Gov. Scott’s budget proposal would have education impact

By Amber Jurgensen | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed budget will affect an area he promised to protect during his campaign, education.

The proposed budget plans $3.3 billion in education cuts from pre-k to university budgets. This would cause a 10 percent decrease of per student spending.

“At this point what we know is only rumors,” said Kenneth Russom, vice president of business and finance at Flagler College.

“I think the first thing we can anticipate is some impact or reduction to the Florida Resident Access Grant, which is the FRAG,” Russom said. “At this point it’s the only thing I can tell you.”

“Governor Scott’s budget is strictly a recommendation,” said Darrell Colee, director of budget for St Johns County school district.

“If we were to use Rick Scott’s budget and try and say we’re going to do this and this we would create panic and we would work in that kind of mode to create panic with people not only with teachers but with parents and everyone else. We want to have a cleared understanding of what will really occur,” Colee said.

But Scott’s budget has worried parents, teachers and students.

Megan Arthur, a junior at St Augustine High School, is worried that electives will be cut.

“The journalism program might be cut. I will most likely be editor next year. So if we don’t have that it would be kind of unfortunate,” Arthur said.

But until the legislative session, Gov. Scott’s proposed budget is just that: proposed.

“We just don’t want to make a decision off a proposal,” Colee said.