Scholarship strengthens poor students, The Ledger (Lakeland)

January 26, 2009
By Doug Tuthill


Within the education policies that have come to be viewed as the legacy of Jeb Bush is a strategic imperative that transcends any one governor or political party. It is the light that now shines on students from impoverished homes and our collective obligation to do better by them.AC = -->

In that sense, Bush's A+ Plan in 1999 was the successor to Lawton Chiles' Blueprint 2000 in 1991. Both Bush, a Republican, and Chiles, a Democrat, were committed to using standards, assessments and accountability to improve student learning - especially the achievement of students from low-income families. One result is that Florida is making great progress in closing the achievement gap, including with Hispanic students who now outperform all students in 15 different states.

For the rest of this column, click here.

Despite cuts to Fla.'s state universities, private school tuition aid may rise, The Ledger (Lakeland)

January 25, 2009
By Joe Follick


TALLAHASSEE Even with Florida’s 11 public universities laying off staff and limiting enrollment, the state will spend more than $90 million this year to help residents attend private colleges.

The Florida Resident Access Grant program, better known as “FRAG,” was created in 1979. The goal was to keep Floridians who were considering out-of-state private schools and help provide options beyond public universities.

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Legislature must weigh the benefits of smaller classes against the costs, Herald Tribune

January 25, 2009


The Florida Legislature met in emergency, special session earlier this month to fill a big, $2.3 billion hole in the state budget.

The Legislature's strategy for eliminating the short-term operating deficit -- cutting deeply into funding for social programs, including health care and education, and conducting more raids on trust funds -- demonstrated how desperate the state has become.

For the rest of this opinion piece, click here.

Fla.cuts, fed plan not in sunc, critics say, The Ledger (Lakeland)

January 24, 2009
By Lloyd Dunkelberger


TALLAHASSEE The federal government is preparing a historic economic recovery program that will pour billions of dollars into Florida to help revive the economy.

But at the same time, Florida lawmakers have cut more than $8 billion from state spending over the last two years, with more cuts likely when they meet in March to write a new state budget.

Some critics say the efforts are at cross-purposes, with the state cuts worsening Florida's recession.

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More for classes, less for offices, St. Pete Times

January 25, 2009

There's growing bipartisan support for the notion that Florida's mechanism for funding public schools isn't sufficient. In Seminole County, the longtime Republican stronghold north of Orlando, there is talk about raising property taxes for schools. The state Board of Education has suggested it would appeal to the Legislature to improve schools' fiscal future. That's why it's all the more pressing that Pinellas County School superintendent Julie Janssen reduce the district's administrative costs, long among the highest in the state.

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Ray Sansom: The full interview (with video), NWF Daily News

January 24, 2009
By Tom McLaughlin

Almost since the day he was sworn in as speaker of the Florida House, state representative and Destin resident Ray Sansom has been on the defensive.

It started, he said, the day after Thanksgiving, when a report was published stating he'd taken a $110,000 part-time job with Northwest Florida State College, a school he'd helped get $31 million in appropriations during the 2007 legislative session.

The controversy grew when it was learned that Sansom had attended a quiet little public meeting with college President Bob Richburg and seven members of its board of trustees on March 24, 2008.

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Dallas irm to handle search for new chancellor of Florida universities, St. Pete Times

January 23, 2009
By Donna Winchester

TAMPA — The group that oversees Florida's 11 public universities voted unanimously Thursday to hire a Dallas search firm to aid in hiring a new chancellor for the state university system.

The 14-member committee selected the firm of R. William Funk & Associates to find a replacement for chancellor Mark Rosenberg, who announced his resignation in September.

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State budget priorities: Florida holds gold mine for CSX, The Ledger (Lakeland)

January 22, 2009


While Florida lawmakers were making a billion-dollar raid on trust funds, draining the state's rainy-day fund, and slashing education, health care and social services last week to balance the state budget, the Department of Transportation was sitting on a cool $795 million in ready cash set aside for a sweetheart deal that may not even come to fruition.

The money is in hand and awaiting finalization of a deal between the DOT and CSX that would create a commuter line in the Orlando area. The state's plan to buy 61 miles of rail line for the Orlando commuter train would force CSX to shift much of its freight traffic to its S Line, which travels through the center of the state, including Lakeland, and already carries a large number of trains daily.

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Crist should offset any vetoed cuts, House leader says, Tampa Tribune

January 22, 2009

TALLAHASSEE - Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom said Gov. Charlie Crist should suggest ways to offset any items he vetoes in a deficit-elimination package when he submits his recommendations for the next state budget.

And, Senate President Jeff Atwater said he's worried reducing already thin reserves in the $2.6 billion deficit reduction plan for the current budget year could harm Florida's bond rating, resulting in higher interest rates when the state borrows money.

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Growing need for medicaid strains states, New York Times

January 21, 2009
By Kevin Sack and Katie Zezima

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Medicaid rolls are surging, by unprecedented rates in some states, as the recession tightens its grip on the economy and Americans lose their employer-sponsored health coverage along with their jobs.

