This is outrageous to me. As a retired teacher it truly angers me to see the way private school vouchers are freely given in this state now....taking public tax money from elementary and high schools and giving it to private religious schools. It upsets me to see the rise in aid given for private tuition. In normal economic times I probably would not pay attention, but now I am. Florida has already cut 8 billion from the budget in two years, and by March may add another 4 billion...
12 billion in cuts possible by March. With no attempts to fix things, just cutting.
I knew that programs had been in place for years to help students with tuition to in-state private colleges. But in this economy it is unthinkable for the state to keep cutting public university aid, and thinking of raising the aid for private colleges.
Public universities laying off staff and cutting services while private colleges this year get 90 million from the state.
TALLAHASSEE | Even with Florida’s 11 public universities laying off staff and limiting enrollment, the state will spend more than $90 million this year to help residents attend private colleges.
The Florida Resident Access Grant program, better known as “FRAG,” was created in 1979. The goal was to keep Floridians who were considering out-of-state private schools and help provide options beyond public universities. It has been very popular. In the current fiscal year, around 37,000 students received an average of nearly $2,600 each to help pay for tuition at one of the state’s 28 private colleges.
Even after budget cuts, about $92 million will be spent on the FRAG program this year. The Florida Department of Education is requesting an increase to slightly more than $100 million for the program next year. In this month’s special session called to fill a $2.3 billion budget deficit, funding for the state’s public universities was cut by $112 million.
Raise funding for private college tuition...cut public universities by 112 million. Someone in this state has their priorities out of order.
The state's University of South Florida is having serious problems right now.
USF braces for further cuts with a freeze on hiring and spendingGenshaft warned in a letter to the faculty and staff that further revenue shortfalls will likely dictate new cuts to the state's 11 universities, including USF, for the fiscal year beginning on July 1. Of utmost importance, Genshaft said, will be protecting the faculty's research and innovation activities and ensuring that currently enrolled students graduate on schedule.
..."The move is similar to one Genshaft made a year ago when it became clear that USF would be forced to cope with a $35.6 million loss in state funding. That shortfall has since increased to $53 million.
Genshaft's announcement comes on the heels of the January special legislative session, called to address the state's $2.3 billion shortfall. After transferring funds from various sources, the Legislature settled on current year cuts to university operating funds of 4 percent, or $93.5 million.
For USF, that will mean an overall reduction on its Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota campuses of $13.8 million, along with cuts to the Centers of Excellence as well as the Energy Consortium.
At Gainesville's University of Florida there are also serious problems. From The Florida Alligator:
UF faces massive budget cutsBecause of a predicted state budget that is $3.4 billion less than this year’s, Machen said UF will ask each college and administrative unit to submit budget proposals for the 2009–2010 fiscal year with 10 percent cuts.
Added up, the cuts would entail a university–wide budget that is $72 million to $75 million leaner than the 2008–2009 budget. The budget cut for 2008–2009 was $47 million.
Also, if lawmakers pass Gov. Charlie Crist’s differential tuition plan this year, it could offset about $24 million of the cuts.
Crist’s plan would allow state universities to raise tuition by 15 percent a year until they reach the national average.
UF has the ability to raise tuition by that much, but it only applies to students who enroll in Fall of 2008 or later.
Not a good time for a raise in state tuition..not with the current financial problems here.
Meanwhile the Republicans are waiting on the
federal stimulus plan to save them, even though they don't believe in government bail-outs.
TALLAHASSEE | Florida could be a big beneficiary in the federal economic recovery package beginning to emerge in Washington. The U.S. House on Thursday unveiled an $825 billion plan that would provide a substantial boost in federal spending for Florida's schools, roads and health care programs.
The federal money comes at a critical time for a state government that has had to cut its spending by $7 billion since 2007, including the special session that ended this week with state lawmakers cutting more than $1 billion from their budget because of the slumping economy.
And although much remains uncertain, including the Senate version of the program, the federal funds could offset many of the recent budget decisions Florida lawmakers have had to make, ranging from cutting nearly $500 million from public schools to raiding a tobacco settlement fund for $700 million.
Bailing out a state that wants to give more to private colleges next year while cutting public education, a state that has been totally incompetent in handling its finances....not a cheerful thought.
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