State attaches fees to adult education classes

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A new state law will force students taking adult education classes in Florida to pay a fee for the courses.

The fee will be $30 each term for students, which equates to $90 each year (there are three terms a year). If a student cannot prove they have lived in Florida for at least one year, that fee would jump to as high as $360 a year.

Tomlinson Adult Learning Center in St. Petersburg offers high school credit courses, GED courses and English for Speakers of Other Languages courses. Many of the students at Tomlinson are immigrants or extremely low-income residents trying to improve their basic skills to help them get a job.

Debby VanderWoude is the director of Tomlinson. She worries that the new fees will prevent many students from taking the courses.

“We really predict about 50 percent (of the students) just won’t be able to afford the fee,” VanderWoude said. “Punishing them further (with fees) seems unfruitful.”

Backers of the new law, though, say it is unfair for these students to get free adult education classes, while adults going back to college must pay tuition. They also point out that the economy is struggling, the state’s budget shortfall is large and sacrifices must be made.

All students will pay the fees beginning in the fall semester. Anyone who starts the summer term after July 1 will also have to pay the fees.