In a number of states, Medicaid populations grew by 5 percent to 10 percent in the last 12 months and, in many, the growth rate was at least double what it had been in the previous year. State Medicaid officials also say that because enrollment often lags behind job losses by several months, the growth in 2008 may represent only the leading edge of heightened demand.

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An embarassment of state riches, Ocala Star-Banner

January 21, 2009


While Florida lawmakers were making a billion-dollar raid on trust funds, draining the state's rainy day fund and slashing education, health care and social services last week to balance the state budget, the Department of Transportation was sitting on a cool $795 million in ready cash set aside for a sweetheart deal that may not even come to fruition.

The money is in hand and awaiting finalization of a deal between DOT and CSX that would create a commuter line in the Orlando area. The state's plan to buy 61 miles of rail line for the Orlando commuter train would force CSX to shift much of its freight traffic to its "S" line, which travels through the center of the state, including Ocala, and already carries a large number of trains daily.

For the rest of this editorial, click here.

Budget reductions spare private schools--for now, The Ledger (Lakeland)

January 19, 2009
By Cary McMullen


Private colleges in Polk County will not suffer any immediate ill effects from state budget cuts made recently at a special session of the Florida Legislature.

But college administrators fear that $11 million or more in aid to students may be in jeopardy in next year's budget.

Fr the rest of this article, click here.

First veterinary forensics program created at UF, DVM 306

January 15, 2009

Gainesville, Fla. -- A veterinary forensics program, under development by ASPCA and the University of Florida, was unveiled today. The joint venture, believed to be the nation's first, will "promote the application of forensic sciences to veterinary medicine to aid in the understanding, prevention and prosecution of animal cruelty."

The program is built on education, research and applied casework, reports Melinda Merck, DVM, senior director of veterinary forensics for the ASPCA, and it will be established within the William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine, Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine in UF's College of Medicine.

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Education cut too far, Crist says, Tampa Tribune

January 14, 2009
By William March

TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Charlie Crist, who hinted at vetoing some education cuts intended to help balance the state budget, said Tuesday he's looking mainly at one comparatively small item: an $11 million cut in a teacher certification program.

The program provides teachers a 10 percent pay increase for 10 years if they achieve certification under a national program that identifies master teachers.

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Crist hints at budget veto, The Buzz (St. Pete Times)

January 13, 2009

Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday emphasized the value of "working together" with the Legislature. But he also gave strong hints that he will surgivally use his veto pen and aim it at the education budget cuts approved by lawmakers over the weekend.

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Florida lawmakers leave $130 million in gambling money on hte table, Casino Gambling Web

January 12, 2009

Legislators in the state of Florida are patting themselves on the back for working to fix a budget deficit without having to raise taxes. What they are not admitting is how they left $130 million of possible revenue on the table while cutting funds going to education in the state.

The lawmakers in Florida called a special legislative session to deal with the shortcomings of the state budget. They vowed at the beginning of the session to not make tax hikes to cover the budget problems. They succeeded in that. It is their failure, however, to approve a Seminole Indian casino gambling compact that had Governor Charlie Crist annoyed.

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Florida budget session: Florida fore...Never mind, The Ledger (Lakeland)

January 11, 2009


When the Legislature is in session in Tallahassee, nothing is safe - and nothing is forever. Even Florida Forever.

Many legislators evidently think that when it comes to budget cutting, all bets are off - even if it means ignoring a previous commitment to continue funding the state's highly successful, nationally recognized land-preservation program. Legislators want to end funding for the program for the remaining six months of the budget year.

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Florida TaxWatch budget plan finds $2.68B, Orlando Business Journal

January 9, 2009

Florida can save billions of dollars by improving cost-effectiveness, increasing government productivity and enhancing revenue maximization efforts.

That’s the finding in a report issued Thursday by Florida TaxWatch. The nonpartisan, nonprofit research institute and government watchdog in Tallahassee made 42 recommendations totaling an estimated $2.68 billion in cost savings and revenue enhancements.

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The report this article is based on is available here.http://www.floridataxwatch.org./

State budget plan includes tapping into rainy day fund, Central Florida Channel 13

January 11, 2009

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida lawmakers Sunday continued working to resolve differences between the House and Senate over a budget decifit elimination package. See Previous Story.
Both houses have passed plans that include nearly $1 billion in cuts.

The plans also include tapping the "rainy day fund" reserve to shift money within the $66.3 billion budget.

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Florida budget cuts represent health care nightmare, News Herald (Panama City)

January 10, 2009
By Deann Mullins

When we as individuals adjust our budgets, we prioritize. For example, we may start with dining out less often before we decide to stop buying our blood pressure medicine. The financial challenges our state faces are great. Our state leaders must confront, head-on, a breathtaking $2.3 billion revenue shortfall in this year's budget, not to mention the more than $4.5 billion projected deficit for next year.

Cutting the budget is inevitable, but we do have a choice about where to tighten our belts. The Florida Legislature has proposed to take aim at further harming our struggling health care system by instituting drastic cuts that would impact everything from hospice care to nursing home care and access to Medicaid prescription drugs. A bill is taking aim at pharmacist reimbursement that includes $48 million in budget cuts to the Medicaid pharmacy program.

For the rest of this op ed piece, click here.