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Local K‑12, college and university leaders press delegation for workforce, STEM and facility funding
Summary
Seminole County public schools, Seminole State College and the University of Central Florida outlined priorities for workforce and STEM funding, requesting appropriations for high school career academies, a $20 million workforce building for Seminole State and nonrecurring funds for UCF expansion.
Leaders from Seminole County Public Schools, Seminole State College and the University of Central Florida urged the Seminole County legislative delegation on Jan. 8 to support appropriations for workforce training, STEM programs and facility construction.
Serena Beaman, Seminole County Public Schools superintendent, thanked the delegation for prior support and said the district will seek continued backing for expansion of the teacher-apprentice program and for an aerospace/advanced-aerospace engineering program at Lyman High School. She also noted almost $2 million in recent appropriations for a health-care academy at Seminole High School and a $925,000 appropriation for Lake Howell's cybersecurity program.
Dr. Lorenz, representing Seminole State College, requested a $20 million appropriation to continue construction of a workforce science and technology center (Building B) at the Altamonte Springs campus; the college said $4.3 million was appropriated in 2023 for planning and design and that AdventHealth has committed $5 million toward construction. Seminole State officials told the delegation the new facility would allow the college to double trained nurses and health professionals in the region.
Janet Owen of the University of Central Florida asked for nonrecurring funds for renovation and expansion of research and engineering space to support a growing engineering student body.
Why it matters: Delegation members will weigh these requests during a session with constrained member-project funding; lawmakers cautioned that statewide project funding is smaller than in recent cycles and asked sponsors to prioritize relative need.
