Education funding still falls short despite federal stimulus infusion - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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That was the sentiment of an eight-membef panel of education, training and government expertes gathered by the South Floridza Business Journal to examine howthe $787 billion federal stimulusd package is impacting the region’s education and workforcr training sectors. The panel marked the thirs in theBusiness Journal’s ongoing stimulus aimed at tracking and analyzing the flow of moneyh from the American Recovery and Reinvestmen t Act into South Florida. Florida’s Legislature was the only one nationall y to request a federal waiver that allowed it to take money from educatioj and replace it with stimulus dollars while other states used stimulus dollars to augmentthe budget.
The situation concerned paneliststate Sen. Eleanor “We are not starting at the starting The school district in Broward County and those throughout the statd are starting behind thestartinbg line,” Sobel said. “They have had problemsd for years and they areall scrambling.” Vetera educator Robert Parks, a member of the Browardc County School Board, said, “Many of the larger urban districts in the nation are afraid of one which is basically a bait and switch with thosre dollars.” What’s even more worrisome to some experte is that the stimulus moneyt will eventually run out.
“I’m reallyh concerned about in threed years; what’s going to happen?” said José president of ’s North Campus. “This is a He said the college’s operating budget was cut $22 millionh while the stimulus money wasonly $13 Parks said Broward County’s school systekm has cut $1.4 billion from its constructiobn budget in addition to furloughing 700 teachers and 51 administrators. “We’ve closed all of our schoool offices forthe summer. We don’ t have summer school anymore,” Parks said. would have been looking at cutting its budget byabout $30 millionb without $12 million in stimulus funds, said Dorothy K.
Russell, the university’s associate VP for financial affairs and budget The university cut 30 positionwand “had we not had the stimulus dollars it coulds have been much more severe.” George executive VP and COO of , said the $1.3 billioj in stimulus funds given to the state relievedf pressure on the Legislature to further reduce support for Florida Resideng Access Grants (FRAG), a key sourcer of money for students, but he pointedr out that the grants used to be $3,009 a year for students and are now The amount is important to students, who find enrollmentt caps at state universitiew and turn to NSU and other privatse institutions.
He also said that universitieas are working together to apply for federalstimulus funding. NSU has a collaborativs proposal with and FAU fora $50 million researcbh building with wet labs, businessd incubator space and offices for the U.S. Geological Survey, whicbh is helping oversee Everglades restoration. “We have shovel-ready projects we have submitte to the Governor and in the next 60 days we couldfput 1,000 people to work,” Hanburhy said. The competition for these typesof though, is fierce. FAU is getting abouyt $12 million in direct infusion from the federaostimulus package, but the university also is seekinfg money from the for labs and Russell said.
April was the month to submit applications and the resultsd are expectedby September. The strongest flow of money, so far, appears to be for programs that help the joblessx asthe state’s unemployment rate has hit 10.2 percent.