FEA prepares for property tax battle. Or is it?

The Florida Education Association is mounting a challenge against the property tax plan but is holding off on a formal campaign in hopes of exacting an iron-clad guarantee that schools will be held harmless.

And a mere promise from Gov. Charlie Crist won't cut it. "I need something in my hand, a verbal commitment doesn't get me anything, " FEA President Andy Ford said during a 1 p.m. news conference.

Ford estimated the proposal could cut $1.8-billion to $3-billion over five years. "Let me say clearly, that the current proposal does not hold education harmless and as promised, the FEA cannot support and will not support the current plan in its current form, based upon the information we have today."

Crist, who called Ford Tuesday, and lawmakers have promised to restore the money but educators want more than a promise. What that could resemble remains to be seen. Ford said the organization would continue to talk with Crist and legislative leaders in advance of the regular session.

Meanwhile, the group will conduct polling and marshal other forces for a potential assault on the plan, which doubles the homestead exemption, provides Save Our Homes portability and caps nonhomestead property assessments at 10 percent annually.

Ford said "it's always a possibility" to challenge the proposal on the grounds that portability is unconstitutional. "We have had preliminary conversations with a variety of people and our options are still open at this point."

Comments

Can anyone trust CC at this point? Taxes dropping like a rock, the insurance mess being fixed, etc. How is he going to restore $3 billion? We're in a budget shortfall.

"I need something in my hand" ... Yea Andy, I bet you do.

Arlene; it’s going to take more than a laptop to Eddie back this time. He is the one that knows everything about you and the way you back stab people. He knows all your screw-ups from the campaign to the governor’s office. I can’t wait for him to start blogging.
Shouldn’t there be a new release about Arlene’s long time assistance leaving or was he fried. If he left where’s he going or if he was fired what did he do to get fired.

"TRUST US" is Republican code for " YOU'RE SCREWED".

“…lawmakers have promised to restore the money…”

Umm… Buahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa… whoooooooo, that’s a good one, hahahahahahahahaaaaaa… hey, do you think they would promise to lower property insurance rates while they’re at it… Hhahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaa… how about promising to lower property taxes too… Hahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaa… whoooooo, that’s rich… hahahahahahahahaaaaa… hey, why not go for while you’re on a roll. See if you can get Chuck to promises to stop penciling-in “photo-op” in his day planner… Buahahahahahahahahaaaaaa… whoooooooo, you kids crack me up… hahahahahahaaaaaa…

Since when is the FEA relevant in FL? Oh yeah, since the Guv started pandering to them along with every other left wing group.

[Will]

Who gives a damn what the FEA believes. 2.4 billion over years will be made up EASILY.

First, its a theoretical cut, only on portability, so actual funding will NOT be cut, it will limit increases.

Second, the housing expansion from passing this will in fact funnel more money to the state, and to local govts to fund the schools.

Teachers unions = terrorists. Plain and simple.

Question: Why does the state spend over $7400 per student for education in public schools when your average private school charges around $5000 per year in annual tuition (and with much better academic results, I might add)???

Answer: Teacher unions.

[Spot]

Will says "Second, the housing expansion from passing this will in fact funnel more money to the state, and to local govts to fund the schools."

You must be a VooDoo economics graduate to believe that one. People are afraid to buy because of falling market values all over the country. Who wants to buy a house that is going to be worth less in a year? For that matter, who is going to write the mortgage for it? Countrywide?

2:08 & 2:32,

You are both complete freaking morons who haven’t one damn clue what you puke about. YOU ARE the reason terrorists attack us… YOU ARE the reason our system is so fouled up… YOU ARE the true definition of “Anti-American”… YOU ARE despicable, excuses for human beings… YOU ARE the very lowest of the low… YOU ARE just barely able to look over the curb, once you push aside the huge pile of dung you call your cranium and stand on each other.

3:07 - and YOU are a public school teacher. That makes you worse.

