State College of Florida earns ‘Silver’ rating, gets cash

The State College of Florida earned a “Silver” rating in the Florida College System’s Performance Funding Model for the 2016-17 school year and will receive $625,000 in new, non-recurring funding from the state.

Brian Thomas, special assistant to SCF President Carol Probstfeld, said the school was pleased with its silver designation, but that the rating was only a small snapshot of what SCF does.

“Our focus, first, will always be on our students and the community,” Thomas said. “If a good performance funding results from that, then that's great, but if we are going to make changes we are going to do that because that’s what is best for our community.”

The silver rating is based on the school’s metrics in four categories: retention rate, completion rate, job placement/continuing education rate and entry level wages. Thomas said SCF was at or above the system average for all four categories, and SCF improved in each category except retention, which remained flat.

The money can be used for non-recurring cost, like campus projects or technology upgrades, but it can not go to year-to-year expenses, like employee salaries.

SCF contributed $625,000 into the state’s performance funding program, along with contributions of varying sizes from the 28 other schools in the State College System. Contributions totaled $30 million, and the state matched those funds.

Six schools received a bronze rating and will receive back just their initial contribution; the 15 silver schools receive their initial contribution and the equal amount in new funding, and this year’s seven gold schools receive their initial investment, an equal amount in new funding, and the bronze schools’ share of new funding.

SCF earned a silver last year as well and used the funding to upgrade the school’s Wifi network.

This story was originally published July 19, 2017 at 2:47 PM with the headline "State College of Florida earns ‘Silver’ rating, gets cash."