Dont expect any controversial overhaul of Floridas university system in the recently started legislative session, even after the House speaker on Tuesday morning evoked Gov. Rick Scott in calling for the system to be given a serious review.
House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, and Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, both would later in the day say the process may take several sessions to complete.
Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, said because of the long-term impacts he expects legislators to undertake a methodical approach, as they have recently done with Medicaid and property taxes.
Where there is consensus, I wouldnt be surprised if something passes, Haridopolos said. Where there might be some division, it might be more difficult and it might be under the watch of (Senate President-designate) Don Gaetz (R-Niceville) and (Speaker-designate) Will Weatherford (R-Wesley Chapel).
On Tuesday, House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, called on House members in his opening remarks to focus on implementing and coordinating a modern higher education system.
He would later clarify the remarks to reporters that his goal is to have the committee chaired by Rep. William Proctor, R-St. Augustine, to begin the conversation.
They may or may not see legislative action this year, but I know the governor has placed an emphasis or expressed an interest in an overall jobs or economic development standpoint, Cannon said. I think we need to look at it, as well as how it functions as a coordinated system.
He added that education transcends any one session and he hopes Weatherford and Gaetz and the governor will continue to build on the work in the 2012 session.
The governors office has been reviewing reams of responses from university leaders to a series of questions Scott posed last October.
Cannon has asked the House Education Committee to meet with each state university president and to approach conversations with open ears.
The committee is scheduled to discuss proposals to overhaul the states higher education system on Friday.
The committee has been tasked with drafting legislation or making recommendations to undertake the changes.
Asked if he gave any directions to the committee, Cannon said he has left that up to Proctor.
You should never be closed minded about any issue and its our job to look at every subject matter, whether its health care, education or public safety, every session, Cannon said. Its not likely that major reforms will happen this year, but Im not closing the door to maybe less-than-major reform or the beginning of a process that will carry over.
Scott, meanwhile, has targeted higher education reform for the 2012 session, including making changes to professor tenure and focusing on courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics -- the STEM core desired for a high-tech future.
Scott, drawing on data from the Agency for Workforce Innovation, has estimated that Florida will need at least 120,000 workers in the science and math fields through 2018.
Cannon wants to look big picture on how each campus works together strategically.
We spend a lot of public dollars on higher education, they should be spent as wisely as possible to give the students the maximum value for the education they get, Cannon said. I think we owe it to them and the citizens who foot the bill to look at those issues.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
