All the major candidates for governor were asked: “What are your priorities for improving the state’s public universities?”
Gillum said: “While we’re all proud to see many of Florida’s universities rising in national rankings, some disparities exist in how we allocate resources among our institutions of higher learning. The current funding system unfairly punishes several universities, including our state’s only institution dedicated to educating people of color.”
“All state universities should have improvements measured against their own performance, not by a one-size-fits-all formula that harms those universities’ students and teachers,” Gillum continued. “I also believe that anyone willing to commit four years of employment in our state should be able to achieve a debt-free college education.”
Putnam said that he wants the state to recognize “the unique capabilities and missions of each of the state’s 12 universities and creating performance standards that hold them accountable to taxpayers while comparing each Florida university to peer universities across the country.”
Former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham previously said that she opposes the PBF system used in the State University System of Florida in a statement to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. She repeated her call for more support of historically black colleges and universities in her response to the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times.
Business owner Chris King told the Herald Tribune that “The danger of this policy is that it deprives universities who traditionally educate underprivileged and underserved students and communities of the resources they need to provide opportunities to and elevate their students.”
Gillum, Graham, and King are seeking the Democratic nomination. Putnam is a candidate for the Republication nomination. The date for the primary is August 28th.