[terminator]

Will:
I think you're off base this time.
While no one knows exactly what will happen with regard to portability, the economic situation doesn't look real good at this time.
We'll see what comes out of the next revenue estimating conference but I'd say right now we're probably looking at about a one and one half billion dollar hole in next year's budget.
I firmly support what Andy's doing.
"Show me the money". We can't accept promises like "trust us".
I was suggesting he invite Charlie, Pruitt and Marco to the press conference and have them sign over IOU's to cover the difference.

2:32
Show me a private school with $5,000 tuition and I'll show you a really *hitty private school.
You sir, are a complete moron.
Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life my friend!

FEA will cave to the RINO Governor and do whatever he wants. What a joke.
3:07 - You should read this.

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3125396&page=1

Ed doesn't need more money - they need to get rid of the unions and spend less money on administration fees, etc.

if Tornillo were still in charge, we'd be fighting this amendment already.

what are we waiting for???

3:18, No, I’m not a School teacher. One thing I am, that you are not… is an American who cares about more than where to get the cheapest help to mow my yard… you freaking pathetic punk.

I think terminator put it best, so I’ll just let his words describe you…

“You sir, are a complete moron.
Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life my friend!”

Terminator, you need to check your facts.

I live in a central Florida county and the top private elementary school in the county charges $4800 a year.

Go soak your head...

[moderate]

terminator

Columbus Highschool in Miami-Dade County, whose had many an alumni serve as both elected officials and staff within the Capital.

Current Tuition = Just under $5,000

By the way. The Columbus Explorers are 8-0 in the 6A division in football.

The star running back at Columbus' father is at 23 year public school teacher in Miami-Dade County, and he sent his son to a private highschool.

Go Figure!

A decent private grammar school in Florida is going to charge $8,000-15,000/year.

A Catholic parochial school might charge $5000, but parish/diocese is subsidizing tuition.

[terminator]

well we're having a lively discussion now folks.

3:43
I don't think he will. I think he will do the smart thing and extract as much as he possibly can while doing what's best for his membership (Go Andy)!

3:48
While true, Pat was a firebrand, I think we're into a new era where leadership is a little more tempered and must examine the issue from all angles. Public education has gotten alot more complicated over the past decade or so.
Also, keep in mind, Tornillo dealt with D Governors, and D legislatures. We're dealing with neither. Currently only half of all public school teachers even belong to the union (most are scabs who just ride off the dues of others while still receiving the same benefits).

3:54
That may be the tuition but how much are all the fees these private schools soak you for?
And are they required to provide bus transportation?
Are they required to pay obscene amounts of money to "educate" severely emotionally handicapped kids who are basically vegetables and require one on one supervision by a staff member? Doubtfully.
Do they have to administer all this state/federal crap like FCAT/NCLB? How much do you think that cost? I think you know the answers to those questions.
Life's easy when you're running one school. Talk to me when you're running thousands.

moderate:
some of my relatives attended Columbus so I'm very familiar with the school.
Keep in mind the Archdiocese subsidizes their schools in order to keep tuition affordable for the middle class.
Now compare that to Ransom, Belen, Lourdes, Carrolton, North Broward Prep, Pinecrest, Palmer, Westminister etc. etc.
I'm sure the teacher just thinks his kid will get better scholarship offers by playing at Columbus.
If it's so great, why doesn't he go teach there?
Columbus is a good team but they're still going to get beat by Northwestern (a public school)!

[Will]

I went to catholic school, the same school of which currently charges approximately $3900 per year, and the diocese does not subsidize it at all.

Get back to work stealing my tax dollar, Will... errr... talking-points, minion staffer!

If the FEA were as good at educating kids as they are at looking out for themselves, we would be raising a society of Einsteins.

If private catholic schools were as good at educating kids as they are at molesting them, we would be raising a society of Einsteins.

[terminator]

5:39
FEA is a labor union that is given the charge of looking out for it's membership who pay almost $800 per year to belong to their local/state and national affiliates.
Since teachers have become a convenient whipping boy for many in society who have abrogated their own personal responsibility as it pertains to raising their children (preferring instead to dump it on the schools), the union is necessary to protect educators from the onslaught of anti-public education detractors who have nothing better to do than tear down rather than build up and only wish to point fingers at others for their own shortcomings.
This would include self-serving politicians wishing to privitize public education for the financial betterment of themselves/cronies at the expense of students, teachers and schools.
If you're so interested in the betterment of students, why don't you go out and organize your own special interest group?

