FSU's board of trustees approves budget, WCTV

September 19, 2008

They knew the cuts were coming, the budget was no surprise to the members of FSU's Board of Trustees. They unanimously approved a new two year spending plan.

This year deep cuts were made to deal with a 32 million dollar loss in state funding. And students and faculty are already seeing the effects.

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Exclusive poll finds worry about Crist, state's future, Bay News9

September 20, 2008

An exclusive St. Petersburg Times/Bay News 9 statewide poll found that Floridians have serious concerns about the future of the state.

Many Floridians like Chan Leonard are feeling the economic blues these days. At a time when the cost of just about everything is going up, his income is going down.

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For Florida community colleges, Who should pay? Inside Higher Educaiton

September 19, 2008

Remember the theory that community college should be supported by states, localities and tuition? In Florida, it’s strictly a theory, as counties don’t provide any financial support. In a move that is dividing community colleges in the state, a proposal on the fall ballot for a constitutional amendment would give counties the authority to levy a local-option sales tax to supplement state funding for their community college.

Currently, Florida community colleges are funded entirely by the state in addition to student tuition and fees. Some support the amendment, which would pave the way for an additional funding source to compensate for a strained state budget. Others, however, worry it will shift the burden of community college funding to local authorities and create inequities among institutions as a result of the disparate economies of Florida’s urban and rural counties. (Many of Florida’s community colleges are known as leaders in the movement to offer four-year degrees and to drop “community” from their names, but these institutions are equally involved and would be equally affected by this shift.)

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FSU students start process to establish a union for better work conditions, Tallahassee Democrat

By Angeline J. Taylor
September 17, 2008

There are about 3,200 students at Florida State University who work as graduate assistants. They teach or do research. Recently, they’ve joined forces in an attempt to establish a union.

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Bright Futures Scholarships Doled Out to Lackluster Students, Hernando Today (Tampa Tribune)

By John Reiniers
September 16, 2008

Florida's Board of Governors and others routinely criticize the Bright Futures scholarship program approved by Florida's voters in 1986. The issue is a political one, not educational.Florida's educational system is underfunded, but it can't be blamed on Bright Futures. Education is the responsibility of the Legislature, not the secretary of Florida's Lottery. Bright Futures should simply be icing on the cake.

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Florida must stop shifting its tax load to business, Tampa Tribune

September 14, 2008

For several years, elected officials at every level have been promising big tax cuts. Voters, when finally given a chance to weigh in on the issue in January, overwhelmingly approved an amendment that was part of what Gov. Charlie Crist called the largest tax cut in Florida history.

If it was a joke, the state's businesses aren't laughing.

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Our view: No more excuses, Florida Today

September 14, 2008

Florida’s archaic and unfair tax system needs a major overhaul.But state politicians — though they pound the drum about tax reform — keep failing miserably to deliver on promises, unwilling to step on the toes of powerful special interests.

In fact, they actually made inequities worse this year.

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Florida takes $672 million in reserves for red-ink-tained budget, Orlando Sentinel

By Josh Hakenbrack
September 11, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - A legislative budget panel on Wednesday drained $672 million from Florida's reserve accounts to keep running a state government awash in red ink.

The move by the Legislative Budget Commission, urged by Gov. Charlie Crist, isn't a final fix. When legislators meet again in November, they will have to patch the remainder of the state's $1.5 billion shortfall -- which will require about $795 million more in spending cuts and savings transfers.

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Deficit growing as Florida scraps by, St. Petersburg Times

September 10, 2008

A powerful legislative panel is expected to tap into state reserves today to start reducing a nearly $1.5-billion budget deficit. While following Gov. Charlie Crist's recommendation to use $672-million from a reserve account to cut the deficit roughly in half would be reasonable, let's be honest. This is nibbling around the edges at a bigger problem and putting off tougher decisions until after the November election.

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Universities in Slump, Brandenton Herald

September 10, 2008


State failing to finance quality education
Just as classrooms fill with students this fall, Florida's higher education institutions continue to grapple with the fallout from a slumping economy and plunging budgets.

With larger and fewer classes in colleges and universities, a worsening student-teacher ratio and a brain-drain of top professors, our future workforce will not be as well-prepared for the competitive global marketplace.

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