March 1, 2010

Legislature Starts Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Budget, Jobs, Schools, Ethics on Tap for Florida Legislators

It is going to be another lean budget this year for Florida. Expenses are outpacing any revenue increase, and the state is predicting a budget shortfall of as much as 3 billion dollars. Tough choices will be made. Here are two links from articles that explain the major issues facing the Florida Legislature in 2010:

The Ledger.com - LINK

Jacksonville.com - LINK

Florida’s Class Size - What's The Right Size?

As the legislature convenes this week, Florida’s debate over class-size will heat up, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Florida voters in 2002 changed the state's constitution to require smaller class sizes in their public schools. But after nearly eight years, and $15.5 billion spent, 32 percent are still too crowded.

The class-size measure was approved by 52 percent of the voters in 2002 as an amendment to the state constitution.

It requires that by the start of the 2010-11 school year, there be no more than 18 students in pre-K-to-third-grade classes, no more than 22 in fourth-to-eighth-grade classes and no more than 25 in high school courses. The law doesn't apply electives or "specials," such as art and physical education, so those classes can be larger.

Click the link above for the full article.

Florida Education Foundations Want Class Size Amendment Changed

According to the results of a new survey sponsored by the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations, the vast majority of board members of Florida's education foundations think the class-size amendment costs too much and needs to be tweaked for flexibility. Click link above to read the survey.

December 10, 2009

Lawmakers Hunting for Money for Public Schools

Florida education officials are trying to cobble together an application for millions of dollars in federal grant money as state lawmakers and educators across the state are worried about where they will get money for next year’s public school budget.

The state’s public schools have had a series of ups and downs in the past year. Graduation rates are higher than ever before and test scores have improved slightly. But, funding has been on a downward spiral. In 2007-2008, the per pupil spending was $7,126, the following year it was $6,844, and this year it is $6,873.

And the loss of funding has meant layoffs and program cuts at schools across the state. It has also made it difficult for some schools to comply with class size requirements. Currently, 72 schools across the state are in violation of a constitutional requirement mandating certain class sizes per grade level.

Read more from the Jacksonville Observer here: LINK

December 7, 2009

"Perfect Storm" Hitting Florida Funding For Education

In the past few years, population growth -- the main engine driving the state's economy -- has stalled. And this year, for the first time since World War II, more people are expected to move out of Florida than move in.

At the same time, the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression is shredding school-district budgets, forcing some to close campuses, cut school days and curtail services.

An infusion of nearly $1 billion in federal stimulus money, credited with saving more than 18,000 education jobs in Florida, has helped stave off a deeper crisis. But the state's public schools, on average, started this school year with $418 less per kid than they had at the start of the 2007-08 school year.

State economists predict Florida's budget pain will continue for at least the next three years, with tanking growth drying up billions of dollars in needed revenue. That will hurt all services, including public education.

Schools also will be hurt by the sluggish housing market, which means fewer dollars in property taxes collected for schools, and by the loss of federal money slated to run out next year.

Click here for the rest of the Orlando Sentinel story: LINK

May 12, 2009

Florida Gets Federal Education Stimulus Money

Florida's application for federal stimulus money (and the needed waiver) has been approved by the U.S. DOE, according to U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Orlando.
But the money won't be sent Florida's way until the federal Office of Management and Budget authorizes the transfer -- a process that could be finished within days, Grayson said.

State lawmakers were counting on some $2 billion in stimulus money (delivered over two years) to shore up depleted school budgets. Grayson was in Orlando this morning, meeting with superintendents from Lake, Marion, Orange, and Osceola counties. The money (when it arrives) will be a big factor in school budgets in coming years. Orange's public schools, for example, are slated to get more than $58 million. LINK

May 10, 2009

Fla.'s Budget Blues May Not Be Finished

TALLAHASSEE | Florida's elected leaders faced one historic choice this year as they faced a three-year plummet in spending: Hope that the past boom times will come again or prepare for a new world.

Presented with that option with hundreds of bills and proposals, lawmakers left Tallahassee last week with an eye toward the past, opting for slapdash first aid to tide the state over until the tourists and construction workers rise again. Instead of long-term fixes for loopholes in the state's sales and corporate taxes, lawmakers agreed to raise money by nearly quadrupling the state's cigarette tax and expanding gambling.

