Univ cuts beg question: Who will teach P.E.?

Presumably, the state will need more P.E. teachers than ever, given lawmakers' decision this spring to extend the elementary school P.E. requirement to middle school students.

But if universities' budget cut decisions are any indication, a well-trained P.E. teacher might get harder to find. Facing tens of millions less in state funding for the year ahead, universities have started deciding where to cut back. And one common target is the phys ed degree.

UF, FIU and FAU all have cut back or plan to cut eliminate exercise science degree programs. FIU is planning to cut the bachelor's and master's programs in exercise science in the college of education. UF is cutting the bachelor's degree program in physical education, offered through its college of health and human performance. And FAU plans to cut back the scope of its college of education's exercise science program.

The list could grow as colleges like FSU make more budget-cutting decisions in the weeks ahead.

Comments

[Tom Breslin]

A one dollar surcharge on tickets to professional sporting events would provide a fitting endowment for all college and university PE programs in the state.

If we just held a press conference at every school and took lots of pictures of whomevery was teaching PE, we could probably get the Governor to teach them all by himself.