Red Alert! Governor, Legislature Continue Destruction of State Education System

[stjr]

The legislature and Governor Crist continue to dismantle education in Florida while advocating further property tax cuts and promising a world class education system.  Poppycock!  

Add financial fiasco's in higher education from underpriced prepaid tuition plans, overly generous Bright Futures grants, restrictions on raising below market tuition, reduced endowments, the State reneging on timely matching of donations, and mandated programs.

Not enough?  Add being 49th or 50th among U.S. states in funding education even before the new and severe recent cutbacks in primary and secondary education.

We have set up ourselves for a generation of undereducated kids to compete in an ever more competitive global economy.  What will this portend for our future economy and quality of life?  Do our elected officials care?  Or, do they just want to win the next election?  Will the voters finally revolt?

Florida Times Union

State colleges 'petrified’ at House budget plan
Massive program eliminations, faculty layoffs and branch closures predicted

    * By Brandon Larrabee, Adam Aasen
    * Story updated at 6:27 AM on Thursday, Apr. 23, 2009

The future of Florida higher education has turned into a bare-knuckle brawl for money.

State universities are facing two very different state budget scenarios: The House wants to cut funding about 8 percent; the Senate about 2 percent.

If the House version prevails, University of North Florida President John Delaney said, “it’s really close to a dismantling of the higher education budget.” Statewide, it could mean massive program eliminations, faculty layoffs and closures of branch campuses, he said.

And although it looked like the two chambers were at a stalemate, it now appears that Senate leaders might be willing to make more severe cuts.

Delaney and other university presidents went on full attack this week to make sure that doesn’t happen. All 11 of them will be in Tallahassee today  to protest the House’s budget cuts.

“Panic might be the right word,” Delaney said. “We’re on the edge of the cliff.”

The panic is somewhat new. Back in January and again in March, Delaney said a single-digit decrease would be optimistic because he feared a 10 to 15 percent cut. Despite his strong rhetoric, Delaney wouldn’t say this budget scenario is worse than what was expected.

The House and Senate versions come down to a philosophical difference: saving versus spending.

The Senate’s budget uses revenue from Indian gaming and a cigarette tax to fend off cuts that Delaney said would be “devastating.”

The House would rather use that money to build up the state’s reserves because federal stimulus money will run out in two years, leaving Florida in the same budget predicament. Senate leaders believe the economy could improve in that time.

If the House version passes, Delaney said UNF will reduce classes. He said it’s difficult to bring back academic programs once they’re cut, even if the economy improves.

There probably wouldn’t be layoffs, Delaney said, although about three dozen visiting faculty might not have their contracts renewed.

Florida State University might take the most drastic actions if the House budget prevails. FSU released a list of programs that would be eliminated: oceanography, anthropology, geological sciences, geography and German to name a few. FSU’s Panama City campus also might be closed.

The University of Florida would cut pay across the board by 5 percent, furlough all employees for three weeks and close several departments and programs, such as the Documentary Institute and the athletic training program.

At the University of Central Florida, hundreds of staff and faculty would lose their jobs.
Florida Community College at Jacksonville would see 17.3 percent in cuts under the House version, which would mean staff layoffs, President Steve Wallace said. The Senate version only cuts 2.3 percent.

Wallace said he’s frustrated because he believes FCCJ can’t afford any more cuts.
“Now is the time in our view to draw the line,” Wallace said. “We can’t reduce funds for higher education any further. We have to find revenue to cover these costs.”

Senate leaders were quick on Tuesday to dismiss deeper cuts to higher education, which House leaders said were necessary to keep from blowing a hole in future budgets when federal stimulus funds run out.

“We believe it’s fiscally responsible to address that today and not kick the can and force the decision to be made in the future,” said House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach.

By Wednesday, though, even though the upper chamber said it wasn’t conceding, the tone had softened. Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, said he was open to discussing cuts.

Sen. Jim King, a Jacksonville Republican who sits on the higher education funding committee, suggested there was some room for negotiation â€" but only so far.

“I would hate like heck to see deeper cuts,” he said. “But I’m also a realist. … Some of the cuts if made that they’re talking about would set some of our universities and some of our community colleges back eight to 10 years.”

See:  http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2009-04-23/story/state_colleges_petrified%E2%80%99_at_house_budget_plan

[Charles Hunter]

You answered your own question, the legislators are only thinking of the next election, and they think that cutting taxes is the way to do that.  We are already, as you said 49th or 50th in the US for funding education.  Apparently, we are now striving to spend less on education than Third World countries.

Maybe it is a long term strategy.  If they keep the populace uneducated, then it will be easier for the sons and daughters of the current politicians to reach and abuse positions of power when it is their turn.

[BridgeTroll]

But do not... under any circumstances... lease oil drilling right worth billions...

[tufsu1]

It makes no sense to risk the future to make up for a shortfall today.