They borrowed from savings accounts, even those that promised immediate economic benefits. And they quietly took $5 billion in federal stimulus money that allowed them to barely maintain education spending that has dropped in the past three years.
Wayne Blanton, executive director for the Florida School Boards Association, said the time has long come for Florida to expand the number of things that are taxed to prevent the over-reliance on tourism and growth.

"Florida has lived on growth. Every four or five years, there was a million more people here," said Blanton. "They're not coming anymore. That means we've got to rethink how we fund government. We have funded it off of pure growth and we haven't had to worry . There needs to be some statesmen come up to bat."

Blanton said that schools have already cut or eliminated non-classroom programs like athletics and intramural programs and things like art and music classes may be next.
"What quality of life do you want?" said Blanton. "If you want less, that's okay but if you want where it is now, we've got to figure out a way to fund it." LINK

April 27, 2009

State applies for education stimulus money

After taking heat last week for a delay in applying for federal education stimulus funds, Gov. Charlie Crist submitted the state's application Friday night.

The 17-page application is signed by Crist and Education Commissioner Eric Smith. The federal government has said it can take two weeks to be processed. Because lawmakers are relying on $2 billion in stimulus funds to shore up the education budget, the news can't come soon enough.

Crist signed the section when it indicates Florida needs a waiver because the state hasn't maintained education spending at 2005-06 levels, as required by the federal stimulus program. LINK

Link to the 17-page application

House passes bill giving voters a say in class sizes

TALLAHASSEE - Seven years ago, Florida voters approved a ballot measure to shrink class sizes in public schools. Friday, the state House decided voters should reconsider.

By a 78 to 41 vote, the House passed a measure that would give voters the choice to reduce the strictest and most expensive parts of the 2002 class-size amendment, which are to take effect next year.

If the Senate also passes the resolution, voters could decide in November 2010 if they want class sizes in core academic courses to remain as they are now. Sixty percent would have to vote "yes" for the resolution to take effect.

The measure would keep class sizes calculated as a school-wide average but maximum class sizes would jump to 21, 27 and 30, depending on grade level. Now the law says that by 2010-11 there can be no more than 18 students in pre-K to third-grade classes, no more than 22 in fourth- to eighth-grade classes and no more than 25 in high school courses. LINK

Education commish: We're 'strategically' waiting to apply for stimulus funds

Education Commissioner Eric Smith, responding to questions about why Florida has not submitted its application for federal education stabilization funds, said this morning that they have "strategically waited" to get all the right information.

"We’ve had the application and we’ve been working on it with the U.S. Department of Education and the Governor’s office for weeks," Smith said. "And it is ready to go. It’s complete. The waiver is what we don’t have. We originally were told the waiver would come with the application. … It just hasn’t materialized yet. Now we’re told it will be May 1."

Because Florida has not maintained education spending at 2005-06 levels, as required by the federal stimulus program, the state must apply for a waiver to qualify for $2 billion in funds already figured into House and Senate education budgets for 2009-10.

A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Education said they're waiting for Florida's application and don't understand what the holdup is. Smith said his office is in daily contact with the federal education office.

On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, sent a letter to Smith, Gov. Charlie Crist and other key leaders telling them to get the application in. Asked what if he had a response to the letter from Meek, a candidate for U.S. Senate, Smith said: "No opinion. No comment." LINK

April 9, 2009

Florida House, Senate ready for budget negotiations; Lawmakers to return Monday

House and Senate budget committees on Tuesday approved $65 billion state spending plans that were near in numbers but philosophically far apart as the Florida Legislature took a long holiday weekend break.

Lawmakers will return Monday to finish a few budget-related bills and steer the conflicting House and Senate versions of the package into a joint committee for negotiations in the final three weeks of the 60-day session.

