Polk State College president faces scrutiny regarding enrollment report for the DOGE program.
Polk State College is facing scrutiny as President Angela Garcia Falconetti has come under fire from a member of the school’s board of trustees. The recent report from the Florida Department of Government Efficiency revealed that Polk State experienced the most significant decline in enrollment among public colleges in the state, with a staggering drop of between 6% and 14%. These troubling statistics have raised serious concerns regarding the institution’s leadership and strategic direction.
Trustee Ashley Bell Barnett submitted a letter to the board on Monday, expressing her disquiet regarding the significant enrollment drop and questioning the transparency of the information provided by Falconetti. In her correspondence, Barnett indicated that Falconetti had allegedly not communicated the adverse enrollment trends to the entire board, sharing this critical information only with board chairperson Cindy Hartley Ross and vice chairperson Ann Barnhart. This lack of openness prompted Barnett to question the authority under which such information was withheld and to inquire about any other relevant data that may not have been disclosed to the full board.
Barnett, who has been a considerable donor to Governor Ron DeSantis and was appointed by him to the Polk State College board in 2018, later ascended to the Board of Governors overseeing the state university system in 2023. In her letter, she expressed profound concern regarding potential noncompliance with Governor DeSantis’s directives aimed at reducing wasteful spending and managing budgetary overages within Florida’s public colleges.
With a graduation rate of only 32%, the lowest among state public colleges, Polk State’s recent performance has drawn further scrutiny on Falconetti, who has held the position since May 2017. The circumstances surrounding her leadership echo recent events at Pasco-Hernando State College, where President Jesse Pisors recently resigned amidst similar accusations regarding enrollment and transparency.
The comparison raises questions about institutional accountability and leadership effectiveness across Florida’s public college system. Barnett noted in her letter that a colleague from Pasco-Hernando State College shared the disturbing data, highlighting Polk State College’s performance as drastically worse than its counterparts.
In a significant move following these developments, Pasco-Hernando State College’s board recently appointed Eric Hall as interim president, with plans to vote on his permanent appointment in June. As scrutiny of enrollment practices and financial transparency intensifies at Polk State College, stakeholders will be watching closely to see how this situation unfolds and what measures will be implemented to address these growing concerns. Media News Source
