05.31.12 Financial data distributed in a Senate committee Monday that showed the LSU Health Science Center's Shreveport medical school in fairly good shape falls short of showing the real picture, says Sen. Sherri Smith Buffington, R-Keithville.

A spreadsheet showing the Board of Regents' distribution of state general funds indicates that the medical school was being cut $6.3 million in the proposed budget that goes into effect July 1. An amendment by Sen. Greg Tarver, D-Shreveport, allocated almost $5 million to the school, reducing the shortfall.

While that makes it appear that most of the impending cut was to be restored, Buffington says "there's still a huge gap. As the bill left Senate Finance, there's a $35 million hole."