Major differences include pay cuts for state employees, a $1 tobacco-tax increase and privatization of a large mental hospital in Northeast Florida. The Senate plan is about $600 million higher than the House budget. The House generally relies on no new taxes and deeper cuts in services while the Senate committee endorsed the tobacco-tax hike and took a smaller bite out of spending. The House has no cigarette tax hike. MORE

First wave of stimulus money hits Florida

This is the money for low-income kids and those with disabilities, which states don't have to apply for. The remaining stimulus funds have to be applied for. Florida isn't funding schools at 2006 levels, so it has to apply for a waiver to get the federal money. Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith is confident he'll get approved.

Duncan said his office is committed to working quickly to get Florida's kids the extra money. He didn't say whether he's greenlighting Florida's green, but he did say he'll be looking for "proportionality" -- meaning lawmakers haven't cut more from those coffers than others.

And he had one warning -- no shellgames. If the US DOE finds any funky numbers in any of the required reporting on a wide range of data, he'll withhold the money, which rolls out to states in waves. More...

Duncan: Feds ready to work quickly with Florida

If Florida wants its share of education stabilization funds from the federal stimulus plan, it has a simple task ahead. It must prove in its waiver application that its cuts to education since 2006 were proportional to the cuts it made to other government services. The state has to qualify for the waiver because it has not maintained its funding effort during that period.

"If they can demonstrate that education hasn't been cut more than other areas, they'll be in good shape," U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said during a news conference about the stimulus funding. Florida is to receive the application today, and state officials plan to submit it by the end of the week.

"We look forward to getting their application and turning around an answer very, very quick," Duncan said. "We recognize the real sense of urgency in Florida and our staff is poised to work very, very quickly." More...

April 22, 2009

April 2, 2009

Quote of the Day:

"What we're doing is we're inflating, we're shifting, we're doing these things to make education seem as though it's priority enough to get the stimulus dollars,"

- Rep. Dwight Bullard, R-Miami, a member of the House preK-12 appropriations committee, which approved its budget Thursday.

April 1, 2009

Senate Panels Approve Education Budgets

By unanimous votes, the Senate preK-12 and higher education appropriations committees approved proposed budgets for the 2009-10 school year today, with both panels touting little or no net reductions to funding.

In preK-12, per-student funding holds steady at the 2008-09 level of $6.860.36. This is achieved primarily by using federal stimulus funds and by including money from a proposed gaming compact. Outside of per-student funding, programs take a 15 percent cut. "It's painful, it's difficult and it's not over," said committee chairman Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville.

In higher education, the committee started by passing Sen. Ken Pruitt's bill to allow all state universities to raise tuition by as much as 15 percent every year until they reach the national average. Revenue from that measure, as well as an 8 percent hike in community college tuition, staves off some cuts. Members of both committees expressed concern over banking on stimulus money and an unapproved gaming compact, with Sen. Jim King, R-Jacksonville, asking his higher education colleagues whether there's a "fallback plan."

Panel chair Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, said there are a variety of proposals floating around that could close such a gap, but admitted: "We would be in a huge hole if we didn't get those dollars." LINK

$1 Cigarette Tax Passes First Hurdle

The Senate Finance and Tax Committee unanimously voted Tuesday to raise the cigarette tax $1 per pack and increase the tax on cigars and smokeless tobacco $1 per ounce.

Supporters called it an historic opportunity to raise nearly $1 billion in new revenue and use the money to discourage smoking and offset the state’s Medicaid program that pays to treat sick smokers. Opponents warned it would devastate Florida’s hometown cigar business and kill jobs. They called it a shell game based on bogus numbers that won’t realize the savings lawmakers expect.

“You can’t get there from here,’’ warned John French, lobbyist for cigarette maker Altria, formerly Philip Morris. He tried to dismantle the revenue projections lawmakers assumed when passing the bill. “You’re basically victimized by frankly sloppy work by the people who make these numbers.”

Senators defended the proposal, pushed by Democratic Sen. Ted Deutchand Republican Thad Altman. It is expected to win widespread approval in the Republican-led Senate, as lawmakers warm to raising the vice tax. LINK

More Vanishing Revenue: $1 Billion From Gambling Plan Not Possible

State economists threw cold water on the vaunted projections of the Senate's ambitious gambling bill bringing in more than $1 billion.The real number should be closer to $400 million, with the new money coming from giving the Seminole Tribe full casino gambling, the economists said.

