TAKING A BACK SEAT TO OUR PRISONS

If you're waiting in line to sign up for classes at Central Florida
Community College, or any one of Florida's other 27 two-year public
colleges, there's a good chance you will have to wait until next year
to get all the courses you need or want to further your education.

If you're a convicted criminal waiting to get into one of Florida's
state prisons, though, Gov. Jeb Bush and the Florida Legislature will
be right with you.

The reality of our state leadership's priorities rang loud and clear
this week as hundreds of community college students were turned away
from enrolling in classes, just a week after lawmakers dipped into the
state's emergency funds to expand our prisons. The reason is simple:
Too few classes for the college's record number of students.

And, no wonder. In the past three years CFCC, for instance, has seen
its enrollment jump 17 percent, with another 7 percent increase in
student numbers expected this year. At the same time, CFCC's budget
has increased just 9 percent, much of which has come from increases in
tuition costs in 2002 (3 percent) and this year (7.5 percent). The
result is academic casualties. Students not only can't get into
classes, many of those classes are so-called "prep" classes that are
required to receive degrees in various vocations.

The community college funding debacle should surprise no one,
especially our lawmakers. The Legislature this year cold-heartedly cut
community college funding statewide by $11 million. After the
Legislature held the line on its funding the past three years, the
Florida Community College System now has 48,000 students that are
virtually unfunded, said Dr. Harry Albertson, executive director of
the Florida Association of Community Colleges. To bring the
850,000-student system in line with its 2000 funding level, Albertson
said, would take an infusion of $107 million.

"We've been stretched so far for so long we just can't stretch
anymore," Albertson told us.

Meanwhile, the Florida prison system also has thousands of inmates
waiting for entry. But unlike the colleges, which provide tremendous
economic and social benefits to their individual communities, the
Florida Department of Corrections was able to scare up an additional
$66 million to hire hundreds of guards and other employees, build
thousands of new prison cells and re-open a number of shutdown facilities.

Making sure we keep criminals off our streets is vital. No argument.
But it is sad that our leaders believe incarcerating criminals -- to
the tune of $40,00 to $50,000 a year each -- is a more pressing
priority than ensuring every Floridian who wants to further his or her
education can do so.

You see, these students aren't asking for a freebie. They are willing
to pay tuition. The problem is, CFCC and the other colleges, which
collectively have seen enrollment grow by almost a third since 2000,
don't have enough money to hire enough instructors to teach enough
students.

Simply, there just isn't enough of anything to do the job our
community colleges are being asked to do.

Sure, we've heard our governor's impassioned speeches about how he
wants to be remembered as the "education governor." And we've been
supportive in this column, time and again, of education reforms that
demand more accountability of teachers and students.

But it is unconscionable that those who profess to lead this state
would sit by idly while people of all ages work to improve their
individual lots by trying to go to college, only to be turned away
because of a deliberate shortchanging of our community colleges.

State Rep. Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, is a member of the Florida House
subcommittee for higher education. When he was asked this week about
the woes of CFCC, his response was honest, but less than comforting.

"I don't like it," he said. "But there is not anything at the moment
that I can say to these students and parents that will help this year.
All I can do is promise to work on it next year."

Working on this sad and inexcusable situation is not enough. It must
be fixed -- and permanently.

We agree with Dr. Albertson's assessment of the colleges' plight: "It
makes you wonder where our priorities are, doesn't it?"

Sadly, it sure does.