Miami Dade College\u2019s appropriations in the Florida state budget were reduced by 7.6 percent from last year\u2019s amount, according to a statement released to students by College President Eduardo Padr\u00f3n via email.<\/p>\n
As a result, the 2011-2012 per-credit-hour cost has increased from $73.00 to $78.84.<\/p>\n
In February, Florida Gov. Rick Scott submitted recommendations to the legislature requesting tax cuts amounting to approximately $4 billion, in an effort to reduce excessive spending and attract more businesses to Florida.
\n\u201cThis is a job\u2019s budget,\u201d Scott said at a press conference on Feb. 7. \u201cThis is designed to reduce state spending, to lower taxes and to hold government accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n
These recommendations left the state Senate and House to deliberate two starkly different budget proposals before reconciling on Senate Bill 2000: Appropriation, which outlines the state\u2019s spending for the upcoming fiscal year.
\nThe new budget met Scott\u2019s recommendations.<\/p>\n
Yet before signing the new budget into law, Scott vetoed $615 million, according to a May 26 Miami Herald article.
\nIn response to these vetoes, MDC President Eduardo Padr\u00f3n released a statement to students via email.
\n\u201cI must report discouraging news on the topic of state funding, news that will certainly challenge MDC\u2019s ability to serve the students of our community,\u201d Padr\u00f3n said.<\/p>\n
According to Padr\u00f3n\u2019s email, Scott\u2019s $615 million veto included more than $10 million in appropriations for classrooms, laboratories, infrastructure and site improvements across MDC\u2019s campuses.<\/p>\n
\u201c$6.7 million of those funds were desperately needed to expand the Hialeah Campus\u2019 classrooms, science labs and other critical student support facilities,\u201d Padr\u00f3n said.<\/p>\n
Jennifer Basile, vice president for United Faculty of Miami Dade College at Kendall Campus, says the cuts in education may cause lay-offs, the elimination of courses and other services offered at the college.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur lawmakers in Tallahassee are able to push cuts through because no one is checking up on them,\u201d said Basile. \u201cThis can be changed by educating and mobilizing your peers with what’s going on and the potential losses Miami Dade College is facing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Erik Bentancourt, a business supervision and management student, said he is concerned with how budget cuts can affect classes at the College.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe barely have enough available faculty as it is,\u201d Bentancourt said. \u201cThis would mean that the College may let go of even more faculty members, which will lead to the lack of the individualized education.\u201d<\/p>\n
Juan Mendieta, MDC\u2019s director of communications, released this statement to The Reporter via email.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur aim has always been \u2018students first\u2019 and we follow that mantra when addressing budget issues so that impacts to the classroom are avoided and\/or minimized as much as possible. Even if the College increases tuition by eight percent, it will not offset cuts to the MDC budget since it is not a one-to-one ratio,\u201d Mendieta said. \u201cWe do not take lightly the issue of tuition and fully believe the state should shoulder the cost of education, not the students.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jose Prado contributed to this article.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Miami Dade College\u2019s appropriations in the Florida state budget were reduced by 7.6 percent from last year\u2019s amount, according to a statement released to students by College President Eduardo Padr\u00f3n via email. As a result, the 2011-2012 per-credit-hour cost has increased from $73.00 to $78.84. In February, Florida Gov. Rick Scott submitted recommendations to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":202,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6985","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-news"},"yoast_head":"\n