But the net effect of opening more games for parimutuels is an immediate decline in net revenue. Here's a link to the report.

House Budget Preserves Per-student Funding, Slashes Elsewhere

House education budget-writers rolled out a plan to give a slight boost in per-pupil education funding to Florida 67 school districts through a combination of federal stimulus dollars, and slashes to other areas like textbooks, construction and transportation.

The spending plan rolled out in the House PreK-12 Education Appropriations Committee deals with a 12-percent drop in property tax revenues statewide by plugging $865 million in federal economic stimulus funds into the school funding system.

The main way House lawmakers would pay for it is by shifting things that the state traditionally pays 100 percent of the costs for – instructional materials, transportation for students and teacher training – into the state’s school-finance program, which means the state and local districts would split the costs.

The state would also "transfer" a sliver of the local property tax revenues school districts devote to construction into direct classroom aid. LINK

March 26, 2009

New taxes? Senate, yes. House, no way!

Senate to move cig tax and tax loopholes bills next week

TALLAHASSEE - Forced by the state's grim budget to take up bills it has long resisted, the Senate Finance and Tax Committee today announced it will hear three bills on Tuesday to raise the cigarette tax $1 and two others to close corporate and documentary stamp tax loopholes.

"This is a very very important issue to our state,'' said Sen. Thad Altman, a Melbourne Republilcan and chairman of the committee. "It's the key to the future viability of our state to address them and it's something we must do.''

The Senate is planning to raise about $2.1 billion in additional taxes and fees, including $688 million from a massive expansion of gambling and from the Seminole gaming compact. That list includes $870 million from a $1 per pack cigarette tax hike, more than $740 million from closing tax loopholes and eliminating sales tax exemptions, new excises taxes and fees and $64 million from a university tuition hike. (Story here.)

Gambling expansion bill zips through Senate committee

TALLAHASSEE — In less than an hour, the Senate Regulated Industries Committee on Wednesday authorized an expansion of gambling in Florida, that would give the Seminoles full-scale casinos with roulette wheels and craps tables while offering lighter-fare games to horse and dog tracks around the state.

"Don't kid yourself. We are a gaming state, so why wouldn't we want to be the cream of the crop rather than losing citizens going somewhere else?" said Sen. Dennis Jones, the sponsor of the two bills and chairman of the committee.

The state would reap $1 billion a year in new revenue. LINK

Quote of the day

We're hoping and praying that the money will be there."

--Senate Pre-K-12 Appropriations Committee Chairman Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, about the chamber's proposed education budget.

March 25, 2009

State Senate budget leaders count on support for new taxes

TALLAHASSEE — Florida Senate budget writers sent a message to the House and governor Wednesday: It's time to start talking about new taxes.

They are prepared to increase cigarette taxes, eliminate sales tax exemptions, and even ask voters to raise the state sales tax a penny to pay for public education.

The Senate is so determined to get new money, it released its education budget Wednesday dependent on revenue from a new gambling agreement with the Seminole Tribe and a promise of revenues from tax increases. LINK to TampaBay.com

House Pushes Ahead on Raising Graduation Standards

Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, was in front of the House preK-12 appropriations committee this afternoon to pitch HB 1293, which raises the high school graduation standards by requiring certain math and science courses. LINK

March 24, 2009

More Education Money is On The Way

The money is part of the economic stimulus plan, but it’s being held back as punishment for deep spending cuts to education. State spending on schools has fallen four billion dollars over the past two years. Link to WCTV News

Stimulus Funding Update

Governor Crist has unveiled a new website that will allow Floridians to access detailed information on the federal economic stimulus funding that is on its way to Florida.This is a new site that is likely to be updated often with new information, so you may wish to BookMark the site and check it frequently for the latest news: www.FlaRecovery.com

2009 Legislature Roundup

The Florida Legislature is in session through May 1. The key issues in the fourth week of session and what's coming up. Get updates at floridacapitalnews.com.

Superintendents in Tallahassee this week

Flagler County Superintendent Bill Delbrugge will visit with our area legislators and attend an important Florida Association of District School Superintendents conference in Tallahassee this week. Also, the legislature is scheduled to release their preliminary budget on Friday. The local district will learn a lot about where local funding is headed on Friday.

