Gov. Rick Scott discussed his plans for education in Florida, which include lowering tuition increases, during a cabinet meeting Tuesday.
Scott talked about how lowering tuition increases to 3 percent would lower the monthly cost for the Florida Prepaid college plan, which allows parents to pay for their children's college tuition as they grow up.
Scott said more than half the families in Florida make less than $50,000 a year, and that the current monthly payment is "a big drain."
Lowering tuition increases would allow families to pay about $100 a month instead of the current $332 a month, Scott said.
He was pushed to answer questions about who would fill the seat of Florida's education commissioner and responded with what qualifications he hoped the new commissioner would have.
"I want to have a commissioner who believes in the agenda I've put out; that understands that if we're going to improve education it's going to be tied to making sure that we have the right amount of funding, making sure we have accountability, to make sure we treat teachers with respect," Scott said.
After the unanimous decision on Wednesday, Tony Bennett, who was voted out of his position as Indiana's superintendent of public education last month, was named the education commissioner for Florida.
In the meeting Tuesday, Scott said the keys to improving education are funding, respect for teachers, accountability, and teaching that is more than just "to the test."
"I want to make sure that traditional public schools do well," he said. "I want charter schools to do well; I just want our kids to get a great education."
Katherine Hahn wrote this story online.