So, think about it....leasing oil drilling rights 3 miles off-shore would have a disastrous impact on tourism (much less the environment)...and since Florida's main revenue stream is the sales tax, this could end up being a net loss...and would further burden Florida residents who would have to pick up an even bigger share of the state budget. 

Maybe its time that everyone make some really tough decisions....like repealing many of the sales tax exemptions...like the one for skyboxes....and, if need be, look at other tax ioncreases.

And you can't get around some "no tax increase" pledge by claiming that fee increases (like our vehicle registration which the House wants to double) aren't the same thing!

[BridgeTroll]

leasing oil drilling rights 3 miles off-shore would have a disastrous impact on tourism

Why?

[Deuce]

community colleges back eight to 10 years

They why the f do it? I can't claim to understand all the complexities of the state budget system, but surely they can figure out a way to keep Florida solvent without despoiling our environment, chasing off tourists, or turning the entire state into a Vegas strip.

Now they really look stupid for cutting property taxes. I want a tax cut as much as the next guy, but I think when times are good politicians are to hasty to cut taxes to much for political gain.

Maybe they should have a giant bake sale!

[BridgeTroll]

overly generous Bright Futures grants

Yeah... lets cut a legitimate merit based scholarship. 

[tufsu1]

leasing oil drilling rights 3 miles off-shore would have a disastrous impact on tourism

Why?

because lots of folks would not like the unsightly view of an oil derrick just off-shore...not to mention the hesitation about getting in the water! 

[BridgeTroll]

Possibly... but that is a far cry from a tourism disaster.

[gmpalmer]

BT -- merit based scholarships are discrimination.

[BridgeTroll]

   In addition I keep hearing about how low our high school grad rate is... yet here is the best and fairest motivator of all...

Attain a high gpa and graduate and if you maintain that gpa in college we help pay for your education.

Merit... based... what a freeking concept.

[stjr]

community colleges back eight to 10 years

Now they really look stupid for cutting property taxes. I want a tax cut as much as the next guy, but I think when times are good politicians are to hasty to cut taxes to much for political gain.

This is a huge part of the problem and now Crist and his cronies want to aggravate it further by proposing MORE property tax cuts.  At the same time, these political hacks say they champion world class education.

All these crazy "deals" with the Seminole casinos, oil drilling, tapping reserve funds, redirecting stimulus and lottery funds, etc. are all driven by this mostly self inflicted budget crisis.  Who in their right mind would think a rainy day would never arrive?  And what did Jeb Bush, Crist, and their legislature buddies do - they gave away any surpluses from the good times by cutting taxes instead of prudently putting the money in a savings account like the rest of us are supposed to do.  Now, times are tough, and they not only don't have the much needed revenue, they have little to no savings to draw down.  Its fiscal IRRESPONSILITY!  We should vote them all out and start over with people who do the RIGHT thing, not the politically expedient action.

What's more, when they cut the property taxes at the STATE level, they took control from the LOCAL level.  How do Republicans explain breaking their own platform?

P.S. A recent poll said a substantial majority of Floridians would rather pay higher taxes than cut essentials such as education.  How long will it take us to reprogram Tallahassee?

[gmpalmer]

"How do Republicans explain breaking their own platform"

Because most Republicans are RINOs and slaves to corporate interests.

[lindab]

sjr, I completely agree with your statements. I am so offended by our Governor saying not to worry because we will have casino revenues. What about all those people who donated to trust funds for education or affordable housing thinking they were doing some good only to see the legislature wipe out that money.  Where's the trust?

This state will never attract new industry and technology unless we have the educated residents able to be the workforce of the future.  Our failing educational system is best exemplified by these legislators elected by naive and deficient voters.

[stjr]

  In addition I keep hearing about how low our high school grad rate is... yet here is the best and fairest motivator of all...

Attain a high gpa and graduate and if you maintain that gpa in college we help pay for your education.

Merit... based... what a freeking concept.

One should be motivated to get a great education because it furthers our abilitiy to succeed and because it enriches our life.  Colleges are modeled on charging tuition, not paying you to come there, because they offer you something of great value.  Scholarships are premised on assuring equal access and diversity of the student body that can't be achieved by mere economic forces alone.

From what I have read, the majority of Bright Futures money goes to those who could afford to pay some or all of their tuition.  This is because higher income families are more likely to produce better educated students.  So, Bright Futures effectively has become mostly a "give away" to higher income residents.

The other point is that with Bright Futures, so many kids want to go to state universities for "free" that many of them can't get in anymore.  So, the good news is you get a "free education" and the bad news is we don't have room for you and, if we did, due to budget cutbacks in part over Bright Futures, we can't give you the highest quality education.

The meritocracy occurs because, regardless of money or connections, you have to meet the qualitative requirements of the college to be accepted - at least in theory!