Crist asks state agencies to cut by 10 percent, The News-Press (Ft. Myers)

October 16, 2008

TALLAHASSEE — As Gov. Charlie Crist begins working on the state’s spending plan, he’s asking agencies to include 10 percent cuts in their budget proposals.

Crist is hoping that’s not required when he presents his version of the budget in January, but his department officials have painted what it would look like if it were.

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Legislator warns Floridians will face services and education cuts, Shorelines (Jacksonville)

By Christina Abel
October 13, 2008

Historically, Florida has been a low-tax state, and if it continues to be, residents will have to face budget cuts that will affect services and education.

That was the message state Rep. Bill Proctor, R-St. Augustine, gave Monday to the St. Johns County Civic Association Roundtable while discussing issues affecting the state and county.

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It's time to fully fund education, St. Petersburg Times

October 13, 2008

As a high school teacher for Pasco County, I am very disappointed to hear our district, along with every other district in Florida, will experience further budget cuts.

I am being asked to do more with less; to live with the fear that my career may be cut short because I have been teaching only seven years and others in my school have been teaching far more; to live with my already small salary and not to see an increase in my wages; to live with the fear that my district may not even be able to afford my benefits.

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The biz: Tought times hit college classrooms, St Petersburg Times

October 13, 2008

Amid the stock market rout and federal bailouts, it's not just geopolitical economics on the minds of two deans of area business schools. In interviews, both Tampa's USF College of Business dean Robert Forsythe and University of Tampa Sykes School of Business dean Frank Ghannadian both echoed two impacts here of the current financial turmoil. First, more students are struggling to pay their tuition and living expenses because of tighter credit conditions and — more painfully — the increasing likelihood that a mom or dad has lost their job recently. Forsythe mentions USF's recent "Don't Stop, Don't Drop" campaign to encourage students to talk to the university about financial pressures.

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Florida economists push back recovery estimate, Forbes

October 10, 2008


The country's financial meltdown might stall Florida's economic recovery a year longer than state economists previously thought.

In July, state economists pushed their forecast for recovery back six months to the end of 2009, but on Friday said it could take even longer - possibly until the end of 2010.

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USF now on hunt for more faculty, Tampa Tribune

By Adam Emerson
October 10, 2008

TAMPA - Students in crowded classrooms at the University of South Florida may see relief next fall now that the university has advertised dozens of jobs for new faculty members.

USF took out a full-page ad this week in the Chronicle of Higher Education seeking applicants for about 75 positions. There also are another 30 unadvertised vacant jobs in the medical school, university Provost Ralph Wilcox said Friday.

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Amendment 8 holds dangers for community colleges, Herald Tribune

October 9, 2008


While attention has been given to other high-profile amendments on November's ballot, a lesser known amendment has the potential to raise local taxes and cause unintended consequences for community colleges -- Florida's point of entry to higher education for more than 800,000 students every year.

Amendment 8, known as the local option sales tax, would allow counties to increase their sales tax to supplement community college funding. (Taxpayers would have to vote for the tax.) The amendment was placed on the ballot by the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission with what I believe were good intentions to promote the valuable contributions of community colleges. However, the commission failed to recognize the amendment's potential drawbacks for the community college system.

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