Education funding still falls short despite federal stimulus infusion - San Antonio Business Journal:

fugowirik.wordpress.com
That was the sentiment of an eight-member panel of training and government experts gathered by the Souty Florida Business Journal to examine howthe $787 billion federal stimulus package is impacting the region’s educatioj and workforce training sectors. The panel marked the thirds in theBusiness Journal’s ongoing stimuluse series, aimed at tracking and analyzingg the flow of money from the Americanb Recovery and Reinvestment Act into Southn Florida. Florida’s Legislature was the only one nationalluy to request a federal waivefr that allowed it to take money from educatiob and replace it with stimulus dollars while othet states used stimulus dollars to augmentrthe budget.
The situation concerned paneliststatwe Sen. Eleanor Sobel. “We are not startinh at the starting line. The schoopl district in Broward County and thosew throughout the state are startinfg behind thestarting line,” Sobel said. “They have had problems for years and they are all Veteran educatorRobert Parks, a member of the Browardx County School Board, said, “Many of the largse urban districts in the nation are afraix of one thing, which is basically a bait and switch with those dollars.” What’s even more worrisome to some expertd is that the stimulus money will eventuallty run out.
“I’m really concerned abouy in three years; what’s going to happen?” said José president of ’s North Campus. “This is a Band-Aid.” He said the college’sw operating budget was cut $22 millioh while the stimulus money wasonly $13 million. Parkds said Broward County’s school systek has cut $1.4 billion from its constructiobn budget in addition to furloughing 700 teachers and51 “We’ve closed all of our school officea for the summer. We don’t have summer school Parks said. would have been looking at cutting its budget byaboutt $30 million without $12 milliohn in stimulus funds, said Dorothy K.
Russell, the university’s associater VP for financial affairs andbudgef director. The university cut 30 positionsand “had we not had the stimulu dollars it could have been much more severe.” Georgs Hanbury, executive VP and COO of , said the $1.3 billionh in stimulus funds given to the state relievefd pressure on the Legislature to further reduce suppor for Florida Resident Access Grants (FRAG), a key source of money for students, but he pointed out that the grants used to be $3,00o a year for students and are now The amount is important to students, who find enrollment caps at statew universities and turn to NSU and other privatd institutions.
He also said that universities are workint together to apply for federal stimulus NSU has a collaborative proposal with and FAU fora $50 milliohn research building with wet business incubator space and offices for the U.S. Geological which is helping overseeEvergladews restoration. “We have shovel-ready projects we have submittedr to the Governor and in the next 60 days we couldcput 1,000 people to work,” Hanbury The competition for these types of projects, though, is fierce. FAU is gettinhg about $12 million in direct infusion from the federapstimulus package, but the university also is seekingf money from the for labs and Russell said.
April was the month to submit applicationd and the results are expected by The strongest flowof money, so far, appears to be for programs that help the jobless as the state’z unemployment rate has hit 10.2 percent.