Florida Legislature Update:

[Gator88NE]

Legislative leaders (Senate President and House Speaker) met with the Florida Board of Governors on Thursday. They key takeaway is that Negron and Corcoran have already worked out a deal, with each supporting the others key educational initiatives. That means the Bright Future changes will likely be permanent, plus the low level BF will likely be increased in value.

That’s very different from last year, when they did NOT get along. I also don’t see how the Governor can veto BF changes this year, especially since it looks like he’s running for the Senate.

http://www.gainesville.com/news/20180125/leaders-find-common-ground-on-higher-ed

And it appears the legislative leaders are continuing to work out their overall education policy, with the House backing Senate higher-education initiatives, while the Senate is in support of House kindergarten-through-high-school initiatives.

“In the school-choice policy arena, the speaker’s ideas have been transformational,” Negron said. “Anything we can do to give parents more options and to create programs to do that and fund those, count me in.”

Corcoran said he “fully supports the direction and vision” of Negron’s higher-education initiatives.
“We just have to work out the numbers and get it done,” he said.

By the way, here are UF’s legislative priorities for this year:

Plan to Continue to Raise our National Ranking – $76 million

UF is requesting $76 million to maintain and accelerate our rise to the top of the national rankings. We’ve divided our plan into three categories:
• $25 million in preeminence-Support the hiring of 100 lecturers and 100 teacher-scholars
• $35 million for world-class faculty and scholars-Support, recruit and retain outstanding faculty fitting of a premiere academic and research institution
• $16 million to attract the most accomplished graduate students-Provide graduate scholarship in the colleges of dentistry, veterinary medicine, medicine and law – all costly professional areas of study – and in STEM graduate areas

Infrastructure Projects – $87.4 million
Our building and infrastructure needs include:
• $30 million for utilities, infrastructure and capital renewal to help UF address its most serious building maintenance problems
• $50 million for the Data Science and Information Technology Building to enhance recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty through offering technically-advanced facilities – and the opportunity to collaborate with other top researchers in engineering and medical fields
• $7.4 million for Music Building construction, providing efficient and modern teaching labs and studio spaces

Other Projects – Approximately $9 million
• $2.5 million to enhance Zika research and education capacity
• $2.5 million to create the first-of-its-kind Institute for Comparative Veterinary Diagnostics at the College of Veterinary Medicine
• $3.7 million for the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences to meet increased research and extension workload demands.
• $250,000 to preserve and protect the 35 historic buildings within the Historic District of St. Augustine, which UF manages

UF wants to continue it’s hiring spree, and decreasing it’s student to faculty ratio. The new, massive Data Science building would (last time I saw an update) be located/replace the large parking lot in front of the bookstore.

[OldLady21]

Thanks for the update. Hope it can get thru the house and be signed by Scott sooner than later.

[OldLady21]

More in link but House and Senate $600 million apart.

Florida House, Senate move in opposite directions on money for higher education

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article196495379.html#storylink=cpy

However, unlike the Senate, the House did not include the Bright Futures increase in its budget proposal, raising questions about its funding.

“The policy we agree on, but the policy is not going to go anywhere unless we have the dollars to support it,” Galvano said.

“In this budget we will be recommending that we start slowing that growth,” he said. “The intent is to reduce operating funds, and thereby entice colleges to spend some of their fund balances.”

Michael Brawer, executive director and chief executive of the Association of Florida Colleges, said he disagreed that higher education should be used to balance the state’s budget.

“I really don’t have much to say about the House budget,” he said. “We’re starting in a hole, again.”

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/education/article196495379.html#storylink=cpy

[OldLady21]

"And it looks like Corcoran doesn’t want to take the risk of passing a budget that funds public schools without guaranteeing he’ll get his boost for private-school vouchers as well. "

http://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/post/under-house-budget-plan-no-public-school-funding-without-corcoran-education-bill

The House did not include Bright Futures increase in budget. Corcoran may be holding BF hostage until gets agreement on voucher spending. fyi. The second tier funding is the most expensive, more qualify for the Medallion level so moving from 50% to 75% of tuition is more challenging to fund.