Crist's Power(ball) Play, The Ledger (Lakeland)

July 13, 2008

When life hands you lemons in the form of a lean budget year and tough choices, put the squeeze on the suckers to raise more money.

That was the philosophy in Tallahassee this month with the gleeful announcement that - once again - the state is expanding gambling. In January, Florida will join 29 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands in offering Powerball.

To read the rest of this editorial, click here.

Petition re the California State University system, Alliance for the CSU

Lawmakers plan budget cuts in 2008/09 that would leave our 23-campus California State University $386 million in the hole. Thanks to the efforts of the Alliance, the Governor submitted a revised budget proposal in May that restores nearly $100 million dollars to CSU, but proposed cuts of more than $200 million still loom large.

To read more about the Alliance, click here.

Momentum at risk, Florida Today

July 13, 2008

Brevard Public Schools broke a record on FCAT grades this year -- with 82 of the district's 91 schools, including charters, earning As and no school scoring lower than a C.

It's particularly heartening to see schools with high percentages of children from low-income families raise their FCAT scores. Success on the test too often reflects socioeconomic differences between school populations rather than better or worse teaching practices

To read the rest of this editorial, click here.

Universities should keep focus on education, not athletics, St. Pete Times

July 14, 2008

Universities should keep the focus on education Your editorial and the quote from a former Oklahoma University president about "wanting a university the football team could be proud of" made my day. I spent 22 years teaching at Harvard and Johns Hopkins, two institutions that produce great education and research because their educational philosophies keep the spotlight on the fundamentals of institutions of higher education.

To read the rest of this letter to the editor, click here.

Budget no sweat for UF athletics, The Ledger (Lakeland) and St. Pete Times

By Antonya English
July 12, 2008

GAINESVILLE On July 1, the University of Florida began a new fiscal year in which $47 million and about 150 employees will be cut from the university's budget because of tough economic times and decreased state funding.

But as universities and many athletic departments around the nation struggle financially, Florida remains among the nation's wealthiest athletic programs. The Gators' overall budget is expected to increase 8 percent this year, to about $84.5 million.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

No excuse for shortchanging education in Florida, News Press (Ft. Myers)

By Richard Konkel
July 12, 2008

Remember the old joke about the farmer who tried to train his horse to eat less each day? “Why,” he said, “just about the time I had him fully trained, he died.”

But the joke is not funny — indeed it is pathetic — when it applies to the starvation diet the state has fed our public schools for many years. Florida ranks 47th out of 50 states in per-pupil expenditures. We spend $1,400 less per pupil than the national average.

To read the rest of this op-ed, click here.

Paying for prizes that aren't there, TampaBays10

By Mike Deeson
July 11, 2008

St. Petersburg, Florida - Lottery players in Florida spent more than $4 billion buying tickets, but some of them were trying to win a prize that was no longer there.

Florida is among more than 20 states that still sell scratch off tickets, even after the big prizes have been awarded. Although scratch off tickets have a warning on the front and the back in small print that the top prizes might be gone when the ticket is purchased, most people we talked to had no idea it was happening.

To read the rest of this post, click here.