Who the heck cares if Florida Education Association supports it or not.

I hope it gets defeated. The citizens of FL will put a better relief amendment for a vote.

School unions are crooks.

The cost of public education is totally out of control. FEA's attitude that any discussion of trying reign in increases is a threat to everyone's way of life is a joke. I'm sick of it.

[terminator]

8:02
You've got to be smoking crack or something.
Everyone knows Florida ranks 49th out of 50 states in per student spending.
Florida's investment (or lack thereof) in public education has led to one of the highest drop-out rates in the nation, some of the lowest (average) SAT/ACT test scores and a service sector economy filled with scores of minimum wage laborers.
You can thank your boy Jeb for shifting the burden from the state which used to spend about 65% of GR on public education (K-12, community college, SUS) to the local property taxpayer.
Now the state's burden has fallen to around 50% and the RLE has picked up the slack.
People weren't complaining when their property values were skyrocketing but now that the market has tanked and the taxes have become untenable, people are starting to realize they've been screwed.
Wake up Floridians! How long can you go around with your head up your doo doo holes?

Columbus hasn't played Northwestern yet.
Belen almost beat them as well.

[terminator]

but they may very well in the playoffs

Table 5. Current Expenditures ($) per Student in Public K-12 Schools,

2004-05

Rank State 2004-05
1 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 15,073 *
2 NEW JERSEY 13,370
3 NEW YORK 12,879 *
4 CONNECTICUT 11,874
5 MASSACHUSETTS 11,681
6 VERMONT 11,667
7 DELAWARE 11,016 *
8 MAINE 10,723
9 RHODE ISLAND 10,641 *
10 WYOMING 10,372
11 ALASKA 10,042 *
12 WISCONSIN 9,805 *
13 MICHIGAN 9,784 *
14 PENNSYLVANIA 9,570 *
15 OHIO 9,557 *
16 NEW HAMPSHIRE 9,555
17 WEST VIRGINIA 9,461
18 ILLINOIS 9,327
19 MARYLAND 9,281 *
20 MINNESOTA 9,249
21 GEORGIA 8,882
22 VIRGINIA 8,729
23 INDIANA 8,723 *
UNITED STATES 8,661 *
24 HAWAII 8,639
25 COLORADO 8,337
26 NEW MEXICO 8,178
27 SOUTH CAROLINA 8,035
28 MONTANA 8,025 *
29 CALIFORNIA 7,942
30 KENTUCKY 7,906
31 OREGON 7,842
32 KANSAS 7,693
33 WASHINGTON 7,683
34 LOUISIANA 7,656
35 IOWA 7,610
36 NEBRASKA 7,586
37 SOUTH DAKOTA 7,536
38 MISSOURI 7,398
39 NORTH CAROLINA 7,392
40 NORTH DAKOTA 7,377
41 TEXAS 7,310
42 FLORIDA 7,181
43 ALABAMA 7,028
44 TENNESSEE 6,855
45 IDAHO 6,743 *
46 NEVADA 6,709
47 OKLAHOMA 6,614
48 MISSISSIPPI 6,452 *
49 ARKANSAS 6,202 *
50 ARIZONA 5,474 *
51 UTAH 5,032
Computed from NEA Research, Estimates Database (2006). K–12 = "Elementary and Secondary" (see Glossary).
From Rankings & Estimates 2005-2006, Rankings, Table H-11.

you can sell that garbage about FL's underpaid and underappreciated public education workforce to the AFL-CIO parasites. Hillsborough Co's own published stats show over 700 public school techers earning more than $60,000 and even highlighted an elementary school teacher earning OVER $100,000...for working only 9 months out of 12 (and that was before this year's icreases). Do you want to look at public sector benefits in comparison to what the average private sector wage earner recieves???? How about retirement???

FEA should be abolished. If it was really concerned about its members and not just its powerful political profile, why would it extort almost $1,000 a year from hard working educators whom it describes as 'struggling to make ends meet'?

