More than 140,000 Florida undocumented students can now apply for a temporary work visa and a stay from deportation.
Both are part of a new federal initiative which makes its easier for young immigrants to remain in the United States legally. President Barack Obama ordered the change a year and a half after the failure of the DREAM Act in Congress. That bill would have eased citizenship requirements for young undocumented immigrants.
The program is known as deferred action.
So far, all but three Florida colleges are raising tuition this fall.
Students from around the state suspected this would happen.
That’s why they “occupied the Capitol” during the Legislative Session earlier this year to protest the tuition hikes they saw coming miles away.
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Sarah Gonzalez / StateImpact Florida permalink
Florida State University junior Cherry Smith, freshman Elizabeth McCawley and Lissa Reed, and senior Gladys Nobriga. Nobriga acknowledges Florida has some of the cheapest tuition rates in the country. "They're saying they want to raise it closer to national averages, but that's always rising also," Nobriga said. "Its not fair that we don't get the same education rate that they may have gotten."
Sarah Gonzalez / StateImpact Florida permalink
Ralph Wilson, a PHD students in mathematics at Florida State University, gets his tuition paid through a research assistantship. "I have it great compared to a lot of the undergraduates or high school students who are about to start their educations here in Florida because the tuition is seeming like its going to continue increasing every year," Wilson said. "These are my colleagues, these are my friends. And if something is going to threaten their livelihood, I absolutely take offense."
Sarah Gonzalez / StateImpact Florida permalink
Florida students meet outside of the Capitol in Tallahassee to distribute signs before they Occupy the Capitol to protest tuition increases and cuts to higher education funding and scholarship programs.
Sarah Gonzalez / StateImpact Florida permalink
Students occupied the Capitol chanting, "They say cut back, we say fight back." State representative Dwight Bullard (D-Miami), center, jumped in chanting to let the students know they have a friend in the legislature.
"I support more funding for education, so the same issues they're fighting for, its easy for me to stand with them," Bullard said.
"I love seeing youth energy getting involved in government because often times its too many blue jackets and khaki pants walking around this place."
Sarah Gonzalez / StateImpact Florida permalink
Lawmakers and lobbyists look down from the second floor on the state Capitol building as students protest higher education cuts and tuition increases.
Broward College, Palm Beach State College and Valencia College – the second largest community college in the state – voted not to raise tuition. Continue Reading →
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The paddle at Holmes County High School in Bonifay, Fla. was made by students in woodshop class four years ago.
Sarah Gonzalez / StateImpact Florida permalink
The paddle at Holmes County High school is made of ash wood. Its about 6 ounces heavy, 16 inches long, 5 inches wide, and half an inch think.
Sarah Gonzalez / StateImpact Florida permalink
The paddle at Madison County Central elementary and middle school was made by a member in the community out of plexiglass. The paddle is about 18 inches long, 7 inches wide and a quarter of an inch thick.
Sarah Gonzalez / StateImpact Florida permalink
The paddle at Sneads High School in Jackson County, Fla. sits on the principal's desk.
The late comedian Richard Pryor had a classic bit about being forced to find and strip a “decent switch” so that his grandmother could administer a “decent whippin.’”
Florida students in school districts that still use a paddle to spank misbehaving pupils know the feeling.
At Holmes County High School in Bonifay, Fla., students make the paddles in woodshop class.
“You can’t buy them anywhere,” said Eddie Dixson, the school’s principal. “There’s not a market for them, so yeah, students make it.”
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Textbooks at South Broward High School in Hollywood, Fla. are stacked on the ground, instead of on bookshelves, in order to save money. Broward County school's $141 million budget deficit is the largest in the state. South Broward High lost six teachers this summer, while other schools, like Cypress Bay High in Weston, Fla. lost up to 40 teachers this summer alone.
The Broward County Public School District instituted a new barcode system to keep better track of textbooks and make sure students return them after the school year. South Borward High's textbook coordinator estimates the new system has saved the school up to $50,000 in unreturned textbooks.
The video production equipment in the MTV classroom at South Broward High was replaced by stacks and stacks of textbooks after the video production program was cut last school year because of shrinking budgets. Some of the equipment, like the stage lights, were left behind.
Debra Hixon has taught at South Broward High for the past 17 years as a marine science teacher. But before and after school, and during the lunch period, Hixon also works as the school textbook coordinator in order to earn extra income. Broward County teachers are the lowest paid teachers in the state.
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A marine science class at South Broward High. Kevius Morgan, center, and Taylor Drake, right.
Taylor Drake, Kevius Morgan and Cristinne Paneit, seniors at South Broward High, say some teachers give them extra credit for bringing in items like markers, rulers, paper and tissues. All three say their final grades increased by a full letter in at least one class. “A lot of teachers do it,” Drake said, whose C grade increased to a B after she brought in classroom materials. “If they see that you’re trying and you’re still struggling and you bring in those items, it will boost you a lot.” Paneit says "its like a raise" for working hard in class.
Kayla Kervin and Elinor Taieb are seniors at Cypress Bay High School in Weston, Fla. where 40 teachers were cut this school year. Taieb says, "some teachers actually request if you can bring some paper in for them because they are limited," but she says students don't get any credit for it.
Every school district in Florida is dealing with layoffs and budget cuts. But Broward County in South Florida is facing the largest budget deficit in the state—more than $140 million. And its forced teachers and students in the nation’s 6th largest school district to get creative about spending money.
Students at South Broward High in Hollywood waited in the rain during the first week of school to get inside what used to be the video production classroom. Only, the video production program was cut last school year.
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