TALLAHASSEE Fla.
Community colleges are facing a “double-whammy” from impending spending cuts because their enrollment is soaring although their budgets are based on last year’s attendance, Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp acknowledged Wednesday.
Kottkamp met with community college presidents to discuss the broader issue of planning for even more enrollment growth over the next 10 years, but the discussion included current state revenue losses caused mainly by a slumping housing market.
Budgets for universities and public schools are set according to enrollment estimates for the new school year, but the 28 community colleges get only enough money to pay for the students they had in 2006-07. They rely mainly on tuition to make up the difference.
Fall enrollment, though, is expected to increase by at least 10 percent in many urban areas, said Sandy Shugart, president of Valencia Community College in Orlando, who organized the meeting. He said many Floridians affected by the economic decline are enrolling to learn new skills.
“It’s a double whammy for them and I think that we recognize that,” Kottkamp said. “We can’t really make any decisions yet until we’ve looked at the entire budget picture.”
State agencies have suggested cuts ranging from 4 to 10 percent of their budgets in response to a request from Gov. Charlie Crist and legislative leaders.