[terminator]

11:29
they don't extract anything.
Members belong because they want to be in the union, Florida is a right to work state.
For that, they get political representation locally and at the state/national levels, protection against arbitrary termination, protection against dictatorial administrators and a professional organization whom represents their interests as it pertains to collective bargaining issues.
Everything teachers work for they deserve and a lot more.
Teaching is a much more stressful occupation than it was back in the day.
Ten months of public school employment would be the equivalent to twelve months or more of work in the private sector.
Our profession has been under attack the past ten years. We are always fending off bad legislation aimed at marginalizing public education K-12.
I think many are jealous because teachers have more rights and privilages than the average Joe's out there in the private sector.
Don't forget, those are rights we have fought incessantly for over the course of many years.
I thought supposedly things were a lot better in the private sector?

Spending does not equate with good students.

Look at other countries especially in Europe & Asia.

China has some of the lowest spending yet some of the best students.

Enough said

[terminator]

5:57
yeah but everyone knows Chinese (and Asian students) work alot harder than American students.
Also, there are no minorities in China, Korea, Japan to drag down test scores.
Why do you think everyone's buying Honda, Toyota, Acura, Lexus, etc.?
Nuff said!

It seems that 5:57 is touting the benefits of living in a Comunist country. It also is much cheeper to make things there, but that doesn't make a Chinese worker better than a US worker. Their government is cheeper to own, too. I think you should move there right now.

For terminator, I wonder why he blames the students. Why not the unions?

Also, terminator, is it TRUE that unions do EXTRACT the cost of bargaining even from NONMEMBERS of the union? If so, what makes you any different from the administrators that you claim a pigs sucking on the public tit except for the fact that they are actually authorized and responsible for running the system while you are just a leach on it? EXACTLY.

9:23 did a great job of showing the stats for 2004-2005 (3 years ago) but where does Florida rank now? And make sure that you take the cuts from last month into effect. Also, are you BOASTING that Florida isn't 49th but is only 42nd? That is something to be proud of for sure.

Also note that the median state spent $1000 per student more than Florida. With 2.5 million students, Florida is underspending for our students by $2.5 billion just to be AVERAGE with the stated goal of having world class outcomes. If you want the abosolute BEST, the idea that you can even get it for average spending is a stretch.

Also take in the fact that FL income level at all other fields are in the lower quartile too. Soo Teachers salary should be too.

You get the privelege of living in a no income tax state, lots of sun & beaches, state with large metro areas, warm climate. That all equate to value.

As for Communist country, I didn't know most of the Scandinavian or EU countries are communist, yet there students do more for less.

Also take in the fact that FL income level at all other fields are in the lower quartile too. Soo Teachers salary should be too.

You get the privelege of living in a no income tax state, lots of sun & beaches, state with large metro areas, warm climate. That all equate to value.

As for Communist country, I didn't know most of the Scandinavian or EU countries are communist, yet their students do more for less.

Lets talk this one through... since the spending is per student, what should we take a look at... and I may be totally off base - but if you say so, please come back with numbers or ideas instead of insults.

lets make this a little easier - lets compare two school systems - one with 100 students and 1 facility and one with 1000 students and 5 facilities. Assume same class sizes, etc.

The two systems require the same infrastructure - buldings and all the stuff to go along with that. Would it cost more per student for the lesser system?

We can debate class size etc., but that just shows a cursory comparison of one component isn't necessarily fair.

All this reminds me of the arguments the local teachers union members in North Florida used about teacher salaries - we are losing teachers who live in Florida and go over the border to Georgia to teach. But they never mentioned anything about retirement, benefits, state income taxes, etc.

6:50 p.m., but it IS true that teachers were leaving. So, you may think that it was better here, but as a "free market" thinker, you must realize that you are wrong to think that working conditions and benefits were more valuable in Florida. If it were true, the teachers wouldn't be leaving.

7:38pm,

Lots of young people leave FL for other "hipper" states to find work, but the funny thing is they come back after they retire.

7:38pm,

Lots of young people leave FL for other "hipper" states to find work, but the funny thing is they come back after they retire or want to start a family.