Gov. Rick Scott “challenged” state colleges to create $10,000 four-year degrees, a continuation of his low-cost strategy for higher education that Democrats slammed as an attempt to turn the schools into “the Walmart of Education.”
“You should be able to work and go to school and not end up with debt,” Scott told WFLA TV, according to a transcript provided by his office. “If these degrees cost so much money, tuition is so high, that’s not going to happen. I have put out this challenge to our state colleges — we have 28 great state colleges — and say, ‘Can you come up with degrees where individuals can get jobs that the total degree costs $10,000?'”
One Republican already supportive of Scott’s proposal is his political simpatico in Texas, Rick Perry.
“Gov. Scott’s $10,000 degree challenge will pave the way for Floridians to pursue their dreams by making higher education more accountable, accessible and affordable,” said Perry. “We’ve had more than 10 schools rise to this challenge in Texas, and I’m confident that under Gov. Scott’s leadership, Florida schools will do the same.”