburg. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Kansas.