TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Lottery Revenue Projection Indicates Schools Will Suffer

ADVERTISEMENT

By NICOLA M. WHITE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 9, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - Just when lawmakers thought the state education budget cutbacks couldn't get worse, they did.

Blame it on the dip in people who buy scratch-off lottery tickets. Lottery income, which usually accounts for about 5 percent of the state's education budget, won't be as much as lawmakers had expected this year when they first crafted the school spending plan.

Rep. Joe Pickens, the House education budget chief, is bracing for about a $40 million to $100 million drop in funds, he said Tuesday.

The potential shortfall is grim news to lawmakers already reeling from record budget cutbacks in almost every area of state spending.

"I just don't think any further reductions can be made from health and human services and transportation, who have all donated significantly to support public education," said Pickens, R-Palatka.

The revenue generated from Floridians buying scratch-off tickets or picking numbers for the Florida Lotto has gone down by 9 percent from this time last year, said Jackie Barreiros, spokeswoman for the Florida Lottery.

It's hard to tell why and also difficult to compare year-to-year numbers because participation usually increases when the Lotto jackpot is high, she said. In April last year, one jackpot was $25 million. On the same Saturday this year, she said, it was $10 million.

The soaring price of gas may be keeping people away from gas stations, where the bulk of lottery tickets are sold, Barreiros said.

Still, until the state's revenue forecasters meet today, it's tough to tell exactly how much money could be cut from the education budget, she said.

The House and Senate have been counting on about $400 million from a lottery trust fund to help boost their PreK-12 spending plans. About $60 million of lottery money would fund higher education.

That money pays for everything from faculty salaries to library books, said Dan Holsenbeck, vice president of university relations at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. UCF received $30.8 million in lottery education money this fiscal year.

"As that amount of funding decreases, then we can't hire faculty for vacant positions, we can't recruit the very highest level of graduate faculty and provide them with start up money for research," Holsenbeck said.

To Sen. Charlie Justice, D-St. Petersburg, the potential lottery fund dip signals a need for the state to come up with other ways to plug budget holes.

"Lottery dollars were supposed to be extra, an enhancement. And now we're relying on it way too much," said Justice, a member of the Senate higher education appropriations committee.

"We can't bet our way out of this problem, we've got to have true tax reform," he said.

Reporter Adam Emerson contributed to this report. Reporter Nicola M. White can be reached at nwhite1@tampatrib.com or (850) 222-8382.

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT