Sunday, March 11, 2012

UCF, FAU could be big losers in budget cuts - Kathleen Haughney, Sun Sentinal

The state's university system is set to take a budgetary beating in the next two weeks, with Florida Atlantic University and University of Central Florida as two of the biggest losers. The only question: How big will the cut be? The House and Senate Tuesday began negotiating the differences in their roughly $70 billion budget plans. Spending for education, transportation, courts and health care is all a part of the equation. But perhaps the biggest sticking point for many lawmakers, particularly in the Senate, is the university system's budget. The Senate wanted to cut about $400 million in state funds for higher education, with the House looking at about $200 million. Most of the cuts would come from the 11 state universities.