The fledgling medical schools at FIU and UCF would not get state funding this year, under a nearly $300-million list of proposed university system cuts that Gov. Charlie Crist released today.

Crist recommends delaying $10.2-million in startup money that UCF and FIU are depending on to get their recently approved medical schools up and running.

"By delaying the implementation of these
new programs, funding for established, core program instruction can be preserved," say the notes on his spreadsheet of proposed cuts.

Crist also recommends cutting $4-million that lawmakers had approved for hiring top-notch faculty at UF and FSU. He also recommends cutting an $18-million in the popular Bright Futures scholarship program.

That surplus was a result of Crist vetoing a 5 percent in-state undergraduate tuition increase.

But if that surplus is cut, it could cost thousands of Bright Futures recipients come January, when the Board of Governors plans to ignore the veto and raise tuition by up to 5 percent anyway.

If there's no Bright Futures money to cover the hike, about $55 for a 15-credit semester, will families  just have to cover the difference?