Scott signs biggest FAMU budget of his term, spares all the university’s line items

Senate Pres. Don Gaetz (left), Gov. Rick Scott (center), and House Speaker Will Weatherford (right)

On Monday, FAMU received its best budgetary news since Gov. Rick Scott took office. The governor signed the biggest FAMU budget of his term and spared all of the university’s line items.

FAMU received $84,817,515 in General Revenue and $14,834,223 from the Education Enhancement Trust Fund, the largest respective amounts in four years.

The budget also includes a critical $10,000,000 that will help FAMU complete the Phase II building for the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

According to WCTV-6, due to additional funds included inside the General Revenue appropriation, “FAMU pharmacy professors are getting $700,000 in state funding for raises to keep their salaries competitive. Some other big ticket items include $2.5 million for science and technology or STEM enhancement [and] $1-million for distance learning to promote internet classes.”

The budget also authorizes FAMU to take in a total of $72,446,932 in tuition payments. That is down from the $73,003,785 FAMU was authorized to receive last year. But regardless, FAMU’s total tuition payments are not likely to even come close to that number because the legislature continues to assume that every student will take a full course load. That simply doesn’t happen at FAMU or any other state university.