Detert: Time for Florida to declare a financial emergency

State Sen. Nancy Detert, chairwoman of the Senate Pre-k-12 Education Committee, sees Florida's economic crisis as so severe that it requires drastic action to help public schools survive.

"I am for, frankly, declaring a financial emergency and to set this financial emergency for two years, so it has a beginning date and an ending date. And within those two years to give school districts flexibility -- totally -- even including spending capital money on operating if that's the best they can do," Detert, a Sarasota County Republican, told the Gradebook.

It appears the governor could take such action, if certain conditions are met. Detert -- a former Sarasota School Board member -- contends that such a move, though harsh, would help to "break the chains" the state has placed on local school districts.

"Maybe we'll all end up better off in the end," she said.

Visit the Gradebook at noon Saturday for a full interview with Nancy Detert.

Comments

Termie makes a lot of sense. I agree that the money should have lots of strings so that upper level district admins don't spend the additional capital funding into oblivion. The money needs to go to the classroom, not the overpaid district admins and their cronies.

I am starting to think that terminator has switched from alcohol to something much stronger. Get help, friend.

Termie...you are such an a**hole. Why don't you go play in traffic and do us all a favor.

[terminator]

5:26
you are a total dope and obviously don't know much about Florida school district's shameful behavior over the past twenty some years.
The best thing that could ever happen is what's happening now.
Cut these bast***s to the bone!
Make them spend the money where they were SUPPOSED to be spending it....on the kids, the teachers and in the schools, not on overpaid, corrupt inept bureaucrats at the school district office.
We have already met with the top R legislators and are urging them to place a lot of strings on any additional "flexibility" the legislature may provide local districts.
The strings will include getting rid of all the deadwood administrators on DROP (double dippers).
Detert is a minor player and will play little to no role over how much money the districts get.
The appropriations chairs are the ones who make those decisions, so if you school board minions have invested your stock with her, sorry we've already beat you to the punch since we're in with the decision makers who are going to make your lives miserable next year!

Finally, someone with brains in charge of education in Tallahassee.

Good idea, give school districts just enough rope to hand themselves. Full flexibility so they can pilfer the coffers-for just two years, of course.

[John]

Wow, what an astute observation. The whole taxing issue needs to be revisited in Florida. The homestead exemption, property evaluations, sales tax issues need to be redone. NOT ANOTHER PUT TOGETHER BAND-AID PATCH JOB.