From the GRADEBOOK Blog: (http://blogs.tampabay.com/schools/)

Some stimulus money, waiver application, on way to Florida
A big chunk of the federal stimulus money is on its way to Florida schools, with the money for Title I (high poverty schools) and IDEA (special education) set to arrive within two to three weeks, Florida Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith told superintendents in a conference call this morning.

Over two years, the stimulus is sending $458 million for Title I in Florida and $627 million for IDEA. You can find the estimated district-by-district numbers here and here. Meanwhile, the state expects to receive a waiver applicationfor the $2.2 billion stabilization portion of the stimulus somewhere around the end of the month, Smith said.
That’s the money Gov. Crist wants to incorporate into next year’s budget to shrink the size of the state’s massive revenue shortfall.“We have been working very closely with others here in Tallahassee and we’ll be ready to respond to the application very promptly,” Smith said.

Make Education A Priority:
The Ocala Star-Banner joins a growing list of papers curious about Florida lawmakers' lack of passion for pumping money into public education.
What To Cut?
As the numbers worsen, Orange explores all its budget options, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Good Idea, Bad Timing:
The push to improve Florida's education standards would be more welcome if the state also weren't facing billion-dollar cuts to education budgets, Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Thomas writes.

March 21, 2009

Funding education in Florida: Can we afford to bail out schools?

TALLAHASSEE — The worry was palpable, from the faces of teachers crammed onto the Capitol steps to the desperate number-crunching of policymakers within its halls. As educators descended on the Capitol steps by the busload this week to decry further education-budget cuts, lawmakers and budget-writers huddled in windowless workrooms and committees resigned themselves to the same conclusion: Florida was on cruise control to a classroom calamity.

During the real-estate boom earlier this decade, the Legislature let school spending grow, buoyed by the steady climb in state-mandated school-district property taxes. But as the economy tanked, school property taxes went with it. They are expected to further fall by a staggering $1.1 billion during the next year.

Combined with the decline of the state's main cash source — the sales tax — school districts statewide are facing massive, 16 percent reductions if lawmakers choose to cut their way out of the $6.1 billion shortfall for the fiscal year that starts July 1. Lawmakers are assuming they'll have about $3 billion in federal stimulus money to fill that hole. But the U.S. Department of Education isn't expected to tell states such as Florida how to apply for a federal waiver to tap more than $2 billion in education money until next month.

Click HERE for more on this article from OrlandoSentinel.com

Capitol PTA rally brings out crowds

March 19, 2009 -- Handmade signs were visible and lively chants were audible Wednesday on the steps of the Capitol as a sea of people attempted to show a bold support of public education.

More than 2,400 people from throughout Florida came out to a rally hosted by the Florida Parent Teacher Association. Phrases like "No more cuts" and "Fund education, save a generation" were among the many pleas made by concerned citizens. "The Legislature said they had not heard from our parents. So we decided to come up here so they could hear your voices," said Karin Brown, Florida PTA president.

LINK for more on this article from Tallahassee.com

PECO Dollars Continue Ugly Slide

MARCH 16, 2009 -- The ugly news continue to roll from state economists. This afternoon, they determined that there will be $157 million in less school construction money for the upcoming budget due to plummeting utility tax receipts.

In November, they were expecting $517 million. Today that was reduced to $359 million. The forecast is darker for the 2010-11 budget, with a $402 million PECO shortfall. The slide continues through 2012-13. PECO is short for public education construction outlay.

LINK to Article at NAKED POLITICS / Miami Herald

Budget Crisis Issue Number One For Florida DOE

TALLAHASSEE -- The State Board of Education will hear from superintendents, community college representatives and nationally recognized education policy experts on Monday as part of an in-depth budget workshop being held in Tallahassee. The primary purpose of the workshop is to examine Florida’s current fiscal situation and discuss recommendations that will build upon the many educational advancements our students have achieved throughout the past decade. Margaret Smith, Volusia County Public Schools superintendent, is expected to give a presentation on funding for K-12 public schools.

LINK to Florida Department of Education Agenda for March 16th Meeting