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

http://buffalourbanleague.org/BuiltOnPride.html
That was the sentiment of an eight-memberr panel of education, training and government experts gathered by the Soutgh Florida Business Journal to examinwe howthe $787 billion federall stimulus package is impacting the region’s educationj and workforce training sectors. The panel marked the third in theBusiness Journal’e ongoing stimulus series, aimed at tracking and analyzinyg the flow of money from the Americanm Recovery and Reinvestment Act into South Florida.
Florida’s Legislature was the only one nationallh to request a federal waivee that allowed it to take moneh from education and replace it with stimulus dollard while other states used stimulus dollar s to augmentthe budget. The situation concernerd paneliststate Sen. Eleanor “We are not starting at the startiny line. The school district in Broward County and those throughouty the state are starting behind thestarting line,” Sobeo said. “They have had problems for years and they areall scrambling.
” Veterann educator Robert Parks, a member of the Broward Countyh School Board, said, “Many of the larges urban districts in the nation are afraifd of one thing, which is basicallyy a bait and switch with those dollars.” What’se even more worrisome to some experts is that the stimulues money will eventually run out. “I’ really concerned about in threew years; what’s going to happen?” said José Vicente, presidenft of ’s North Campus. “This is a He said the college’s operating budget was cut $22 millionm while the stimulus money wasonly $13 Parks said Broward County’ school system has cut $1.
4 billion from its construction budget in additionn to furloughing 700 teachers and 51 “We’ve closed all of our school offices for the summer. We don’gt have summer school anymore,” Parks said. would have been looking at cutting its budgert byabout $30 million without $12 milliob in stimulus funds, said Dorothg K. Russell, the university’s associate VP for financial affairw andbudget director. The university cut 30 positions and “had we not had the stimulus dollars it couldd have been much more severe.” Georges Hanbury, executive VP and COO of , said the $1.
3 billionh in stimulus funds given to the state relievede pressure on the Legislature to furthet reduce support for Florida Resident Access Grants (FRAG), a key source of money for but he pointed out that the grants used to be $3,00 0 a year for students and are now The amount is important to who find enrollment caps at statew universities and turn to NSU and other privatde institutions. He also said that universities are working together to apply for federalstimulua funding. NSU has a collaborative proposal with and FAU fora $50 millionh research building with wet labs, business incubator spacee and offices for the U.S.
Geological Survey, which is helpingv oversee Everglades restoration. “We have shovel-ready projects we have submittedd to the Governor and in the next 60 days we couldsput 1,000 people to work,” Hanbury said. The competition for these typedof projects, though, is fierce. FAU is gettinh about $12 million in direcr infusion from the federalstimulus package, but the university also is seekintg money from the for labs and instruments, Russell April was the month to submit applicationws and the results are expected by The strongest flow of money, so far, appeara to be for programs that help the joblessx as the state’s unemployment rate has hit 10.2 percent.