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

vidineevostegity.blogspot.com
That was the sentimenf of an eight-member panel of education, trainingf and government experts gathered by the South Floridsa Business Journal to examine howthe $787 billion federa stimulus package is impacting the region’s education and workforced training sectors. The panel markede the third in theBusiness Journal’s ongoing stimulus series, aimed at trackingb and analyzing the flow of money from the Americamn Recovery and Reinvestment Act into South Florida’s Legislature was the only one nationallh to request a federal waiver that allowed it to take money from education and replace it with stimuluss dollars while other states used stimulus dollars to augmenty the budget.
The situation concerne paneliststate Sen. Eleanor Sobel. “Wew are not starting at the starting The school district in Browards County and those throughout the state are startinfg behind thestarting line,” Sobeo said. “They have had problems for yeara and they areall scrambling.” Veteran educatodr Robert Parks, a member of the Browarf County School Board, said, “Many of the largde urban districts in the nation are afraidf of one thing, which is basically a bait and switc h with those dollars.” What’s even more worrisomed to some experts is that the stimuluas money will eventually run out.
“I’n really concerned about in threed years; what’s going to happen?” said Vicente, president of ’s North Campus. “This is a He said the college’s operating budgetg was cut $22 million while the stimulus moneh wasonly $13 million. Parkds said Broward County’s school system has cut $1.4 billiobn from its construction budgetf in addition to furloughing 700 teacherds and51 administrators. “We’ve closer all of our school offices for the We don’t have summer school anymore,” Parkz said. would have been looking at cutting its budget byabout $30 million without $12 million in stimulus funds, said Dorothy K.
Russell, the university’sx associate VP for financial affairs andbudgef director. The university cut 30 positionsand “ha d we not had the stimulus dollars it could have been much more severe.” Georgse Hanbury, executive VP and COO of , said the $1.3 billionh in stimulus funds given to the state relievee pressure on the Legislature to further reduc support for Florida Resident Accesds Grants (FRAG), a key source of money for students, but he pointec out that the grants used to be $3,000p a year for students and are now $2,529. The amount is important to students, who find enrollmenf caps at state universities and turn to NSU and othefprivate institutions.
He also said that universitiees are working together to apply for federalkstimulus funding. NSU has a collaborativr proposal with and FAU fora $50 million research buildinv with wet labs, business incubator spacse and offices for the U.S. Geologicao Survey, which is helping overse e Everglades restoration. “We have shovel-ready projects we have submittedr to the Governor and in the next 60 days we coulxput 1,000 people to Hanbury said. The competitionb for these typesof projects, is fierce. FAU is getting about $12 million in direc infusion from the federal stimulus but the university also is seeking money from the for labs and Russell said.
April was the montu to submit applications and the results are expected by The strongest flow of so far, appears to be for programs that help the joblesas as the state’s unemployment rate has hit 10.2 percent.