xeconatyxex.blogspot.comThat was the sentiment of an eight-membefr panel of education, training and governmeny experts gathered by the South Floridw Business Journal to examine howthe $787 billiomn federal stimulus package is impacting the region’s education and workforce training sectors. The panel marked the third in theBusiness Journal’s ongoing stimulus series, aimedf at tracking and analyzing the flow of money from the Americab Recovery and Reinvestment Act into South Florida’s Legislature was the only one nationally to requesrt a federal waiver that allowed it to take money from education and replaces it with stimulus dollars while other states used stimulus dollars to augment the The situation concerned panelist state Sen.
Eleanor Sobel. “We are not starting at the startin line. The school district in Broward Countg and those throughout the state are startintg behind thestarting line,” Sobel “They have had problems for years and they are all Veteran educator Robert a member of the Broward County Schoop Board, said, “Many of the large urban districts in the natiohn are afraid of one thing, whichn is basically a bait and switch with those What’s even more worrisome to some experts is that the stimulusz money will eventually run out. “I’n really concerned about in three years; what’s going to said José Vicente, president of ’ds North Campus.
“This is a Band-Aid.” He said the college’s operatingb budget was cut $22 millionn while the stimulus money wasonly $13 million. Parkws said Broward County’s school system has cut $1.4 billion from its constructiojn budget in addition to furloughing 700 teachers and51 “We’ve closed all of our schoolp offices for the summer. We don’yt have summer school anymore,” Parks said. woulx have been looking at cutting its budget byabougt $30 million without $12 million in stimulus said Dorothy K. Russell, the university’s associated VP for financial affairs andbudget director.
The universitu cut 30 positionsand “had we not had the stimuluas dollars it could have been much more severe.” George executive VP and COO of , said the $1.3 billiohn in stimulus funds given to the statee relieved pressure on the Legislature to furthet reduce support for Florida Resident Access Grantas (FRAG), a key sourcw of money for students, but he pointed out that the grantsz used to be $3,000 a year for studentxs and are now $2,529. The amountg is important to students, who find enrollment caps at states universities and turn to NSU and otherprivatre institutions. He also said that universities are working togetherd to apply for federalstimulus funding.
NSU has a collaborativ proposal with and FAU fora $50 millio n research building with wet labs, business incubatod space and offices for the U.S. Geological Survey, which is helping overseee Everglades restoration. “We have shovel-readty projects we have submittexd to the Governor and in the next 60 days we couldfput 1,000 people to work,” Hanbury The competition for these types of projects, is fierce. FAU is gettinb about $12 million in direct infusiomn from the federalstimulus package, but the university also is seeking money from the for labs and Russell said. April was the monthj to submit applications and the results are expectefby September.
The strongesy flow of money, so far, appears to be for programw that help the jobless asthe state’s unemployment rate has hit 10.2 percent.
