Let's talk 2019-2020 State Funding!

[Gator88NE]

The governor, house and senate have all came out with their initial budgets.

Interesting enough, the house is cutting back (slightly) on higher education, as a way to punish the universities (mostly UCF, the bad boys of the State University System…) for misuse of funds meant for education (faculty/students) for capital construction. The Senate increases spending. The two groups will now have to compromise…

https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20190401/money-for-colleges-battleground-between-florida-house-and-senate

The biggest clash between the two Republican-controlled chambers is over Florida’s 12 public universities, where the House proposes $100 million in across-the-board cuts — a 2.5 percent reduction — along with an additional $20 million drop in pre-eminence funding that goes to the University of Florida, Florida State University, the University of South Florida and the University of Central Florida.

All three groups agree to increase spending on Bright Futures and Benacquisto. These scholarship programs are way to popular for them to decrease funding. Only way I can see that happening is a multi-year recession (which is what happen last time to reduce funding).

The two sides do match up in some areas. Neither is calling for tuition hikes — which Gov. Ron DeSantis also opposes — and the House and Senate are seeking $69.7 million more for Bright Futures scholarships, basically to cover an anticipated 113,902 students.

Benacquisto Scholarships, which go to National Merit Scholars, also draw an additional $4.3 million in both budget proposals, bringing the program to $21.4 million for an expected 1,416 students.

The Bright Futures funding is almost $600 million a year, the Benacquisto funding is lost in the numbers. I really don’t see that funding being reduced, unless they feel forced to reduce BF funding.

Earlier this year, Fine drew attention for talking about shutting down UCF for a period of years as punishment for misusing at least $38 million in state funds to build the new Trevor Colburn Hall on campus.

Fine later walked back the remarks, calling them “hyperbole.”

Yep, the house really wants to make an issue out of UCF’s shenanigans.

The house approved an $89.9 billion budget, while the Senate OK’ed a $90.3 billion version, so they will reach a compromise. I’m betting the house will increase the pre-eminence funding, but hold on limiting capital spending (as a way to punish the universities).

The article mentions UF’s new Data Science and Information Technology building. It will be built across from the bookstore (who really needs 350 parking spots? Not UF…).

https://gcr.ufl.edu/media/gcrufledu/government-relations/2018_Legislative_sheets[DataScience]7.pdf
http://www.facilities.ufl.edu/committees/docs/1524776412.pdf