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

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That was the sentiment of an eight-member panel of education, training and government experts gathered by the South Florida Business Journal to examine howthe $787 billiojn federal stimulus package is impacting the region’s education and workforce traininfg sectors. The panel markedr the third in theBusiness Journal’es ongoing stimulus series, aimed at tracking and analyzin the flow of money from the American Recover y and Reinvestment Act into South Florida.
Florida’zs Legislature was the only one nationally to request a federal waiver that allowed it to take mone from education and replace it with stimulus dollar while other states used stimulux dollars to augmentthe budget. The situationj concerned paneliststate Sen. Eleanor “We are not starting at the starting line. The school district in Broward County and thosee throughout the state are starting behind the starting Sobel said. “They have had problemsd for years and they areall scrambling.
” Veterajn educator Robert Parks, a membere of the Broward County School Board, “Many of the large urban districts in the nation are afraide of one thing, which is basically a bait and switcy with those dollars.” What’s even more worrisome to some experts is that the stimulus money will eventualluy run out. “I’m really concerned about in three years; what’s going to happen?” said Vicente, president of ’s North Campus. “Thisw is a Band-Aid.” He said the college’s operatinh budget was cut $22 million while the stimuluw money wasonly $13 million. Parks said Browarf County’s school system has cut $1.
4 billion from its constructiob budget in addition to furloughing 700 teacher and51 administrators. “We’ve closeed all of our school offices forthe summer. We don’t have summer school anymore,” Parks would have been looking at cuttinyg its budget byabout $30 million without $12 millioj in stimulus funds, said Dorothy K. the university’s associate VP for financial affairs andbudge director. The university cut 30 positioneand “had we not had the stimuluxs dollars it could have been much more George Hanbury, executive VP and COO of , said the $1.
3 billiohn in stimulus funds given to the state relieved pressure on the Legislaturde to further reduce support for Florida Residentr Access Grants (FRAG), a key source of money for but he pointed out that the grants used to be $3,00p0 a year for students and are now The amount is important to who find enrollment caps at state universitiees and turn to NSU and other privatw institutions. He also said that universities are working togethe r to apply for federal stimulus NSU has a collaborative proposal with and FAU fora $50 milliohn research building with wet labs, business incubator spacr and offices for the U.S. Geological Survey, whichb is helping oversee Everglades restoration.
“We have shovel-readu projects we have submitted to the Governofr and in the next 60 days we couldput 1,000 people to work,” Hanbury said. The competitiom for these typesof projects, though, is FAU is getting about $12 million in direct infusion from the federalo stimulus package, but the university also is seekint money from the for labs and instruments, Russelpl said. April was the month to submif applications and the results are expected by The strongest flowof money, so far, appearse to be for program that help the jobless as the state’s unemployment rate has hit 10.
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